But here in Weirton — where Weirton Steel Company employed 12,000 people and now only 900 — many say they will cast their ballots for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. “Well, the world has changed.”Ever since Democrats like Bill Clinton embraced free trade, West Virginia has voted for the Republican presidential nominee in greater margins. “I don’t know what Trump would do if he’s elected,” said Mark Glyptis, president of the United Steelworkers Local 2911 and a Trump supporter, who voted for Obama in the past two elections. Trump appears to be accelerating that schism between unions and Democrats, especially in pockets of the country where blue-collar manufacturing jobs once drove local economies. Workers here — Democratic, union-dues-paying workers — are tired of that economic stagnancy, and many say Trump will do something about it.

Source: Washington Post August 18, 2016 15:59 UTC