while ohio has been a presidential bellwether for decades, hillary clinton has largely focused her efforts elsewhere, as polls consistently put the buckeye state in donald trump<u+2019>s column. still, the g.o.p. nominee<u+2019>s lead is narrow, and now a huge new endorsement could put ohio back in play, thanks to one of the state<u+2019>s biggest stars: lebron james.









<u+201c>when i think about the kinds of policies and ideas the kids in my foundation need from our government, the choice is clear. that candidate is hillary clinton,<u+201d> the cleveland cavaliers star wrote in an op-ed sunday, published by business insider. james drew on his experiences working with kids in akron, ohio, through his charity<u+2014>the lebron james family foundation<u+2014>as motivation for his support of clinton, who he argues will also build on the legacy of president barack obama. <u+201c>only one person running truly understands the struggles of an akron child born into poverty,<u+201d> he wrote.









james<u+2019>s endorsement of clinton comes at a crucial time in the presidential race. unlike clinton, who has multiple potential paths to the white house, a victory for trump in less than six weeks hinges on winning ohio and its 18 electoral votes. right now, the new york billionaire is enjoying a 3.8-point edge on average in the polls in the battleground state, thanks in part to the state <u+201c>growing older, whiter and less educated than the nation at large,<u+201d> as the new york times reports.









but to triumph over clinton, trump needs more than just the white vote. and in ohio, james is as close to royalty as you can get. the fact that the star forward is backing clinton could potentially mobilize minority voters and tip the scales toward the democratic nominee. for weeks trump, has struggled to make inroads with the african-american community as he faces charges of running a campaign fueled by bigotry. his tone-deaf appeals to black voters (<u+201c>what do you have to lose?<u+201d>) and advocacy for widespread use of the controversial policing tactic <u+201c>stop and frisk<u+201d> hasn<u+2019>t helped. in the wake of a number of high-profile deaths of black men at the hands of police officers, james argues that clinton is better suited to respond to the heightened racial tensions in the u.s. <u+201c>we must address the violence, of every kind, the african-american community is experiencing in our street and seeing on our tvs,<u+201d> he wrote. <u+201c>we need a president who brings us together and keeps us unified. policies and ideas that divide us are not the solution. we must all stand together<u+2014>no matter where we are from or the color of our skin. and hillary is running on the message of hope and unity that we need.<u+201d> with enthusiasm for her candidacy flagging, clinton needs celebrity endorsements like james<u+2019> to help get out the vote<u+2014>especially among black voters who are a critical democratic constituency but, like other voting blocs, are less excited about clinton than obama.









james is far from the only high-profile athlete who has shared his political views during this election. san francisco 49ers quarterback colin kaepernick, who throughout the n.f.l. season has protested police violence by choosing not to stand during the national anthem, said that both clinton and trump <u+201c>are proven liars,<u+201d> and that voters will have to <u+201c>pick the lesser of two evils.<u+201d> last week, two seattle seahawks players commented on the recent police shootings. on conan, marshawn lynch said he hopes <u+201c>people open up their eyes and see that there<u+2019>s really a problem going on.<u+201d> and richard sherman refused to take reporters<u+2019> questions during a news conference last week as a form of protest. even, michael jordan, who is famously said to have quipped, <u+201c>republicans buy sneakers too,<u+201d> wrote a statement earlier this year condemning violence against african-americans and the killing of police officers, and donated $1 million each to the n.a.a.c.p. legal defense fund and the international association of chiefs of police<u+2019>s institute for community-police relations.
why lebron james<u+2019>s endorsement could help clinton retake ohio
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