While globalisation and international trade have benefited the US as a whole, it has had quite a negative effect in the industrial heartland in states like Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. While Ohio has usually been a bell-weather state, Pennsylvania and Michigan have been traditionally democrat-leaning and have voted for democrats in presidential elections consistently over the past several elections. Earlier in the campaign, both states seemed categorically democratic with Hillary Clinton leading by double digits in some polls but in the last few weeks, the polls have tightened considerably in both of them and Clinton is leading only by a few points in both states according to several poll aggregators (averages of opinion polls). Clinton is now forced to depend on minorities in both states and this is also seen as being significant from both the campaigns in the closing days, with even President Obama visiting both Michigan and Pennsylvania to shore up support for Hillary. As of now it appears Hillary will win both. The fact remains thought that these two states, which were traditionally democratic, are now competitive, and it speaks volumes about the unpredictability of this election.