Ohio
What do Ohio’s election results mean? Diving deeper into national, statewide and local races
Election Day is over, but the implications of Tuesday’s results will play out for years to come.
Republicans had a big day statewide and nationally, while on the local level Franklin County Democrats are celebrating. Here’s what we’re following in the election’s wake:
Donald Trump defeats VP Kamala Harris in Ohio, the biggest win for president in 40 years
Ohio voters picked former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in a double-digit victory – a result that underscored Ohio’s shift from a presidential bellwether to a solid Republican state.
Trump easily won Ohio in 2016 and 2020, so his victory in 2024 is not surprising. But the margin was impressive.
Trump’s 11-point lead was the largest for a presidential candidate in Ohio in 40 years.
Now that JD Vance will be VP, what happens to his Ohio Senate seat?
The next vice president of the United States will be a senator from Ohio.
Former president Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in the presidential election called Wednesday morning by the Associated Press. Trump and Vance will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, just two years after Vance took the oath of office for his first Senate term.
Now, Ohio has a Senate seat to fill (again).
Here’s what happens next.
Here’s why Ohio Issue 1, a proposal to end gerrymandering, failed
Ohio voters resoundingly rejected Issue 1, a proposal to replace elected officials with a citizen commission to draw congressional and state legislative districts.
Republicans overcame a massive fundraising deficit to convince Ohioans that Issue 1 was too confusing and too flawed to pass. The measure failed as Republicans swept statewide races in Ohio, including victories for former President Donald Trump and Senate challenger Bernie Moreno.
But Issue 1 backers say Ohio voters were duped by GOP-crafted ballot language and deceptive campaigning against their measure.
Read more here.
Republican Bernie Moreno unseats Sherrod Brown in key Ohio Senate race. How did he do it?
Sen. Sherrod Brown repeated the same refrain as he navigated the toughest campaign of his political career: “It’s always been Ohio.”
On Tuesday, it was Ohio that helped Republicans win control of the U.S. Senate by ousting Brown from office and electing Republican businessman Bernie Moreno
Here are four takeaways from Moreno’s win over Brown.
Springfield, Ohio was flung into the spotlight during the election because of immigration. How did they vote?
Two months ago, Springfield, Ohio, was in the national political spotlight after now President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance spread baseless rumors that Haitian immigrants in the community were eating pets and wildlife.
Local officials were quick to refute the rumors and show their support for the city’s small immigrant community.
Here’s how Clark County residents, including the city of Springfield, voted in Tuesday’s election.
The Ohio Supreme Court now has a 6-1 Republican majority. What will that mean for abortion rights?
Republicans expanded their control of Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday by sweeping three races, giving the GOP six of seven seats beginning in January.
The GOP wins come as justices will decide cases involving the abortion rights amendment that voters approved last year. Ohio Right to Life endorsed the three Republicans for supreme court.
Here’s what to know.
Incumbents thrive in Ohio Congressional races
All of Ohio’s 15 incumbents will apparently remain in Congress based on unofficial election results from The Associated Press.
In Ohio’s 9th District, incumbent Democrat Marcy Kaptur, of Toledo, was in a see-saw race with Republican challenger Derek Merrin. But unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State showed that Kaptur captured a narrow lead of 1,193 votes with 100% of the votes counted as of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Here’s a bigger look at the future of the delegation.
How the Ohio Statehouse will look different after Election Day
The Ohio Statehouse remained in Republican hands when final results rolled in Wednesday morning, but a few Democratic hopefuls upped their party’s numbers and changed the power plays of the Legislature, if only slightly.
Democrats gained two seats in the state Senate, and needed to flip two seats to shift the state House away from the two-thirds GOP supermajority that allows them certain privileges without having to consider the opposing party. They did, thanks in part to the most recent iteration of the ever messy Ohio redistricting saga creating a few new toss-up districts across the Buckeye State, some of which are in central Ohio.
Most of the flipped seats occurred in central Ohio. Here’s what to know about how things shifted.
What happened on Election Day in Columbus?
The Dispatch also has plenty of coverage of local races, issues and their implications, with more to come. Get caught up with these highlights:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State’s defense has been nothing short of dominant this season, but what’s scary for future opponents is that it might be on the verge of getting even better.
The latest episode of Buckeye Talk revealed two fascinating developments that could transform an already-elite unit into something truly unstoppable.
The first involves what Stephen Means described as “the ultimate good problem” at the nickel position. While Lorenzo Styles has been solid, Jermaine Mathews has shown flashes of being an elite playmaker who can dramatically change games with his ability to create turnovers.
“This is, I think, the ultimate good problem that a defense could have — where the guy who’s doing a job isn’t doing it poorly, but there just might be a guy who is elite, elite, elite at it,” Means said.
The option between Styles and Mathews represents the luxury Ohio State now has – two excellent players for one position, with Mathews offering a specific skill set that addresses one of the few areas where the defense could improve: creating more takeaways.
Co-host Stefan Krajisnik emphasized Mathews’ impact:
“I just think he’s such a difference-maker for you that if that’s the one thing you feel like this defense is lacking… I would continue to give Jermaine Mathews some snaps there in the slot.”
But perhaps the most intriguing revelation came from defensive end Kenyatta Jackson, who approached defensive coordinator Matt Patricia about being allowed more freedom as a pass rusher.
Jackson, who has been disciplined in his containment responsibilities against mobile quarterbacks, wanted permission to use his full arsenal of pass-rush moves.
Means highlighted the significance of this conversation:
“I also love the fact that he said that Matt Patricia’s response was like, ‘Yeah, just don’t go past quarterback… You can do whatever you want as long as you don’t put us at a disadvantage.”
This context explains why Jackson hasn’t been as statistically productive as many expected. Against more traditional pocket passers, Jackson could now be unleashed, complementing Caden Curry (who’s putting up numbers comparable to Chase Young’s Heisman campaign start) and creating a truly terrifying pass rush.
What we witnessed against Wisconsin – where Jackson registered three pressures and a sack after this conversation with Patricia – might just be the beginning. Ohio State’s defense is already allowing a minuscule 5.9 points per game, but these adjustments suggest the best is yet to come.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
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Halloween safety tips for fun and safe trick-or-treating
Safety is key to enjoying Halloween festivities. The FDA and CDC offer these tips for costumes, candy and trick-or-treating to keep you safe this year.
Why do central Ohio communities trick or treat on nights other than Halloween?
This week’s What’s Up With That? is a personal one, as it’s a query I’ve had since I moved to Columbus nearly seven years ago. What’s the origin of central Ohio’s complex (to outsiders) tradition of holding trick or treating (or Beggars Night, as some call it) on nights other than Oct. 31?
It is a question that has been asked and answered by The Columbus Dispatch before. But to save you a journey through our archives, I’ll recap the history here.
Why does central Ohio schedule trick-or-treating on nights other than Halloween?
Up until 2005, when the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission adopted the current system for recommending when communities should hold trick-or-treating, Columbus hadn’t held the event on Halloween itself in 90 years, according to past Dispatch reporting.
Columbus historically held a raucous Downtown Halloween party on Oct. 31, according to our archives, prompting the preference for Oct. 30 as the day kids could collect candy. That party was discontinued in the 1950s over too much revelry, but Oct. 30 trick-or-treating persisted.
MORPC took on its role as trick-or-treat scheduler in 1993 and adopted the current system it uses to choose the date in 2005. MORPC’s recommendation is just that; communities are still free to set their own trick-or-treating days and times.
When is central Ohio trick-or-treating in 2025?
Here’s MORPC’s system: When Halloween falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, trick or treat typically takes place the Thursday before Oct. 31 in central Ohio. When Halloween falls on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, expect costumed kids on the day itself.
In 2015, a MORPC spokesman told the Dispatch the system was meant to increase convenience for families. Friday or Saturday night trick or treating could conflict with football (as could Sunday, for that matter, although in central Ohio it’s largely the first two putting a dent in people’s calendars).
Since Halloween falls on a Friday this year, the recommended trick-or-treat date is Oct. 30, and cities and towns have official candy-calling hours of 6-8 p.m.
But there are exceptions. Here’s a look at which Franklin County communities are going their own way:
- Bexley: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 30
- Grandview Heights: 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31
- Groveport: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 30
- Madison Township: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 30
- Worthington: 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31
You can see other communities’ hours in this list we published in early October.
Have a question about Columbus? I’ll find your answer
What other weird central Ohio traditions would you like to have explained? I’m happy to track down the information. Or just curious what that development is, or why the traffic pattern you hate is the way it is?
Email ekennedy@dispatch.com and I will see what I can do.
Eleanor Kennedy is the senior digital director of the Columbus Dispatch. She can breached at ekennedy@dispatch.com.
Ohio State showed no sign of loosening its grip on the No. 1 ranking this weekend.
The Buckeyes routed Wisconsin in a 34-0 win that marked the third time in four weeks that they prevailed on the road in the Big Ten to preserve their unblemished record.
At 7-0, they are one of only six unbeaten teams left in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Below is their ranking in the major polls after Week 8:
Ohio State football rankings after Week 8
US LBM Coaches Poll
The Buckeyes are the consensus No. 1 among the coaches, receiving all 65 first-place votes following Miami’s loss to Louisville on Oct. 17.
The Hurricanes, who were previously unbeaten, had two first-place votes last week prior to the upset.
The rest of the top-five includes Indiana at No. 2, Texas A&M at No. 3, Alabama at No. 4 and Georgia at No. 5.
AP Top 25
Ohio State received 60 out of the 66 first-place votes in the AP poll with second-ranked Indiana getting the remaining six.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
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