By Okon Ekpenyong and Peaches Calhoun 

The 2024 Presidential election results sent shockwaves nationwide, with the Republican Party securing historic victories. President-elect Donald Trump and Vice-President Elect JD Vance led the charge.

Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance will soon leave his position to become the next Vice-President of the United States, creating a vacancy. According to state law, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine must appoint someone from the same party to replace Vance and serve alongside newly elected Bernie Moreno until 2026. After 2026, voters can decide who will complete the remaining two years of Vance’s term.

National Highlights

• Record-breaking presidential win
• Four Senate seats flipped from Democrat to Republican: Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. (GOP now leads 52-44)
• High-profile congressional seats won (GOP now leads 212-200).

Local Highlights (Franklin County)

• Senator Sherrod Brown and Kamala Harris won big with the Franklin County Voters but lost the overall election
• Congresswoman Joyce Beatty retained her seat
• Issue 47 (Central Ohio Transit Authority’s sales tax) passed

Senate seats flipped to the Republican Party across the nation, in states like Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In Montana, Republican Tim Sheehy defeated the incumbent Jon Tester. In Ohio, Republican Bernie defeated incumbent Sherrod Brown. In West Virginia, current Governor Jim Justice won the open U.S. Senate seat by defeating Glenn Elliott. Although Democrat Senator Joe Manchin holds the seat, he chose not to seek re-election. Notably, both Justice and Manchin previously served as governors of the state. In Pennsylvania, Democratic Senator Bob Casey lost his seat to Republican Dave McCormick.

Moreno is originally from Colombia; he moved to the United States when he was five and obtained citizenship at eighteen. He believes that the Trump-Vance administration will be supportive of immigration but not of unchecked migration. Moreno stated, “We will ensure that the people who come to this country are invited here, just as my family and I were, on our terms.”

Critics have accused the Biden-Harris Administration of failing to secure the border, using a crime that may be committed by an undocumented migrant as a critical argument.

Abortion was a hot topic for the Democrats, and four states chose to overturn their abortion ban, while in States like Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota, the ban remains in place. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, and Montana voted to approve an abortion amendment. Since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade in 2022 under the first Trump Administration, the ultimate decision returned to the states. Critics have said the ruling worked in Favor of the republican controlled States and alienated women’s right to work with their physicians to make such a consequential decision.

In the State of Representatives races, like districts 1-11 except 12, the Democratic party won big. State Rep Dr Beth Liston, representing District 8, which includes part of Worthington, Dublin, and parts of northwest Columbus, defeated Albanian-American Besa Sharrah in the State Senate race. Liston was on her 2nd term before deciding to run for the Open District 16 seat.

Dontavius Jarrells will be one of 34 Democrats sworn in this January after winning his re-election bid. However, the Republican Party will continue to control the House, holding 65 seats. In some local races in Franklin County, Democrats performed exceptionally well. For instance, Latyna Humprey represented District 3, Ismail Mohamed represented District 4, Beryl Piccolantonio represented District 5, and Munira Abdullahi and Anita Somani successfully retained their seats.

Reynoldsburg Council President Meredith Lawson-Rowe successfully won her race to represent District Five, which includes portions of Reynoldsburg, Canal Winchester, Franklin County, and Licking County. “I promise to lead with your best interests in mind and collaborate across the aisle to serve all constituents,” Lawson-Rowe stated. She will take over the seat from State Representative Richard Brown, the newly-elected Franklin County Court of Common Pleas General Division Judge.

Additionally, newly-elected Christine Cockley will represent District 6, which encompasses Columbus’s Hilltop and Westside areas. Beryl Piccolantonio will serve a full term in District Five after being appointed to finish out the term after the resignation of Mary Lightbody earlier this year. In another competitive race, newly-elected State Representative Crystal Lett triumphed over Stephanie Kunze. Back in 2020, in a contentious State Senate District 16 race, Kunze defeated Lett 106,053 to 105,937, necessitating a recount.

County recorder Danny O’Connor, treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan, engineer Adam Fowler, and coroner Nate Overmire, from the democratic party, also won big there. Shayla D. Favor, a current Columbus city councilwoman, was victorious in her run to become the next county prosecutor. Favor will replace former Judge and current Prosecutor Gary Tyack, a Democrat. Favor defeated John P. M. Rutan 63% to 37% to become the first Woman and first Black Woman to win that seat. In her acceptance speech during the Democratic watch party, Favor said, “No Dream is too big, and no barrier is unbreakable.” Congresswoman Beatty introduced Favor and her family on election night and had the crowd chanting in joy.

Favor expressed her commitment to addressing the inequities in the justice system to ensure fairness for everyone, including new Americans. In our earlier interview with Favor, she emphasized that collaborating with various ethnic organizations throughout Franklin County would be crucial in helping the community understand the court system and the available resources.

John O’Grady and former Ohio Treasurer Kevin L. Boyce will continue to serve as county commissioners following the election results announced on Tuesday night. Additionally, it’s important to note that judges play a vital role in the community. In the Court of Common Pleas election, the following candidates secured their respective seats:

• Jaiza Page will continue as Division 1/3 with 317,055 votes.
• Karen Held Phipps remains as Division 1/4 with 309,146 votes.
• Kim Brown will also stay in Division 1/6 with 324,902 votes.

Newly-elected Richard Brown won Division 1/7 with 313,877 votes, and Stephen McIntosh captured Division 1/8 with 307,734 votes. In the Domestic Relations Court, Elizabeth Gill won Division 1/1 with 318,131 votes, James W. Brown took Division 1/2 with 318,780 votes, and Douglas Nobles secured Division 1/5 with 310,775 votes. All candidates received 100% of the votes in their respective divisions.

In the Ohio Supreme Court races, the Democratic Party had a disappointing night as all three of its candidates—incumbent Michael P. Donnelly, Melody J. Stewart, and challenger Lisa Forbes—were defeated. In January, the court will have a 6-1 Republican majority, which could have significant implications for abortion rights and redistricting.

Candidates from the Republican Party won all three Ohio Supreme Court seats contested on Tuesday night. Rather than seek re-election, Republican incumbent Joseph Deters chose to run against Democratic incumbent Melodie Stewart. Governor DeWine appointed Deters in 2023 when one of the Supreme Court seats became vacant; he will now serve a full term. Per multiple Sources, Deters never held a judicial seat before his initial appointment but was the longest-tenured prosecutor for Hamilton County in Cincinnati.

In 2018, Stewart became the first Black woman elected to the Ohio Supreme Court. Before that, she served twelve years in eight district appeals courts in Cuyahoga County, Cleveland.

Republican Judge Dan Hawkins of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas will succeed Deters after defeating Democratic Eighth District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Forbes. Additionally, Democratic incumbent Justice Michael Donnelly lost to Republican challenger Megan Shanahan, who is currently serving as a Judge on the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas.

Issue 1 was a significant measure for voters in Ohio. Republican voters and officials opposed it, arguing that the issue was primarily focused on abortion rights rather than effectively stopping gerrymandering. In contrast, supporters of the proposed measure claimed it was designed to ban gerrymandering and prevent redistricting practices that favored the Republican Party. Ultimately, 2,883,705 voters voted against it, while 2,478,017 voted in Favor. The measure ultimately stalled. With a 6-1 Republican majority in the Ohio Supreme Court, this outcome poses a setback for the Democratic Party.

The liquor option refers to the proposal to allow liquor sales on Sundays and weekends in Franklin County cities, including Columbus, Grove City, Westerville, and other townships. During the Democratic Watch Party, Mayor Andrew Ginther expressed support for Issue 47, which pertains to the Central Ohio Transit Authority’s sales tax, receiving a 57% approval rating from the voters. The plan involves increasing the sales tax on all services from 0.5% to 1%. The additional revenue will be directed toward funding LinkUs, an initiative focused on transportation and development aimed at improving public transit and fostering growth in the area. Officials praised the passage of the levy as a critical opportunity to address the needs of Central Ohio’s growing population.

The Tuesday night election results will significantly impact the world stage, influencing U.S. foreign policy, abortion rights, immigration, and redistricting. The Republican Party’s gains will likely reshape the country’s direction.

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