The 2026 Ohio election was a big success for Democrats and will have significant ramifications on the state political landscape over the next couple of years, and possibly beyond. For years, Republicans have held state political positions of leadership.
Statewide Offices:
All five statewide elected offices were up for election this year, with Democrat candidates picking up 4 of the 5, headlined by Amy Acton’s victory over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. In a race that received national attention, Acton was victorious by a 7.9% margin. Here are the results for the other statewide elected offices:
- Ohio Attorney General: John Kulewicz (D) defeated Keith Faber (R)
- Ohio Auditor: Frank LaRose (R) defeated Annette Blackwell (D)
- Ohio Secretary of State: Allison Russo (D) defeated Robert Sprague (R)
- Ohio Treasurer: Seth Walsh (D) defeated Jay Edwards (R)
State Legislature:
Not to be lost in their achievements in the statewide elected races, Democrats were successful in state legislative races as well. Specifically, and of note, Democrats won 9 additional seats in the Ohio House, and in so doing busted the veto-proof majority Republicans in that Chamber had been enjoying. Additionally, Democrats picked up two seats in the Ohio Senate, where Republicans do continue to hold a veto-proof majority. The following are the state legislative election outcomes of note:
Ohio House of Representatives:
- House District 17: Megan Coy (D) defeated incumbent Mike Dovilla (R)
- House District 31: Noah Spinner (D) defeated Mike Kahoe (R)
- House District 35: Samantha Salamon (D) defeated Vik Sandhu (R)
- House District 36: Rose Lounsbury (D) defeated incumbent Andrea White (R)
- House District 37: Tom Herner (D) defeated incumbent Tom Young (R)
- House District 39: Daquan Neal (D) defeated Mark Campbell (R)
- House District 49: Krista Allison (D) defeated incumbent Jim Thomas (R)
- House District 52: Mike Baker (D) defeated Cliff Winkel (R)
- House District 60: Shelby Kimball (D) defeated incumbent Brian Lorenz (R)
Ohio Senate:
- Senate District 3: Stacie Baker (D) defeated incumbent Michele Reynolds (R)
- Senate District 27: Mike Roberto (D) defeated current sitting House member Steve Demetriou (R)
Congressional:
One of the nation's most closely watched races pitted Democrat challenger and veteran lawmaker Sherrod Brown against incumbent Republican Jon Husted for one of Ohio’s U.S. Senate seats. In a comeback of sorts, Brown came away with the victory by a margin of 4.8% - Brown had previously lost as an incumbent to current sitting U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno.
Democrats also made gains in U.S. House races, as incumbent Republicans Mike Carey and Max Miller were defeated, with Republican incumbent Mike Turner in a “too close to call” race against his Democrat challenger. Democrat incumbent Marcy Kaptur successfully defended her seat against Republican challenger Derrick Merrin.
Ohio Supreme Court:
There were two Ohio Supreme Court races up for grabs in this year’s election, and Democrats won both of those races, with Jennifer Brunner defeating Colleen O’Donnell and Marilyn Zayas defeating Dan Hawkins. Republicans maintain a 5-2 majority on the Supreme Court.
Statewide Issues:
Lastly, there was a statewide ballot issue, Issue 3, that sought to require certain forms of ID in order for Ohio voters to cast their ballots. This Issue was passed by Ohio voters by a 30% margin.
What does it all mean?
While analysis of yesterday’s results will continue for weeks, the following are a few items to note:
- Governor-elect Acton will be able to wield more influence on legislative matters now that the Ohio House does not have a veto-proof majority;
- Legislative Democrats will wield more influence not only because they have busted the veto-proof majority in that chamber, but because they will be working with a Governor of the same party who will be able to wield her veto pen more freely;
- Given these results, we anticipate a very active lame-duck session in November and December, as legislative Republicans will work to enact legislation that they may not be able to otherwise get signed into law come 2027. Additionally, legislative Republicans may use the lame-duck session to enact law to limit executive authority. One open question on this is whether Governor DeWine will be cooperative in these efforts;
- Yesterday’s results in the statewide office elections means that Democrats will have much more influence when it comes to the drawing of legislative districts;
- From a national perspective, it remains to be seen whether the Republican Party chooses to remain tied to President Trump, especially with the 2028 presidential election looming ahead, or to begin to redefine its identity.