President Donald Trump is the winner in Trumbull and Mahoning counties as he captured Ohio.

In Trumbull, Trump was ahead 54.57 percent to 44.19 percent for Democrat Joe Biden, according to unofficial but final results Tuesday. It’s an even bigger win for the Republican incumbent in Trumbull than four years ago.

In Mahoning County, Trump was leading 50.38 percent to 48.44 percent for Biden, according to unofficial but final results. He’s the first Republican presidential candidate to win Mahoning since 1972.

During early voting, Biden actually led Trump in Trumbull 56.4 percent to 42.5 percent, but with votes cast at polls today, the Democrat completely lost that lead in the county. Biden had an even bigger early-vote lead in Mahoning: 62 percent to 37.1 percent.

“He’s got a good shot at pulling this off,” said U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Howland, a Biden supporter, before the Trumbull and Mahoning results came in.

This is unofficial until votes are certified and don’t include ballots postmarked by this past Monday that arrive at county boards of elections by Nov. 13 and provisional ballots still need to be counted. The election results must be certified by Nov. 18.

Trump is the apparent winner in Ohio, ahead by about 7 percent as of press time.

In the 2016 election, Trump won Ohio by 8.13 percent.

He became just the third Republican presidential candidate since 1936 to win Trumbull County four years ago. Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton by 6.22 percent in 2016.

He nearly won Mahoning County, losing to Clinton by 3.28 percent.

Since 1936, the only Republicans to win both Mahoning and Trumbull counties in the same year were Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 and Richard Nixon in 1972, both during their second terms.

The two counties have long been Democratic strongholds.

In the 2012 election, Democrat Barack Obama overwhelmingly beat Republican Mitt Romney in Trumbull and Mahoning counties. Obama won Ohio by 3 percent.

Obama won Trumbull by 22.9 percent and Mahoning by 28.4 percent.

During his first presidential campaign in 2008, Obama beat Republican John McCain by 22.4 percent in Trumbull and 26.6 percent in Mahoning. Obama won Ohio that year by 4.5 percent.

Turnout was strong in Trumbull County at 72.53 percent and Mahoning County at 71 percent. It will increase once late-arriving and provisional ballots are counted. Election officials there had expected turnout at 75 percent.

In Trumbull County, turnout was 69.7 percent in 2016, 67.8 percent in 2012 and 72.7 percent in 2008.

In Mahoning County, turnout was 70.8 percent in 2016, 72.2 percent in 2012 and 72.3 percent in 2008.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com