After months as epicenter of relentless campaigning, Ohio finds relief in election

“Awful, just awful,” said Penny Dietrich, 63, a Worthington homemaker. “Both sides.”

But in the end, President Obama's relentless attack ads against Mitt Romney, who answered in kind, were the key to his victory in a state that always plays an outsized role in presidential campaigns.

Obama's victory in Ohio appeared to vindicate his tireless pursuit of the white working-class voters who dominate the state's election landscape. The backbone of his Ohio campaign was the federal bailout of the auto industry. Day after day, he reminded Ohio voters of the thousands of auto jobs saved at plants around the state.

And Romney, to his detriment, failed in his long struggle to find an effective defense for his opposition to the government bailout. It was a stand that might have helped the former Massachusetts governor cement conservative support in the Republican primaries. But it proved deeply damaging in the battle for Ohio.

Obama's victory was also the result of withering television depictions of Romney as an out-of-touch financier who built a vast personal fortune in corporate takeover deals that spawned factory layoffs, then used offshore tax shelters to preserve his wealth.

The assault on Romney's personal image proved devastating in a state where anyone aspiring to win a statewide election must demonstrate a firm commitment to fight for the working class.

Obama's approach helped him maintain his base of support in the same urban and industrial centers that buttressed his 2008 campaign in Ohio: Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, Akron and Youngstown. Overwhelming support among African Americans was also key.

Obama's attacks also undercut Romney in the conservative rural and suburban areas where Republicans perform best.

Obama, Romney and their allies spent $197 million on advertising in Ohio - more than in any other state.

In the run-up to election day, no fewer than 18 commercials on the presidential race were airing on Columbus TV stations. Adding to the clutter - and to the voter fatigue - were attack ads in campaigns for judgeships, the county sheriff's job and seats in the U.S. House and Senate.

Over the weekend, some Obama opponents started running some of the toughest spots of the campaign.