Ohio midterm election a sweeping victory for Republicans (with one unlucky exception)

American Thinker; Democrats charged into the Ohio midterm election full of piss and vinegar. Their belief was that they were surfing a blue wave and were going to start the process of turning what is often described as a purple state into a blue one. The Buckeye State is a major prize in the quest for the presidency with its 18 electoral votes and central position in the Midwest region.

This was all a Democrat rehearsal for 2020. But things did not turn out that way. With one exception which will be addressed further down, the election was a wipe out for Democrats. Here’s a summary.

Statewide Offices

At the top of the ticket was the race for governor. Here, Mike DeWine faced off against the Obama administration’s former Consumer Financial Protection Director Richard Cordray. Days before the election, the media here were saying the race was a “nail-biter.” But even a new hair cut style didn’t help the disheveled Obamite as DeWine handily defeated him  50- 46. From there, the GOP swept all the down-ticket statewide offices with healthy margins. With 100 percent of the votes tallied, Dave Yost won as attorney general, Robert Sprague as treasurer, and Frank LaRose as secretary of state, and Keith Faber as auditor. Of these, Yost and LaRose could have bright prospects for the future.

Not only does this allow the GOP to keep control of the executive branch of Ohio’s government, it also weighs heavily on the upcoming redistricting:

Of added importance to both parties, the governor, the secretary of state and auditor are members of the Ohio Apportionment Board, which is responsible for drawing district maps. For congressional districts, if the legislature cannot reach a bipartisan agreement on a new map, a seven-member commission that also includes four legislative appointees, will draw a map with bipartisan support. If not, then the majority party can draw a map with stricter rules.

Obviously, this bodes well for Republicans.

Ohio State Legislature

Prior to the election, Republicans controlled the state legislature. In the Assembly the GOP enjoyed a super-majority and had a firm control of the Senate. After the election, all this stays the same. With a Republican governor and a GOP legislature, conservative initiatives can be expected. For example, Mike DeWine has already said he is looking forward to cutting regulations and said he would sign an anti-abortion Heartbeat bill.

Ohio’s Congressional Delegation

As with the state legislature, it was the same for Ohio’s congressional delegation. Of its 16 members, 12 were Republicans prior to the election. The midterm election allowed the GOP to hold every congressional seat it owned. There were no Republican loses.

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