2016 post-general election update
On November 8, 2016, Ohio voters cast ballots in the 2016 general election. Federal offices — including President, U.S. Senate and Ohio Supreme Court — were all on the ballot, as were seats in the Ohio General Assembly. Many counties in Ohio and around the country reported record-breaking early voter turnout, adding to the historic nature of this election.
Here is Bricker & Eckler’s overview of the highlights from the general election and details on races of particular interest.
Presidential
After quite an unusual election cycle, Donald J. Trump and his running mate Mike Pence clinched the presidential race after claiming many of the country’s swing states, including Ohio, which was won by over 400,000 votes. In a year with record high absentee ballots, the Trump/Pence campaign carried counties that haven’t been won by Republicans since the 1920s. President-elect Trump won 52.05 percent of the Ohio vote and Hillary Clinton won 43.51 percent of the vote.
U.S. Senate
Incumbent Senator Rob Portman (R) prevailed over former Governor Ted Strickland (D) in the race for U.S. Senate in Ohio, winning 58.32 percent to 36.92 percent. Senator Portman took a significant lead in the polls over Strickland in the weeks leading up to the election. Portman and Strickland also faced Joseph DeMare of the Green Party and Thomas William Connors and Scott Rupert of the Independent Party. Each received 1.62 percent, 1.72 percent and 1.43 percent of the vote, respectively. Senator Portman has held Ohio’s Senate seat since 2011.
U.S. House of Representatives
Republicans retained control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Ohio U.S. Representatives Marcia Fudge (D), Marcy Kaptur (D), Pat Tiberi (R), Mike Turner (R), David Joyce (R), Tim Ryan (D), Steve Stivers (R) and Jim Renacci (R) all won re-election. Steve Chabot (R), Brad Wenstrup (R), Joyce Beatty (D), Jim Jordan (R), Bob Latta (R), Bob Gibbs (R), and Warren Davidson (R) were also successful.
Ohio Supreme Court
Judge Pat DeWine (R) of the 1st District Court of Appeals in Cincinnati prevailed over Judge Cynthia Rice (D) of the 11th District Court of Appeals in Northeast Ohio to fill Justice Paul Pfeifer’s (R) seat on the Ohio Supreme Court bench. (Justice Pfeifer was barred from seeking another term due to his age.) Judge DeWine, the son of former U.S. Senator and current Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, came away with the win, obtaining 56.42 percent of the votes.
Additionally, Judge Pat Fischer (R) of the 1st District Court of Appeals in Cincinnati is currently leading by a narrow 26,000 vote margin over Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John O’Donnell for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court bench. Judge Fischer received 50.31 percent of the votes to fill Justice Judith Lanzinger’s (R) seat. (Lanzinger must also retire due to Ohio’s age requirement.) While some media outlets have called the race for Fischer, there are still thousands of uncounted absentee and provisional ballots to be verified and possibly counted in late November, but it is too soon to know if those outstanding ballots will affect Judge Fischer’s apparent victory in this very close Ohio Supreme Court campaign. More details on this race for the Ohio Supreme Court will be forthcoming.
Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor was uncontested in her bid for re-election.
Pre-election, the court was dominated by Republicans 6-1. With the election of Judges DeWine, Fischer and O’Connor, this will remain the same.
Court of Appeals
Incumbent Judge Peter Stautberg (R) was challenged by Marilyn Zayas-Davis (D) for one of the six judge positions on the 1st District Court of Appeals. Zayas-Davis received 50.28 percent of the vote and Stautberg received 49.72 percent of the vote.
Judge William Zimmerman (R) ran against Randall Basinger (D) for the 3rd District Court of Appeals seat and handedly won with 63.06 percent of the vote.
Earning 66.40 percent of the vote, incumbent Judge Matt McFarland (R) prevailed over Valerie Gerlach (D) for the 4th District Court of Appeals race.
Earle Wise (D) came out on top in his close race against Judge David Gormley (R) for the 5th District Court of Appeals. Wise acquired 52.03 percent of the vote.
The race for Ohio’s 6th District Court of Appeals involved Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Gary Cook (D) and Christine Mayle (R). Christine Mayle won with 52.8 percent of the vote.
With 59.28 percent of the vote, Thomas Teodosio (D) beat Diana Stevenson (R) for a seat on the 9th District Court of Appeals.
The 11th District Court of Appeals race was between Ron Tamburrino (R) and incumbent Judge Thomas Wright (D). Incumbent Judge Thomas Wright was successful, earning 52.15 percent of the vote.
Franklin County Prosecutor
For the first time in 16 years, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien was challenged in his race to retain the county’s top law job. O’Brien prevailed, receiving 49 percent of the vote. Democratic Columbus City Council President Zach Klein made this race a competitive one. The two attorneys were vying for control of the office responsible for prosecuting charges against state law makers referred by the Ohio Ethics Commission. Klein received 45 percent of the vote. O’Brien has been prosecutor since 1996 and is Franklin County’s longest serving prosecutor in history. Klein has experience as an assistant attorney general for Ohio, a special assistant U.S. attorney and a lawyer in private practice in addition to serving on City Council. In the end, Ron O’Brien was victorious.
Hamilton County Commissioners
With 58.12 percent of the vote, Commissioner Todd Portune (D) won re-election against Anderson Township Trustee Andrew Pappas (R).
Dennis Deters (R) ran against Denise Driehaus (D) for the other Hamilton County Commissioner seat but lost by less than 2,000 votes. Driehaus received 50.23 percent of the vote, while Deters received 49.77 percent.
Ohio House and Senate: Republican Majority
In the Ohio House, the Republican majority increased to 66 seats, up 1 from the current 65. This is the single largest Republican majority in the history of the Ohio legislature. Similarly, in the Ohio Senate, with Frank Hoagland's victory over incumbent Lou Gentile, the Ohio Senate majority, in the upcoming 132nd General Assembly, will be at 24 Republican seats — also the largest Republican majority in the history of the Ohio Senate. These are historic margins within the 2017-2018 Ohio General Assembly.
Ohio House of Representatives: New Republican Seats
Jay Edwards (R) gained a Republican seat in the 94th House District when he defeated Sarah Grace (D) with 57.82 percent of the vote.
Ohio House of Representatives: Races of Interest
Incumbent Representative Andy Thompson (R-Marietta) of the 95th House District prevailed over Ginny Favede (D) with 61.80 percent of the vote.
The open seat race for the 23rd House District between Laura Lanese (R) and Lee Schreiner (D) went to Lauran Lanese with 57.78 percent of the vote.
Incumbent Representative Steve Arndt (R-Port Clinton) of the 89th House District ran against Lawrence Hartlaub (D) and won. Representative Arndt earned 60.85 percent of the vote.
With 60.49 percent, incumbent Representative Jeff Rezabek (R-Clayton) defeated David Sparks (D) in what was predicted to be a close race for 43rd House District.
Appointed incumbent Representative Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) of the 3rd House District faced Kelly Wicks (D) in a district which was vulnerable to party turnover. Theresa Gavarone was ultimately successful with 59.05 percent of the vote.
With 71.08 percent of the vote, incumbent Representative Tim Ginter (R-Salem) ran against John Dyce (D) for the 5th House District and won.
Battling over an open seat, former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown staffer Tommy Greene faced Republican Cuyahoga County Councilman Dave Greenspan in the 16th House District. Dave Greenspan won.
Ohio Senate
Incumbent Senator Lou Gentile (D-Steubenville) ran against Frank Hoagland (R) in the race for the 30th Senate District and lost. Hoagland received 52.84 percent of the vote while Gentile received 47.16 percent in a district strongly buoyed by President-elect Trump’s turnout.
With 59.02 percent, incumbent Representative Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard) defeated Cathy Johnson (D) for the 16th Senate District.
Matt Dolan (R) beat Emily Hagan (D) in the race for the 24th Senate District, receiving 58.22 percent of the vote.
Please see the following chart detailing results from the November General Election. For more information, contact any member of the Government Relations team at Bricker & Eckler.
Ohio House of Representatives Candidates
(Election winners are in bold.)
| District Number | Incumbent | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democrat | Other | ||
| 2 | Mark Romanchuk | Mark Romanchuk (R) | Brittany Bowman (D) | |
| 3 | Theresa Gavarone | Theresa Gavarone (R) | Kelly Wicks (D) | |
| 5 | Tim Ginter | Tim Ginter (R) | John Dyce (D) | |
| 6 | Marlene Anielski | Marlene Anielski (R) | Phillip Robinson (D) | |
| 8 | Kent Smith | Cassandra McDonald (R) | Kent Smith (D) | |
| 9 | Janine Boyd | Joe Miller (R) | Janine Boyd (D) | |
| 11 | Stephanie Howse | Shalira Taylor (R) | Stephanie Howse (D) | |
| 16 | Dave Greenspan (R) | Tommy Greene (D) | ||
| 17 | John Rush (R) | Adam Miller (D) | ||
| 18 | Kristin Boggs | David Todd (R) | Kristin Boggs (D) | Constance Gadell Newton (G) |
| 19 | Anne Gonzales | Anne Gonzales (R) | Michael Johnston (D) | |
| 20 | Heather Bishoff | Lisa Schacht (R) | Heather Bishoff (D) | |
| 21 | Mike Duffey | Mike Duffey (R) | Ryan Koch (D) | |
| 22 | David Leland | Linda Jarrett (R) | David Leland (D) | |
| 23 | Laura Lanese (R) | Lee Schreiner (D) | ||
| 24 | Jim Hughes (R) | Kristopher Keller (D) | ||
| 25 | Seth Golding (R) | Bernadine Kent (D) | Napoleon Bell (I) | |
| 26 | Hearcel Craig | Kenneth Collins (R) | Hearcel Craig (D) | |
| 27 | Tom Brinkman | Tom Brinkman (R) | Joe Otis (D) | |
| 28 | Jonathan Dever | Jonathan Dever (R) | Jessica Miranda (D) | |
| 30 | Bill Seitz (R) | Mark Childers (D) | ||
| 31 | Mary Yeager (R) | Brigid Kelly (D) | ||
| 32 | Matthew Wahlert (R) | Catherine Ingram (D) | ||
| 33 | Alicia Reece | David Miller (R) | Alicia Reece (D) | |
| 34 | Emilia Sykes | Gene Littlefield (R) | Emilia Sykes (D) | |
| 35 | Greta Johnson | Aimee Cooper (R) | Greta Johnson (D) | |
| 36 | Tony DeVitis | Tony DeVitis (R) | Bobby McDowall (D) | |
| 37 | Kristina Roegner | Kristina Roegner (R) | Casey Weinstein (D) | |
| 38 | Marilyn Slaby | Marilyn Slaby (R) | Judith Lynn Lee (D) | |
| 40 | Michael Henne | Michael Henne (R) | Dave Richards (D) | |
| 41 | Jim Butler | Jim Butler (R) | Jimmy Calhoun (D) | |
| 42 | Niraj Antani | Niraj Antani (R) | Pat Merris (D) | |
| 43 | Jeff Rezabek | Jeff Rezabek (R) | David Sparks (D) | |
| 44 | Mike Ashford | John Insco (R) | Mike Ashford (D) | |
| 45 | Teresa Fedor | Jim Nowak (R) | Teresa Fedor (D) | |
| 46 | Michael Sheehy | Diane Skaff (R) | Michael Sheehy (D) | |
| 47 | Derek Merrin | Derek Merrin (R) | Lauri Cooper (D) | |
| 49 | Dan McMasters (R) | Thomas West (D) | ||
| 50 | Christina Hagan (R) | John Juergensen (D) | ||
| 51 | Wes Retherford | Wes Retherford (R) | Johnny Hamilton (D) | |
| 53 | Candice Keller (R) | Suzi Rubin (D) | ||
| 54 | Paul Zeltwanger | Paul Zeltwanger (R) | Rick Smith (D) | |
| 55 | Nathan Manning | Nathan Manning (R) | Kelly Mencke (D) | |
| 56 | Dan Ramos | Jessie Mae Tower (R | Dan Ramos (D) | |
| 57 | Dick Stein (R) | Tom Dunlap (D) | ||
| 58 | Michele Lepore-Hagan | Corrine Sanderson (R) | Michele Lepore-Hagan (D) | Andrea Mahone (I) |
| 59 | John Boccieri (D) | Don Manning (R) | John Boccieri (D) | |
| 60 | John Rogers (D) | Robert Rule (R) | John Rogers (D) | |
| 61 | Ron Young (R) | Ron Young (R) | Rick Walker (D) | |
| 62 | Scott Lipps (R) | Samuel Ronan (D) | ||
| 63 | Devon Stanley (R) | Glenn Holmes (D) | < | |
| 64 | Michael O’Brien (D) | Martha Yoder (R) | Michael O’Brien (D) | |
| 65 | John Becker (R) | John Becker (R) | Jerod Weber (D) | |
| 66 | Doug Green (R) | Doug Green (R) | Ken McNeely (D) | |
| 67 | Andy Brenner (R) | Andy Brenner (R) | Janet Breneman (D) | |
| 68 | Rick Carfagna (R) | John Russell (D) | ||
| 69 | Steve Hambley (R) | Steve Hambley (R) | Frank Zona (D) | |
| 70 | Darrell Kick (R) | Luke Brewer (D) | ||
| 71 | Scott Ryan (R) | Scott Ryan (R) | Joseph Begeny (D) | |
| 72 | Larry Householder (R) | John Carlisle (D) | ||
| 73 | Rick Perales (R) | Rick Perales (R) | Brian Housh (D) | |
| 74 | Bill Dean (R) | Bill Dean (R) | Barabara Niemeyer (D) | |
| 75 | Kathleen Clyde (R) | Jim Lutz (R) | Kathleen Clyde (D) | |
| 76 | Sarah LaTourette (R) | Sarah LaTourette (R) | Terri McIntee (D) | |
| 77 | Tim Schaffer (R) | Tim Schaffer (R) | Bradley Nicodemus (D) | |
| 79 | Kyle Koehler (R) | Kyle Koehler (R) | Alex Wendt (D) | |
| 83 | Robert Sprague (R) | Robert Sprague (R) | Mary Harshfield (D) | |
| 84 | Keith Faber (R) | Ed Huff (D) | ||
| 86 | Dorothy Pelanda (R) | Dorothy Pelanda (R) | Scott Crider (D) | |
| 89 | Steven Arndt (R) | Steven Arndt (R) | Lawrence Hartlaub (D) | |
| 94 | Jay Edwards (R) | Sarah Grace (D) | ||
| 95 | Andy Thompson (R) | Andy Thompson (R) | Ginny Favede (D) | |
| 98 | Al Landis (R) | Al Landis (R) | Jeremiah Johnson (D) | |
Ohio Senate Candidates
(Election winners are in bold.)
| District Number | Incumbent | Candidates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democrat | ||
| 2 | Randy Gardner (R) | Randy Gardner (R) | Kirk Halliday (D) |
| 4 | Bill Coley (R) | Bill Coley (R) | Joseph Kinne (D) |
| 6 | Peggy Lehner (R) | Peggy Lehner (R) | Albert Griggs (D) |
| 8 | Lou Terhar (R) | Mary Rose Lierman (D) | |
| 10 | Bob Hackett (R) | Bob Hackett (R) | Matthew Kirk (D) |
| 14 | Joe Uecker (R) | Joe Uecker (R) | Charlie Carlier (D) |
| 16 | Stephanie Kunze (R) | Cathy Johnson (D) | |
| 18 | John Eklund (R) | John Eklund (R) | Wiley Runnestrand (D) |
| 22 | Larry Obhof (R) | Larry Obhof (R) | Christopher King (D) |
| 24 | Matt Dolan (R) | Emily Hagan (D) | |
| 28 | Jonathan Schulz (R) | Vernon Sykes (D) | |
| 30 | Lou Gentile (R) | Frank Hoagland (R) | Lou Gentile (D) |
| 32 | Rob Allen (R) | Sean O’Brien (D) | |
