by JD Davidson
While Democrats picked up seats in the Ohio House and Senate, Republicans keep their veto-proof super majority in both the House and Senate following Tuesday’s election.
The wins were among the few for Democrats across Ohio. President-elect Donald Trump and running mate U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance easily took the state, and Republican challenger Bernie Moreno unseated Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in the U.S. Senate.
In the Ohio House, Democratic challenger Mark Sigrist flipped a seat formerly held by Republican Dave Dobbs in southern Columbus.
New district lines also sent new Democrats to the Statehouse and some Republican incumbents into new districts. Overall, it was a gain of two seats for Democrats in the Ohio House; Republicans still hold a 65-34 majority.
“Some Election Nights are harder than others, and this one was hard,” House Minority Leader Allison Russo (pictured above), D-Upper Arlington, said on social media Wednesday. “But, I’ll give you a nugget of positive: Ohio House Dems successfully fought to hold all of our seats and picked up two more. It’s an incredibly talented group of public servants, and our work for Ohio counties.”
Ohio Senate Democrats picked up two seats Tuesday, the first time they have done so since 1982. Republicans still hold 25 of the 33 seats in the Senate.
State Reps. Willis Blackshear Jr., D-Dayton, and Beth Liston, D-Dublin, each defeated incumbent Republicans on Tuesday.
“It has been remarkable to witness the political shift in Ohio over these last few years from what once was a swing state to a solidly red state where the conservative agenda has continued to create opportunity for all Ohioans,” Republican State Leadership Committee President Dee Duncan said.
“Through the leadership of Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, state Republicans with supermajorities in hand will continue to pass an agenda that attracts businesses to the Buckeye State while continuing to find ways to cut costs for Ohioans. We are proud of the work Ohio Republicans have done in Columbus and look forward to seeing them continue to serve their constituents well.”
Those wins, however, were overshadowed by Moreno, who pulled away denying Brown a fourth term and gave Republicans the advantage in the U.S. Senate.
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JD Davidson is a regional editor at The Center Square.
Photo State Rep Allison Russo by Ohio State House of Representatives.
