WASHINGTON, D.C. — In Niles, Ohio, front lawns are dotted with flowers, shrubs and Trump signs. In recent years, Ohio has grown more Republican. Yet many voters say the issues matter more to them than party loyalty, a factor that is keeping some state races competitive.

Many voters in the northeast part of the state said they did not identify as either Republican or Democrat, but had a positive opinion of former President Donald Trump.

“There are a lot of small businesses around here. That means a lot of blue-collar people. They have to work for everything that they have around here. Trump was for that when he was in office. I think that’s kind of the vibe,” said Devon Gulosh, a tattoo artist at Tattoo Industries in Niles.

Between customers, Gulosh discussed his political views, saying he wasn’t particularly excited by either Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris. Before making his final decision, he said he wanted to hear the two debates and learn more about Harris’ policy stances.

Bryan Sumpter, who owns Tattoo Industries, said he also didn’t identify with either party but as a small business owner, was leaning toward voting for Trump.

“I think that inflation is really high and small business owners are feeling it. I think it’s been in a better place than it is now,” Sumpter said. “I think the last four years, the price of food and gas is just so high, a lot of people can’t afford anything other than the necessities.”

Both men said they took local issues into greater account for state races, including the competitive Senate race between Sherrod Brown and Bernie Moreno. Voters of both parties echoed those sentiments.

“Typically, I vote for the candidate, not necessarily the party and for the administration. The philosophy, the ideas that I feel strongly about that will benefit all the people of this country and move us forward,” said Laura Pellegrini, a Democrat from Salem, Ohio, who volunteered to canvass for Sherrod Brown.

Some voters said local issues drove their party loyalty.

Erica Thomas of Niles, Ohio, said she voted Democratic all her life—until she lost her longtime job at Delphi Packard Electric making car parts. The company declared bankruptcy in 2005, largely because free trade agreements had made American labor more expensive than outsourcing jobs overseas.

“I think that was the beginning of the end for me. So someone whose father was a Democrat, whose grandfather was a Democrat, and probably whose great-great-grandfather was a Democrat,” said Thomas. “Enough.”

Thomas said she planned to vote Republican in both the presidential and Senate races.

While voters said they cared primarily about the issues, many have not yet researched the policy stances of local candidates. That leaves time for campaigns to educate voters on where they stand.