2024 Primary Election Results and Analysis

Overview

Ohio held its Primary Election on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Featuring several crowded races and many incumbents facing challengers, election night yielded some interesting results with fairly low voter turnout of about 1.1 million Ohioans voting out of 7.9 million registered electors.

As anticipated, at the top of the Ohio primary ballot, Ohio voters in Democratic and Republican primaries selected President Joe Biden (D) and former President Donald Trump (R) as the winner of Ohio’s presidential primary races.

Below is an analysis of the U.S. Senate primary, the congressional primaries, and the many Ohio House and Ohio Senate primaries. All results noted in this memorandum are based on the preliminary, unofficial results.

Summary of 2024 Primary Election Results

U.S. Senate

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Cleveland) will face Cleveland-area car dealer and businessman Bernie Moreno, who prevailed in a three-way Republican primary. Moreno defeated State Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) and Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R-Upper Arlington). Former President Trump’s influence on the Republican Party remained apparent when his endorsement catapulted Mr. Moreno into the lead in public polls and, ultimately, with an 18-percentage point win on Tuesday with Mr. Moreno winning all of Ohio’s 88 counties along his path to primary victory.

Senator Brown has won tough reelection challenges previously, but Ohio Republicans are hoping 2024 is a banner year for the GOP, allowing them to finally defeat the three-term Senator.  This race will be one of the most watched and competitive races in the country with the control of the United States likely hanging in the balance.

U.S. House of Representatives.

Several of Ohio’s congressional districts had crowded Republican primaries. State Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township), thanks in part to a late breaking endorsement from former President Trump shortly before voting began on Election Day, defeated former State Rep. Craig Riedel (R-Defiance) and will face Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo), the current longest serving member of Congress in the nation.

Republican Congressman Brad Wenstrup (R-Cincinnati) announced his intention to retire earlier this year, resulting in a crowded, Republican primary of 11 candidates. With so many candidates, David J. Taylor, an attorney and businessman from Clermont County, won the race with only 25.4% of the vote. The district is heavily Republican and therefore Mr. Taylor is expected to win in November.

Former Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) resigned to become the President of Youngstown State University, creating a special election to fill his current term. Governor DeWine set the special primary for the 6^th congressional district seat to be held on Ohio’s Primary Election date. The special election for the congressional seat is scheduled for Tuesday, June 11, 2024, with the winner serving the remainder of Congressman Johnson’s term. State Senator Michael Rulli (R-Salem) and Representative Reggie Stoltzfus (R-Paris Township) ran against one another in the primary, with Rulli announced the winner. Senator Rulli also won the primary for the right to run for a full term beginning in 2025.

Ohio Supreme Court.

There was only one contested primary for the Ohio Supreme Court. Eighth District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Forbes (D-Cleveland) defeated Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Terri Jamison (D-Columbus) in the Democratic primary to finish the remainder of Supreme Court Justice term that expires December 31, 2025. Judge Forbes will face Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Dan Hawkins (R-Columbus).

Three of the seven seats on the Ohio Supreme Court are contested on the November ballot. Current Justices Melody J. Stewart (D-Cleveland) and Michael P. Donnelly (D-Cleveland Heights) are up for reelection in 2024. Justice Joe Deters (R-Cincinnati) will face Justice Stewart. Justice Donnelly will be running against Judge Meagan Shanahan (R-Cincinnati). The November 2024 General Election will be the second statewide election showing party affiliation alongside Ohio Supreme Court candidates’ names (and Court of Appeals candidates) on the ballot.

Ohio General Assembly.

Many legislators are seeking to switch chambers, including several Senators facing term limits. Notably, President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) is running for election in his former Ohio House seat, and many speculate that he will seek to take the Speaker seat once elected. Other current House members potentially switching chambers include Rep. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton), Rep. Beth Liston (D-Dublin), Rep. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson), Rep. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) and Rep. Susan Manchester (R-Waynesville). Most, but not all, face General Election opponents.

Many incumbent House members faced primary challengers, including many who supported Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) over Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township) for Speaker of the House at the beginning of the current General Assembly in January 2023. Critics referred to those Republican members as the “Blue 22” because they joined with House Democrats to elect Speaker Stephens. Twelve of the “Blue 22” were up for reelection and four ultimately lost their primaries.  Current Ohio House members who lost their primary elections include: Jon Cross (R- Findlay), Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton), Brett Hudson Hiller (R-Uhrichsville) and Gail Pavliga (R-Atwater). Additionally, Forhan (D-South Euclid) lost his primary race.

In the Ohio Senate, the two incumbents survived their challenges, with Senator George Lang (R-West Chester) and Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula) both winning.

A few primary races are too close to call at this time and we will monitor those results for any recounts and the official canvass which will occur in the next few weeks.

Key Local Races.

In Franklin County, Columbus City Council Member Shayla Favor won a contested primary for Franklin County Prosecutor, defeating Chief Deputy County Prosecutor Anthony Pierson. Current County Prosecutor Gary Tyack is retiring. Besides being the Prosecutor for the most populous County of Ohio, the Franklin County Prosecutor also has jurisdiction of the statehouse and most of state government, which in the fallout of the H.B. 6 scandal has placed renewed emphasis on the position. John Rutan was unopposed in the Republican Primary for Franklin County Prosecutor.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley fended off a primary challenger.

Looking ahead to November, former State Representative Connie Pillich is challenging Republican incumbent, Melissa Powers for the position of Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney in Cincinnati, Ohio. The race figures to be a key test of strength for both local political parties.

November General Election Possible Ballot Issues.

Currently, two ballot issue committees are collecting signatures to appear on the November General Election ballot. The first is a citizen initiated constitutional amendment to revise redistricting in the state. Specifically, if approved by Ohio voters, the constitutional amendment would replace Ohio’s current redistricting process with a citizen-led commission to draw state legislature and congressional districts.

The second potential ballot issue for November is Raise the Wage Ohio, a constitutional amendment to increase Ohio’s minimum wage. This constitutional amendment summary was approved in early 2023, but the supporters of the amendment decided to wait and push their efforts to appear on the November 2024 general election ballot. The constitutional amendment would increase Ohio’s minimum wage to $12.75 on January 1, 2025. On January 1, 2026, the minimum wage would increase again to $15.00 per hour. After January 1, 2027, Ohio’s minimum wage would increase by inflation.

To qualify for the November ballot, each committee must collect a total number of signatures equal to at least ten percent of the total vote cast for the office of governor at the last gubernatorial election, 413,487. The signatures must be obtained from at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties. From each of these 44 counties, there must be signatures equal to at least five percent of the total vote cast for the office of governor in that county at the last gubernatorial election. The supporters of each potential ballot issue must file their petitions with signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office by July 3, 2024, 125 days before the general election. Therefore, we will know more on these ballot issues’ efforts in July if they are certified to the ballot after a review of their signatures.

Ohio’s legislative agenda will likely pickup after the March Primary Election to try and finish priorities such as Ohio’s capital budget before the summer recess. Once the Legislators leave for the summer, members are not anticipated to return to Columbus until after the November General Election. With so many bills awaiting legislative action, we expect a busy lame duck session at the end of 2024. You can view any of the bills discussed in this memo at the Ohio General Assembly’s website: https://www.legislature.ohio.gov or contact a member of Bricker Graydon’s Government Relations team for more details.

We look forward to working with you in the coming year and helping make 2024 a success.

U.S. House of Representatives^[1]

District	Incumbent	Democrat	Republican
1	Greg Landsman	Greg Landsman*	Orlando Sonza*
2	Brad Wenstrup	Samantha Meadows*	Niraj Antani Charles Tassell Kim Georgeton Derek Myers Shane Wilkin Phil Heimlich Ron Hood Matthew Henderson Tom Hwang Larry Kidd Tim O’Hara David J. Taylor*
3	Joyce Beatty	Joyce Beatty* Roshan Chandrakumar	Michael Young*
4	Jim Jordan	Tamie Wilson* Jeffrey Sites Stephen Thomas	Jim Jordan*
5	Bob Latta	Keith Mundy*	Bob Latta* Robert Owsiak
6	Bill Johnson	Rylan  Finzer Michael Kripchak* Louis Lyras	Reggie Stoltzfus Michael Rulli* Rick Tsai
7	Max Miller	Matthew Diemer* Douglas Bugie	Max Miller*
8	Warren Davidson	Vanessa Enoch* Nathaniel Hawkins David Gelb	Warren Davidson* Kay Rogers
9	Marcy Kaptur	Marcy Kaptur*	Craig Riedel Steve Lankenau J.R. Majewski Derek Merrin*
10	Mike Turner	Kirk Benjamin David Esrati Joseph S. Kuzniar Amy Cox* Manuel Foggie Tony Pombo	Mike Turner*
11	Shontel Brown	Shontel Brown*	Landry M. Simmons James Hemphill Alan Rapoport
12	Troy Balderson	Jerrad Christian*	Troy Balderson*
13	Emilia Sykes	Emilia Sykes*	Chris Banweg Kevin Coughlin* Richard Morckel Greg Wheeler
14	Dave Joyce	Brian Kenderes*	Dave Joyce* Elayne J. Cross Ken Polke Mark Zeltzer
15	Mike Carey	Zerqa Abid Adam Miller*	Mike Carey*

Ohio House of Representatives

District	Incumbent	Democrat	Republican
1	Dontavius Jarrells	Dontavius Jarrells*	None
2	Latyna Humphrey	Latyna Humprhey*	None
3	Ismail Moahmed	Ismail Mohamed* Abdirizak Diini Julie Trabold	None
4	Mary Lightbody	Beryl Brown Piccolantonio*	Jason Allevato*
5	Richard Brown	Lea Almeida Meredith Lawson-Rowe* Marco Miller	None
6	Adam Miller	Adhanet Kifle Eli Bohnert Christine Cockley* Patrick Barnacle Brandon Barcus Kawther Musa Elijah Williams	Hussein Jabiri*
7	Allison Russo	Allison Russo*	None
8	Beth Liston	Anita Somani*	None
9	Munira Abdhullahi	Munira Abdullahi*	None
10	David Dobos	Sarah Pomeroy[2] Mark Sigrist	Brian Garvine* Shafi Ahmed
11	Anita Somani	Crystal Lett*	Stephanie Kunze*
12	Brian Stewart	Brad Cotton*	Brian Stewart* Patricia Hamilton
13	Michael Skindell	Tristan Rader*	Robert Dintaman*
14	Sean Brennan	Sean Brennan*	None
15	Richard Dell’Aquilla	Chris Glassburn* T.J. Mulloy	Aaron L. Borowski* Ryan McClain
16	Bride Rose Sweeney	Bride Rose Sweeney*	Daniel Harrington*
17	Thomas Patton	Jessica Sutherland*	Mike Dovilla* Anthony Alexander Gordon Short
18	Darnel Brewer	Juanita Brent*	Justyn Anderson*
19	Phil Robinson	Phil Robinson*	Kenny Godnavec*
20	Terrence Upchurch	Terrence Upchurch Nathaniel Cory Hatfield	Donna Walker Brown*
21	Elliot Forhan	Elliot Forhan Eric Synenberg* Angel Washington	Joshua Malovasic *
22	Juanita Brent	Darnell Brewer*	Milan Wesley*
23	Dan Troy	Dan Troy*	Tony Hocevar*
24	Dani Isaacsohn	Dani Isaacsohn* Stephan Pryor	John Sess*
25	Cecil Thomas	Cecil Thomas*	Jim Berns*
26	Sedric Denson	Sedrick Denson*	John Breadon*
27	Rachel Baker	Rachel Baker*	Curt Hartman*
28	Jessica Miranda	Jessica Miranda*	Jenn Giroux*
29	Cindy Abrams	Joseph Salvato*	Cindy Abrams* George Brunemann
30	Bill Seitz	Daniel Voynovich Stefanie Hawk*	Mike Odioso*
31	Bill Roemer	Anthony J. Harris*	Bill Roemer*
32	Vacant	Jim Colopy*	Jack Daniels* Mary Stormer
33	Veronica Sims	Veronica Sims*	None
34	Casey Weinstein	Nathan Jarosz Derrick Hall* Dina Edwards	Adam Bozic*
35	Steve Demetriou	Mark Curtis*	Steve Demetriou*
36	Andrea White	Chuck Horn Rose Lounsbury*	Andrea White*
37	Tom Young	None	Tom Young*
38	Willis Blackshear	Desiree Tims Derrick Forward*	None
39	Phil Plummer	Dion Green*	Phil Plummer*
40	Rodney Creech	Bobbie Arnold*	Rodney Creech*
41	Josh Williams	Erika White* Colin Flanagan	Josiah Lienbach*
42	Derek Merrin	Elgin Rogers Jr.*	None
43	Michele Grim	Michele Grim*	None
44	Elgin Rogers Jr.	David Blyth*	Josh Williams*
45	Jennifer Gross	Landon Meador*	Jennifer Gross*
46	Thomas Hall	Benjamin McCall*	Thomas Hall* Zachary R. Stacy
47	Sara Carruthers	Vanessa Cummings*	Sara Carruthers Diane Mullins*
48	Scott Oelslager	Lynn Gorman*	Scott Oelslager*
49	Jim Thomas	None	Jim Thomas*
50	Reggie Stoltzfus	Vanessa Joy*	Matthew Kishman*
51	Brett Hillyer	John  Bazaar Joe Rinehart*	Brett Hudson Hillyer Jodi Salvo*
52	Gayle Manning	Genevieve Flieger*	Gayle Manning*
53	Joe Miller	Joe Miller*	Bradley Lacko*
54	Dick Stein	Brenda Buchanan*	Kellie Deeter* Anthony Savage
55	Scott Lipps	Laura Davis*	C. Teska* Ben McCullough
56	Adam Mathews	Cleveland Canova*	Adam Mathews* Kathy Grossman Heather Salyer
57	Jamie Callender	Rick Walker*	Jamie Callender*
58	Lauren McNally	Lauren McNally*	Emily Ciccone*
59	Al Cutrona	Laura Schaeffer*	Al Cutrona*
60	Brian Lorenz	Rachael Morocco*	Brian Lorenz*
61	Beth Lear	David Hogan* Christian Smith	Beth Lear* Michael Holt
62	Jean Schmidt	Katie Vockell*	Jean Schmidt* Dillon Blevins
63	Adam Bird	Tracey McCullough*	Adam Bird*
64	Nick Santucci	Lauren Mathews*	Nick Santucci*
65	Mike Loychik	None	David Thomas* Laurie Magyar
66	Sharon Ray	Bradford Scott Quade*	Sharon Ray* Gary Fox
67	Melanie Miller	Drew MclIveen*	Melanie Miller*
68	Thad Claggett	Michael Smith*	Thad Claggett*
69	Kevin D. Miller	Jamie Hough*	Kevin Miller* Daniel Kalmbach
70	Brian Lampton	Joseph Wilson*	Brian Lampton&
71	Bill Dean	James Duffee*	Joshua Day Levi Dean* Robert Fudge Tyler Scott
72	Gail Pavliga	Nathaniel Adams*	Gail Pavliga Heidi Workman*
73	Jeff LaRe	Michael Scarmack (write-in)*	Jeff LaRe* Mike Tussey
74	Bernard Willis	Derek Alvarado*	Bernard Willis*
75	Haraz Ghanbari	Jan Materni*	Haraz Ghanbari* Sally Culling
76	Marilyn John	Alomar Davenport*	Marilyn John*
77	Scott Wiggam	Mark Gooch*	Bill Albright Meredith Craig* Frank Grande Josh Hlavaty Dennis Finley
78	Susan Manchester	None	Matt Huffman*
79	Monica Robb Blasdell	Dan Votaw*	Monica Robb Blasdell*
80	Jena Powell	Melissa Vandyke*	Jonathan Newman*
81	James Hoops	Gene Redinger (write-in)*	James Hoops*
82	Roy Klopfenstein	Magadalene Markward*	Roy Klopfenstein*
83	Jon Cross	Sheila Coressel*	Jon Cross Ty Mathews*
84	Andrea King	Arienne Childrey*	Angie King*
85	Tim Barhorst	Victoria Maddox*	Tim Barhorst*
86	Tracy Richardson	Lesley Verbus*	Tracy Richardson* Wezlynn Davis
87	Riordan McClain	Craig Swartz*	Riordan McClain*
88	Gary Click	Dianne Selvey*	Gary Click*
89	D.J. Swearingen	Alicia Roshong*	D.J. Swearingen* Steven Kraus
90	Justin Pizzulli	Kate Nunneley*	Justin Pizzulli* Gina Collinsworth Timothy J. Wheeler
91	Bob Peterson	Ellen Yvette Clark*	Bob Peterson*
92	Mark Johnson	Arthur Donald Beatty*	Mark Johnson*
93	Jason Stephens	None	Jason Stephens*
94	Jay Edwards	Wenda Sheard*	Kevin Ritter* Shannon Walker
95	Don Jones	Lish Greiner*	Don Jones* Nelson Roe
96	Ron Ferguson	None	Ron Ferguson*
97	Adam Holmes	None	Adam Holmes*
98	Darrell Kick	Annie Homstad*	Scott Pullins Mark Hiner* Brandon Lape
99	Sarah Fowler Arthur	Louis Murphy*	Sarah Fowler Arthur*

Ohio Senate

District	Incumbent	Democrat	Republican
2	Theresa Gavarone	Paloma De La Fuente (write in) *	Theresa Gavarone*
4	George Lang*	Thomas Cooke*	George Lang* Mark Morgan Candice Keller
6	Niraj Antani	Jyl Hall Jocelyn Rhynard Willis Blackshear*	Charlotte McGuire*
8	Louis Blessing	Ty Hogan*	Louis Blessing*
10	Bob Hackett	Daniel McGregor*	Kyle Koehler* Carolyn Destefani
12	Matt Huffman	Zulma Schrupp*	Susan Manchester*
14	Terry Johnson	Mark Grauwelman Shane Marcum*	Terry Johnson*
16	Stephanie Kunze	Beth Liston*	Besa Sharrah*
18	Jerry Cirino	Chris Callender Katie O’Neill*	Jerry Cirino*
20	Tim Schaffer	Nick Hubbell*	Tim Schaffer*
22	Mark Romanchuk	Kathy Salem*	Mark Romanchuk*
24	Matt Dolan	Sue Durichko*	Tom Patton*
26	Bill Reineke	Mohamed Juma*	Bill Reineke*
28	Vernon Sykes	Casey Weinstein*	Jon Leissler*
30	Brian Chavez	Iva Faber*	Brian Chavez*
32	Sandra O’Brien	Michael Shrodek*	Sandra O’Brien* Mike Loychik

[1] Preliminary election results. * Denotes the unofficial primary election winner.
[2] This race was too close to call at the time of this publication.