Why/How did Wilson do so well in Ohio in 1916?

[Podgy the Bear]

The German vote in Ohio in 1916 was significant--primarily in the cities such as Cleveland (Cuyahoga) and Toledo (Lucas).  Add a substantial rural population in Ohio to give Wilson a considerable victory.

The Socialist presence was less robust in 1916 than 1912 (but they did win over 3 percent of the vote in Ohio vs 9 percent in 1912).

The national swing against the Democrats in 1920 was tremendous and even more so in the above counties.  Cox lost Ohio by a big margin against Harding (+20R).  However, counties like Lucas showed a much more significant swing (+28D to +25R)--mirroring large German population states such as North Dakota (+1D to +59R!) and Minnesota and Nebraska.

[Podgy the Bear]

Add a substantial rural population in Ohio to give Wilson a considerable victory.

Why would a rural population favor Wilson?

More anti-war/isolationist in 1916--favorable to Wilson.  Also, the rural bent of Ohio (relative to other large states) kept the Democrats competitive in this era (the exception being 1904).