Ohio Democrats likely end House supermajority after Tuesday elections
Unofficial returns show the party captured enough seats to block veto overrides for incoming Governor Amy Acton.
By Luca Harrison ·
Democrats in Ohio likely ended the Republican supermajority in the state House on Tuesday. Unofficial returns indicate the party gained between ten and twelve seats, exceeding the six additional seats required to break the 65-member threshold held by Republicans. This shift limits the ability of future Republican lawmakers to override a veto from incoming Democratic Governor Amy Acton without bipartisan support.
The party’s gains included the defeat of five Republican incumbents in the House. Megan Coy defeated Mike Dovilla in the district covering Berea. Rose Lounsbury won against Andrea White in the Kettering district. Shelby Kimball took the seat previously held by Brian Lorenz in Powell. Tom Herner defeated Tom Young in the Washington Township district. Krista Allison won the race against Jim Thomas in Plain Township.
Democrats also flipped five open House seats previously occupied by Republicans who did not seek re-election or were term-limited. Noah Spinner won the 31st district seat vacated by Bill Roemer. Samantha Salamon captured the 35th district seat formerly held by Steve Demetriou. Mike Baker won the 52nd district seat previously occupied by Gayle Manning. Daquan Neal took the 39th district seat held by Phil Plummer. David Fournier won the 44th district seat formerly held by Josh Williams.
Two House races involving Republican incumbents remained close as of early Wednesday morning. Rep. Haraz Ghanbari of Perrysburg and Rep. Cindy Abrams of Harrison both lead by small margins. These contests could determine whether the Democratic total reaches twelve seats.
In the state Senate, Democrats needed three additional seats to end the upper chamber supermajority. Stacie Baker defeated incumbent Sen. Michele Reynolds of Canal Winchester. Mike Roberto won against Rep. Steve Demetriou in a district previously controlled by Republicans. The race between Rep. Gayle Manning of Avon and Rep. Joe Miller of Amherst remains undecided. That seat was previously held by Manning’s son, former Sen. Nathan Manning, who was appointed to the Ninth District Court in August.
The General Assembly will convene with a new balance of power in January. Without a supermajority, Republicans will require at least some Democratic votes to override any veto issued by Governor Acton during her term.
State officials will certify final election results in the coming days. The specific number of seats gained by Democrats in the House will be confirmed once all precincts report and the two close contests are resolved.
