Honestly, Ohio has always been leaning to the right. It's just that Obama was a good fit for the state and Brown was a great campaigner who always had the fortune to run in favorable D years. Trump merely kicked it into overdrive.
Ohio in 2000 may have been more "normal" Ohio. Still a lot closer than it is now but clear right lean relative to the nation. Kerry, Obama, and Brown were all very good fits for the state. I don't remember Biden being a free trader but it doesn't matter anymore.
It's not highlighted enough the Reverse Great Migration's impact on Midwest political geography. The increases in the black pop % in states like Georgia didn't materialize out of nowhere.
The Dem floor in states like Ohio is declining and AAs moving to the Sunbelt is a key contributor to that.
