Why did Trump just pardon a former owner of the 49ers? In part because he wants to win Ohio.

When my family moved to Howland, Ohio, when I was a freshman in high school, I quickly learned that while the region in northeastern Ohio was formally Cleveland Browns territory, there was a big, loud San Francisco 49ers subculture. The reason for this was twofold. In part, it was a function of how good the Niners were at the time. In larger part, though, it was a function of the team’s owner: Edward DeBartolo Jr.

Howland is a bit east of the city of Warren, which is itself due northwest...