By By Okon Ekpenyong
Sherrod Brown returns to the U.S. Senate, and Dr. Amy becomes the First Elected Woman Governor as Ohio voters reshape the state’s political landscape.
Ohio voters delivered a major political shift Tuesday, November 3, electing Democrat Dr. Amy Acton, Ohio’s former health director, as the first woman elected governor and returning former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown to Washington. Nationwide, the Democratic Party also made gains in congressional and legislative races, winning several statewide offices and breaking the Republican supermajority in the Ohio House. The results marked a significant night for Ohio and national Democrats and brought historic milestones for women and immigrant representation.
Democrat Dr. Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, receiving 52.31% of the vote to Ramaswamy’s 44.4%, with about 98% of the vote reported. Acton becomes Ohio’s first elected woman governor and the first Democrat elected to the office in 20 years, since Ted Strickland, who served from 2007 to 2011. Her victory also ends Republican control of the governor’s office. Nancy P. Hollister, who was previously lieutenant governor under George Voinovich, became governor after Voinovich resigned to take his U.S. Senate seat. Hollister served the remaining 11 days of his term.
Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown defeated Republican incumbent Jon Husted in Ohio’s closely watched U.S. Senate race. Husted is the state’s former lieutenant governor, but he resigned to fill then-Senator JD Vance’s vacant seat after Vance resigned to serve as vice president under President Donald Trump.
Brown received about 50% of the vote, while Husted got 45.2%, according to results from nearly all precincts. His victory marks a political comeback after losing his Senate seat in 2024 and gives Democrats an important Ohio pickup. With this victory, he helped his party gain seven seats from Republicans, bringing their total to 54-44.
One of the election’s significant moments for immigrant representation came with the victory of Ukeme Awakessien Jeter, a Nigerian-born immigrant, attorney, engineer, and current Upper Arlington mayor. Jeter won the Ohio House seat, receiving about 70% of the vote. Her victory is especially meaningful to this reporter because she comes from the same Nigerian village as the reporter’s mother. Her election is also part of a broader story about Nigerian Americans entering public service, which a separate national feature will explore.
Democrat Don Leonard defeated Republican incumbent Mike Carey in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, flipping the seat to Democrats for the first time since Mary Jo Kilroy did so in 2008. In the 3rd Congressional District, Democrat Joyce Beatty won reelection, defeating Republican Cleophus Dulaney to secure her eighth term. Another notable result came in the 7th Congressional District, where Democrat Brian Poindexter defeated Republican incumbent Max Miller, whose personal life made headlines on several occasions, delivering another Democratic pickup. With Poindexter’s and Leonard’s victories, the party flipped 31 Republican seats in this midterm election alone, returning to a 240-147 advantage.
Ohio Senate: Stacie Baker’s victory:
Reynoldsburg City Council Democrat Stacie Baker defeated Republican incumbent Michele Reynolds, who was serving her first term, in Ohio Senate District 3, delivering an important Democratic victory in Central Ohio. Baker’s campaign manager, Tom Dunn, spoke with us after the election victory. Dunn credited direct voter engagement and listening to residents as important factors in the campaign’s success.
“I think we just spoke to the voters,” Dunn said. He also pointed to affordability and rising prices as major concerns for Ohioans, saying, “I think affordability is the thing that we’re all looking for, especially in Ohio.”
Democrats won four of Ohio’s five major statewide executive offices. Democrat John Kulewicz defeated Republican Keith Faber for attorney general; former State House Majority Leader Allison Russo defeated Robert Sprague for secretary of state; and Seth Walsh defeated Jay Edwards for state treasurer. Meanwhile, Republican Frank LaRose, the state’s current secretary of state, won the state auditor’s office. The results represent a major change in Ohio’s statewide leadership.
Democrat Marilyn Zayas’s election to the Supreme Court marks a historic breakthrough for Hispanic representation in Ohio’s judiciary, as she becomes the first Hispanic justice elected to the state’s highest court. Meanwhile, the state’s first woman secretary of state, Jennifer Brunner, elected in 2006 and taking office in 2007 under then-Governor Ted Strickland, won reelection. Democrats also made gains in the Ohio House, breaking the Republican supermajority by a 5-2 margin. But Republicans remain in control of the State Senate and House.
Grove City Council member Mohamed Omar celebrated the results and highlighted immigrant voter participation. “Your vote matters, and your voice matters; you have a say in what happens in this election,” Omar said. He encouraged immigrant communities to continue participating in future elections rather than treating voting as a one-time event.
Ohio State Rep. Munira Abdullahi, representing the state’s 9th District in Franklin County, became the first Somali-American woman to win elected office in Ohio. She was reelected, crediting grassroots organizing, canvassing, phone banking, and direct conversations with voters for the victories many saw across the board.
“Organizing from the ground up, and that face-to-face contact, nothing can replace that,” Abdullahi said. She also pointed to frustration over the cost of groceries, gas, and health care as reasons voters wanted political change.
State Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, representing District 4, said the night was a historic moment for Ohio women. She expressed pride in Ohio electing its first woman governor. “Our first woman governor here in Ohio. I could not be more proud of the state,” she said, emphasizing the importance of voters in making history.
Beyond Ohio, the election produced historic victories for Black candidates across the country. Former Atlanta Mayor and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms became Georgia’s first Black woman governor. Meanwhile, former Wisconsin State Rep. and Democrat David Crowley became Wisconsin’s first Black governor in the state’s 178-year history.
Before becoming Nevada’s first Black governor, Aaron Ford held several high-ranking state government positions, most recently serving as state attorney general and previously as a state senator.
Republican Congressman Byron Donalds also became Florida’s first Black governor. With Maryland Gov. Wes Moore winning reelection, five Black governors are expected to serve simultaneously for the first time in U.S. history. Other notable national victories included Democrat Rob Sand’s gubernatorial win in Iowa and Democrat Adam Hamilton’s U.S. Senate victory in Kansas, marking the first time in 94 years that Kansas elected a Democrat to the Senate.
Ohio’s election and Tuesday’s nationwide results represent more than a change in political leadership. From Dr. Amy Acton becoming Ohio’s first elected woman governor to Keisha Lance Bottoms becoming Georgia’s first Black woman governor and breaking a historic barrier, and Sherrod Brown returning to the U.S. Senate, these victories send a clear message that voters want change in the political landscape.
As Democrats made significant progress, Republicans must go back to the drawing board and figure out how to win back voters who felt left out and unheard. For many communities across Ohio and the nation, these historic victories also create new opportunities for greater representation and a voice in decisions that affect their lives.
When these new and returning leaders take office in January, the real question is whether they can turn their election-night promises into action and deliver results on affordability, health care, education, and opportunities for Ohio families.
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