Shonore and Justis are not typical Trump supporters. Young, female, and African American would statistically put them firmly in Hillary's camp. But the last 8 years of Democratic leadership have seen their hometown of Akron, Ohio slip deeper into despair. "I'd like us to get back to where our jobs were here, and our education back on top. He actually supports all of that, so he's my guy", says Shonore. It's a similar story in nearby Lorain. Carlos, a Dominican immigrant, is one of tens of thousands left jobless and hopeless after the collapse of the steel industry. "When the economy went bad for the auto industry, for the banks, they all got bailed out... We were like the Titanic, nobody came to help". With his future uncertain, Carlos is another unlikely vote for Trump. The situation is also dire across the border in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. Bobby Erjevik lost his job as a teacher due to budget cuts following the closure of the mine. He wasn't the only one, "we've lost 25,000 teachers in 5 years, so we are most definitely in crisis mode", says Missy Wilson. But will the Rust Belt's plight be enough to save Trump?

The Guardian

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