Democratic party leaders chose Ohio for the fourth presidential debate hoping to tilt the gradually reddening state blue — but participants seem less optimistic.

All of the major candidates are pulling out of Ohio for other battlegrounds after the debate at Otterbein University in Westerville, an apparent admission that the state — and its 18 electoral votes — may not be in play for the Democrats in 2020.

“The fight is in Iowa and New Hampshire,” said Molly Mitchell, a former Democratic operative.

“With the top three candidates in striking distance of each other, spending time in a state that leans Republican and has a mid-March primary makes about as much sense as betting Michigan against Ohio State,” she added, referring to the schools’ bitter football rivalry.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and California Sen. Kamala Harris are all heading on Wednesday to Iowa after the 12-person debate.

Once a hard-fought purple state, Ohio has been shifting into Republican control in recent years.

In 2016, President Trump carried the state by eight points.