President-elect Joe Biden speaks Saturday night in Wilmington, Del. Biden won the presidency Tuesday after Pennsylvania's vote count was completed. He will become the 45th president of the United States when inaugurated Jan. 20 in Washington. In Ohio and the Mahoning Valley, however, voters preferred incumbent President Donald J. Trump.

President Donald Trump, who won Mahoning and Trumbull counties, ran up the vote totals in the rural parts of the area, but also fared well in once-reliable Democratic communities such as Struthers, Austintown, Niles and Hubbard.

While Youngstown and Warren, the most-populous cities in the two counties, were Democrat Joe Biden’s strongest communities, his support was softer there than it was for Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate.

Biden, who won the election Saturday, received 27.4 percent of his 56,346 total votes in Mahoning County from Youngstown, based on the uncertified count. That represents 16,059 votes from the city.

However, Clinton received 32.2 percent, 18,499 votes, of her total votes of 57,381 in the county from Youngstown.

That means President-elect Biden had 2,440 fewer votes in Youngstown than Clinton four years ago.

Also, Trump received 5,534 votes in Youngstown in this election compared with 5,207 four years ago.

Clinton beat Trump in Mahoning four years ago by 3,765 votes while Trump defeated Biden by 2,255 votes. It was the first time since 1972 that a Republican presidential candidate won Mahoning County.

Biden captured 20.3 percent, 8,839 votes, of his 43,534 Trumbull County total votes from Warren residents.

But Clinton received 21.9 percent, 9,440 votes, in 2016 in Warren of her total votes of 43,014 in Trumbull County.

Biden received 601 fewer votes in Warren than Clinton while Trump increased his vote total in the city by 530 in this election compared with four years ago.

Trump beat Clinton in 2016 by 6,010 votes in Trumbull County. He did even better in this election, defeating Biden by 10,222 votes. Trump is the first Republican presidential candidate to win twice in a row in Trumbull since Herbert Hoover in 1928 and 1932.

NOT AS STRONG

Youngstown and Warren remain solid Democratic areas, but not as strong as even four years ago.

“Biden still did well in the bigger urban cities in our area,” said Bill Binning, retired chairman of the Youngstown State University political science department. “He did well in the African-American wards, and Democrats are still strong in the largest cities.”

Besides Youngstown, the only other community in Mahoning County won by Biden was Campbell 2,204 to 1,290. Even that was a decline in Campbell from 2016 when Clinton beat Trump 2,472 to 1,109.

Among Biden’s losses were two longtime Democratic communities, Austintown and Struthers, which went to Clinton four years ago.

In 2016, Clinton won Austintown 9,042 to 8,420. In this election, Trump won the township over Biden 9,415 to 9,131.

In 2016, Clinton beat Trump in Struthers 2,397 to 2,118. But Trump emerged the victor in Struthers in this election 2,406 to 2,271.

“Struthers is notable because it’s a union town and is a very strong Democratic area,” Binning said. “The same with Austintown. It shows the realignment of white working-class voters supporting Trump. These areas never voted Republican in the past and now Trump is winning.”

In Mahoning in 2016, Trump won every community except Youngstown, Campbell, Struthers and Austintown.

In Trumbull County, Trump narrowly lost Niles to Biden 4,210 to 4,065. Clinton fared better in Niles four years ago, winning 4,176 to 3,648.

“It’s amazing Trump did that well in Niles,” Binning said. “It’s always been the heartbeat of the Democratic Party in Trumbull County.”

Trump also won the city of Hubbard 2,235 to 1,853. He beat Clinton in 2016 in the city, but the results were closer 2,003 to 1,845.

In this election in Trumbull County, Trump lost only in Warren, Niles, Girard and Liberty. Besides McDonald, those were the only communities to back Clinton in 2016 though each so by a larger margin than Biden this year.

In 2016, McDonald went for Clinton 848 to 820. In this election, McDonald backed Trump 943 to 861.

The vote in the rural parts of the Mahoning Valley went overwhelmingly to Trump as it did in 2016.

“Rural townships have always been Republican, but never to these levels,” Binning said.

Some of the results are lopsided in Trump’s favor.

Examples in Trumbull County include: 1,031 to 374 in Fowler, 1,306 to 563 in Southington, 773 to 188 in Hartford and 1,085 to 398 in Bristol.

In Mahoning County, Trump won Smith 1,168 to 315, Goshen 1,361 to 375, Green 1,367 to 488 and Ellsworth 954 to 398.

“The southern portion of (Mahoning) is red and will be red for years to come,” said Thomas McCabe, the county’s Republican Party chairman. “It’s not an aberration.”

dskolnick@tribtoday.com