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Where does the Republican Party go after Trump?



Donald Trump may have lost the election but he won a record number of votes, and tightened his grip on states like Ohio. So what can Ohio tell us about the Republican
Party's future?

Powell, a suburb of the capital Columbus, has a charming and old-worldly feel.

Its picturesque neighbourhoods with big houses and rolling lawns reinforce the much romanticised pop culture images of the ideal American suburban life. The downtown
market is lined with small cafes, handicraft shops, ice-cream parlours and wine stores.

President Trump won this county and, though the election is long over, many shops and businesses still have 'Trump-Pence 2020' campaign signs staked in their lawns.

Among them is a cigar shop called Stogies where a 'TRUMP 2020' banner is the centrepiece, flanking photos of Groucho Marx and Winston Churchill - celebrities of
a bygone era - holding lit cigars.

Concentric rings of smoke fill this cosy lounge, which used to be a church in the early 1900s. There is a group of men inside seated on sofas, all smoking cigars.
President Trump looks down on them from an autographed photo.

They are all Trump supporters and part of the electorate that gave him a decisive victory in Ohio. Mostly in their 50s and 60s, they're college educated professionals and
businessmen.

Neil Berberick, a retired professional says: "What Trump has done is that he has gone back to core values. He picked up the people that were forgotten by the Democrats.
He was in tune with us. He has changed the Republican party for the good.''

There is a sense of longing for President Trump - even though they still don't entirely believe he's lost the presidency.

Asked about the future of the Republican party after Trump, Taylor Burkhart, a young mechanical engineer says: "The party is not just going to dissolve because Trump
may not be on their ticket. Someone will fill his shoes. We'll find someone else whose values that we agree with."

But there is also this deep hope in the smoke-filled air that Mr Trump remains a force in Republican politics.

The owner of the cigar lounge, Hassan Dakhteh, an Iranian immigrant who came to the United States over 40 years ago, says: "I think he will run in 2024,
I hope he runs in 2024."

President Trump remains a dominant force in Ohio. He won the state's 18 electoral college votes and also the popular vote by more than eight percentage points.
According to the AP, he won more votes than any other presidential candidate in the state's history.

It's a testament to how effectively Mr Trump spoke to rural and working class Ohioans and created a base that adores him.

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