Biden and Trump Win Easy Victories in Primaries
President Joe Biden (D) and former President Donald Trump (R) won commanding victories in their respective primaries yesterday in Ohio, with Biden taking 87.5% of the vote and Trump winning 79.19% of the at-large vote. Biden and Trump were essentially unopposed; all opponents to either candidate dropped out of the race prior to Ohio’s primary.
Brown to Face Moreno in the Fall for the U.S. Senate
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D), who won his unopposed primary, will be facing Republican Bernie Moreno in the fall election. Moreno garnered 50.5% of the vote, defeating challengers State Senator Matt Dolan, 32.86%, and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, 16.64%. Moreno is a Cleveland area businessman who gained former President Trump’s support. He is also the father-in-law of U.S. Representative Max Miller.
U.S. House Incumbents Finish Strong in Races
Races for the U.S. House seats were active this year, with two open seats up for grabs as Brad Wenstrup (R-2nd District) chose not to run for re-election, and Bill Johnson (R-6th District) left Congress early to take up the Youngstown State University presidency. Incumbents facing primaries included Bob Latta (R-5th District), Warren Davidson (R-8th District), and Dave Joyce (R-14th District). In total, 15 contested primaries were conducted in U.S. House races across the state.
There were actually two primaries occurring for the open 6th District seat. The first primary on June 11, 2024, was to select candidates for a special general election to seat someone to serve out the remainder of Representative Johnson’s term. The second primary selected the candidates for the November general election. Michael Kripchak (D) and State Senator Michael Rulli (R) will face off in both general elections.
The candidates in the fall will be:
District 1: Orlando Sonza v. Greg Landsman*
District 2: David Taylor v. Samantha Meadows
District 3: Michael Young v. Joyce Beatty*
District 4: Jim Jordan* v. Tamie Wilson
District 5: Bob Latta* v. Keith Mundy
District 6: Michael Rulli v. Michael Kripchak
District 7: Max Miller* v. Matt Diemer
District 8: Warren Davidson* v. Vanessa Enoch
District 9: Derek Merrin v. Marcy Kaptur*
District 10: Mike Turner* v. Amy Cox
District 11: Alan Rapoport v. Shontel Brown*
District 12: Troy Balderson* v. Jerrad Christian
District 13: Kevin Coughlin v. Emilia Sykes*
District 14: Dave Joyce* v. Brian Bob Kenderes
District 15: Mike Carey* v. Adam Miller
*Incumbent
Most Incumbents Do Well in Ohio House and Senate Races Despite Strong Challenges
All 99 Ohio House seats and 16 Ohio Senate seats will be up for grabs in the fall, and many candidates faced primary opponents yesterday. Some of the more interesting race results included:
- Senator George Lang (R) prevailed in his primary for the 4th Senate District, defeating former Representative Candice Keller for a second time, as well as local Middletown businessman Mark Morgan.
- Representative Willis Blackshear (D) won his three-way primary in the newly Democratic-leaning 6th Senate District.
- Senator Sandra O’Brien (R) of the 32nd Senate District defeated Representative Mike Loychik.
- Representative Elliot Forhan (D) of the 21st House District came in a distant third place in his three-way primary after being removed from his caucus due to personal conflicts. Eric Synenberg, an attorney and Beachwood City Council member, will be the Democratic candidate in the fall.
- In the night’s closest races, Grove City Council member Mark Sigrist is leading Columbus attorney Sarah Pomeroy by 24 votes in the 10th House District Democratic primary. While Meredith Craig, Director of Healthcare Policy for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, is currently ahead by 100 votes in a five-way primary in the 77th Ohio District Republican primary.
- Republican Representatives Sara Carruthers, Brett Hudson Hillyer, Gail Pavliga, and Jon Cross were defeated in their primaries. The four members were among the 22 Republicans who joined Democrats in supporting Speaker Jason Stephens in the contested speaker contest and had been targeted for that vote. No other incumbents lost their primaries.
Ohio Supreme Court Races Set, Two Justices Face Off in Fall
Current Justices Melody Stewart (D) and Joseph Deters (R) will be facing off against each other in the general election this fall. Deters was appointed to his seat by Governor Mike DeWine following the retirement of former Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, and challenging Justice Stewart provides him an opportunity for a full six-year term as opposed to running for the remaining two years of his current seat.
Justice Michael Donnelly (D) will face Judge Megan Shanahan (R) of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas for a full six-year term. Judge Dan Hawkins (R) of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and Judge Lisa Forbes (D) of the Eighth District Court of Appeals are running for the seat Justice Deters is relinquishing, which carries a two-year term expiring on December 31, 2026.
* All vote counts are preliminary.
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