In the latest in our series on the swing states, we take a closer look at Ohio and Iowa.

No Republican has ever won the presidency without carrying Ohio.  Donald Trump is polling better in the Buckeye State than Mitt Romney did in 2012, but will that be enough?  Kyle Kondik, author of The Bellwether: Why Ohio Picks the President, analyzes the Trump-Clinton matchup in Ohio. 

Iowa has also been favorable terrain for Trump, but Hillary Clinton remains the favorite in the Hawkeye State in many prediction models.  Timothy Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, explains the dynamics of the race in Iowa. 

Listen now for the best analysis in the business.

Ohio - 18 electoral votes (270 electoral votes needed to win the election)

Ohio Census Data:

·         Voting-age population: 8.96 million (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   18-to-44 years old: 44.4%  (47.1%)

o   45-to-64 years old: 35.5% (34.1%)

o   65 years and older: 20.1%  (18.9%)

·         Racial demographics (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   White: 83.2%  (66.3%)

o   Hispanic: 2.8%  (15.3%)

o   Black: 12.2%  (12.5%)

o   Asian: 2.2%  (6.0%)

·         Economics (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   Median household income: $49,308  ($53,657)

o   Poverty rate: 13.7%  (13.6%)

·         Education

o   Bachelor's degree or higher: 26.6%  (30.1%)

·         2012 presidential election result - Barack Obama (D): 50.67%; Mitt Romney (R): 47.69% (source: Federal Election Commission)

Iowa - Six electoral votes (270 electoral votes needed to win the election)

Iowa Census Data:

·         Voting-age population: 2.4 million (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   18-to-44 years old: 45.2%  (47.1%)

o   45-to-64 years old: 34.2% (34.1%)

o   65 years and older: 20.6%  (18.9%)

·         Racial demographics (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   White: 90.2%  (66.3%)

o   Hispanic: 4.4%  (15.3%)

o   Black: 3.2%  (12.5%)

o   Asian: 2.4%  (6.0%)

·         Economics (comparison to overall U.S. population in parenthesis)

o   Median household income: $53,712  ($53,657)

o   Poverty rate: 11.3%  (13.6%)

·         Education

o   Bachelor's degree or higher: 27.7%  (30.1%)

·         2012 presidential election result - Barack Obama (D): 51.99%; Mitt Romney (R): 46.18% (source: Federal Election Commission)

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