Just one-quarter of Ohio voters want US as leader in world affairs: poll

Only a quarter of voters in Ohio want the United States to take the leading role in world affairs, according to a new poll.

A Politico poll published Monday found that 25 percent of likely voters in the key battleground state want the U.S. to take the leading role in world affairs, while 46 percent want the U.S. to play a major role but not a leading role. Nineteen percent said they want the country to play a minor role worldwide.

{mosads}The poll results show a shift in the Buckeye State on President Trump and his free trade policies.

In the 2016 campaign, Trump often criticized trade deals as part of his pitch to voters in Ohio, but 61 percent of likely Ohio voters polled now say they believe international trade is generally good for the U.S. 

Only 22 percent of those surveyed said that international trade is generally bad for the country, the poll found.

Additionally, 52 percent of the voters surveyed have a favorable view of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico that Trump has often railed against. Just 26 percent said they view NAFTA unfavorably.

That contrasts with a nationwide poll taken last month that showed less than a third of those surveyed were in favor the NAFTA agreement.

The poll’s results were based on interviews with 1,592 registered voters in Ohio from Sept. 2-11. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.