OTTAWA COUNTY, Ohio — As the 2020 presidential season heats up, supporters for both President Donald Trump and presumptive democratic nominee Joe Biden are working to make their voices heard.
For the Republicans in Ottawa County, that time was this weekend.
Boaters headed to Ottawa County Saturday afternoon for a Trump flotilla organized by the Ottawa County Republican Party.
Several hundred boats; all of the them boasting a Trump flag and social distancing.
Organizer and party chairwoman Jill Stinebaugh says she was in the lead boat.
The flotilla began where the Portage River meets with Lake Erie.
"I'm from the western part of the county. Closer to Toledo where we farm. It was really educational for me to see how they go out from a marina. And it was the most perfect day for this," said Stinebaugh.
As the flotilla made its way to mainstays like Kelly's Island and Catawba Island, some of the smaller boats couldn't keep up with the cross wake.
Stinebaugh says that's when boaters who didn't originally start with the flotilla started to join in.
She believes Ottawa County is a bell weather part of Ohio.
This region of the state traditionally votes Republican, and according to Stinebaugh, those voters on the lake are motivated and ready to vote for President Trump.
"We organized this event in two weeks. There would be 30 people waiting in line at party headquarters for flags and they would cheer when I arrived with the flags. It just kind of exploded," said Stinebaugh.
Mr. Trump's support might be slipping according to national polls, but if this flotilla was any indication of his support in Ottawa County, the president has to feel good about his chances.