Ohio Votes – 2024 Primary Election Update
By Andrew Huffman, Ohio REALTORS Assistant Vice President of Government Affairs
Ohio’s primary election was held on March 19th to determine the Republican and Democratic candidates who will appear on the ballot in the general election. While the presidential primary was a forgone conclusion with Donald Trump and President Joe Biden winning their respective party nominations, we were closely watching several other high-profile races in Ohio.
U.S. Senate
No race has received more statewide attention than the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Sherrod Brown. Bernie Moreno, who received Donald Trump’s endorsement, defeated State Senator Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose in this highly combative GOP primary.
Ohio Supreme Court:
Three Ohio Supreme Court races are on the ballot this year. There was only one contested primary in those races as a pair of Democrats faced off in the primary for the open Ohio Supreme Court seat. Lisa Forbes soundly defeated her opponent Terri Jamison to win the Democrat primary and will face Republican Dan Hawkins in November.
U.S. Congress:
Multiple Congressional primary races featured contested primaries. In Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District, Republican David Taylor defeated ten other Republican candidates. He will face Democrat Samantha Meadows to represent the Republican-leaning district in southern Ohio. The district was left vacant by U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup who announced his retirement at the end of this term.
Ohio’s 6th Congressional District was also open after Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson left the seat earlier this year. Voters in the 6th district elected State Senator Mike Rulli over two challengers. Rulli will appear on the ballot in a special June election to replace Johnson, as well in the November general election. He faces Democrat Michael Kripchak in this heavily Republican district.
In Northwest Ohio, current Ohio State Rep. Derek Merrin edged out his challengers to win the Republican Primary Ohio’s 9th Congressional District. He will face Democrat U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur.
In Ohio’s 13th Congressional District, Republican Kevin Coughlin defeated his two opponents and will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes.
State Rep. Adam Miller won the Democratic primary in the 13th Congressional District and will face U.S. Rep. Mike Carey.
Ohio Statehouse:
We were also closely watching races for the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate. All 99 House seats are on the ballot in 2024, giving way to several contentious primaries. This was especially true on the Republican side, as GOP incumbents who teamed with House Democrats to elect current House Speaker Jason Stephens faced many qualified challengers. In the Ohio Senate, 16 of the chamber’s 33 seats are on the ballot this year and like in the House, there were multiple incumbents facing challengers as well as open seats that featured competitive primaries.
Below is a link to the unofficial results of Ohio’s elections. Please know these results are considered "unofficial" until the Ohio Secretary of State certifies them once accounting for all absentee and provisional ballots.
Ohio Decides - Election Night Reporting - President (at-large) (ohiosos.gov)
