What Democratic, Republican leaders are saying about key races in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- There are 11 days until Ohio voters make their decisions in this year's election and party leaders are spreading their final messages on races up and down the ticket.

Here's what they're saying about races for U.S. Senate, Ohio Supreme Court and positions at the Statehouse.

U.S. Senate

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican businessman Bernie Moreno. Chair of the Ohio Republican Party Alex Triantafilou said this race is a big opportunity for the party.

“We see an opportunity to win that seat back. So, it's hugely important to us. We just have a senator who's out of touch with Ohio in Sherrod Brown,” Triantafilou said. “This is our opportunity as Republicans to replace him with somebody that better reflects Ohio.”

Triantafilou said he thinks Moreno is the best choice for Ohio for a few reasons.

“He has conservative values,” Triantafilou said. “He's in the mold of a JD Vance. He's someone who brings, again, an outsider perspective, not a career politician, strong business background and experience.”

Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party Liz Walters also said the race is important and that if Brown wins, it's a win for Ohioans.

“Ohioans have had a tireless advocate in Sherrod Brown for the last few years in Washington through his role as a U.S. Senator,” Walters said. “The senator goes to Washington every day, puts aside his partisan label and puts on the one that matters the most, which is Ohioan. And he has our back in the Senate day in and day out.”

Walters points to several bills Brown has introduced or backed to support veterans, save pensions and curb the rise of fentanyl in the U.S.

“We think it's really important to send that exact person back to Washington this November to make sure that Ohioans continue to have the advocate they deserve, fighting for them and for the things that matter to our families,” Walters said.

But who has a tougher fight? Polls show the senate race neck-and-neck, but each party leader said their candidate is in a good position. Triantafilou said having former President Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, and expected to win handedly, is a big advantage.

“That makes the environment much better for the senate race and for every Republican running, because President Trump has shown us how to talk to Ohioans who care about the future of Ohio in a way that Sherrod Brown is not,” Triantafilou said.

Walters said Trump at the top of the ticket “definitely gets factored” into planning and campaigns.

“But the senator has a history of winning tough races. If you remember, in 2018, Ohioans overwhelmingly sent him back to the senate while they elected Mike DeWine as governor. So, we don't shy away from a tough fight,” Walters said. “I think that Bernie Moreno has had an uphill battle. He has no background to speak of. No one really knows what he stands for.”


Ohio Supreme Court

When you go to the ballot, you will also see three races for the Ohio Supreme Court.

“The judges who sit on the Supreme Court in 2025 will really determine whether the state abides by the voice of the voters and the will of the voters or not,” Walters said. “The Republican controlled Supreme Court has shown us time and again that they care more about doing favors for their own party than they do in listening to the voters.”

“I can point to the case after case where the Supreme Court will be an independent court. And we've seen that time and again,” Triantafilou said. “That's a talking point by the Democrats that doesn't necessarily match reality. You know, this is a court that split 4-3 in a variety of different issues.”

• Lisa Forbes (D) vs. Dan Hawkins (R)
• Incumbent Melody Stewart (D) vs. Joe Deters (R). Deters does also currently sits on the court, appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2023.
• Incumbent Michael Donnelly (D) vs. Megan Shanahan (R).

Party affiliation does appear on ballots.

Triantafilou said all three Republican candidates’ background of being prosecutors will serve the court well.

“We think that if we put former prosecutor, tough on crime prosecutors into those jobs, that'll make Ohio safer,” Triantafilou said. “When you have former prosecutors running in the judiciary, they know what the needs of victims of crime are. And we have really made that a focus of this campaign.”

“We need to have that important firewall in the court that is going to uphold the constitutional will of the Ohio voters. And that's why I think Donnelly, Stewart and Forbes are such a great choice for these seats,” Walters said.

If all three Republicans win, the court will have a 6-1 split.

“I think we have some very recent, very clear precedent that this Supreme Court has gotten way too partisan and really needs more balance brought to it,” Walters said.

Walters points too decisions like the supreme court’s recent move to uphold ballot language for Issue 1. She said that is proof of deep partisanship on the court

“Thousands of Ohio voters signed on to a petition this year to put redistricting reform on the ballot and Secretary of State Frank LaRose, along with two Republicans on the ballot board from the state legislature, went out of their way to draft misleading language that would confuse voters,” Walters said. “And when that was challenged in court, the Ohio Supreme Court, led by the Republican majority, sided unanimously with partisan actors in a partisan bid to keep fair maps out of the hands of Ohioans.”

And Walters said if Ohioans want to maintain the reproductive rights amendment passed last November — the Democratic justices are their best bet.

“Ohio has 32 laws on the books to this day that restrict women's health care choices and had the state legislature taken action to roll those laws off the books, as would be in accordance with the will of the voters we might have had a little more confidence,” Walters said.

But Triantafilou said if the Republicans maintain control — the reproductive rights amendment is not top of mind.

“Ohioans spoke on the question of reproductive rights, and every Republican I know is respecting that at this point. That’s an issue that's been decided here in Ohio,” Triantafilou said. “That's not what motivates Republicans in the state. We're worried about kitchen table issues like inflation, immigration, crime. And the Supreme Court, again, will respect what's in the Constitution, what the voters of this state have said.”

Triantafilou said harping on reproductive rights is one of the Democrats only strong points, meanwhile, he said, Republicans have other things to worry about.

“The Democrats have one issue that they want to talk about incessantly, because they can't talk about things like inflation, runaway inflation and the southern border,” Triantafilou said.

Statehouse

There are also a number of Statehouse and state senate races on ballots across the state this fall. Both chairs agree, you should pay attention to those contests.

“There are so many issues that the state legislature has an opportunity to impact for good or bad, for the lives of everyday Ohioans,” Walters said.

“Your state government is very important,” Triantafilou said. “We're taking a great focus on that. Gosh, we've probably processed hundreds of different mail programs and spent millions of dollars at the Ohio Republican Party to help win state House of Representatives and state senate races.”

Triantafilou said statehouse races are often more impactful than federal races. He said he has a simple pitch as to why you should vote for Republican candidates.

“Republicans are pro-growth, pro-family, lower taxes. You know, we're about helping curb inflation,” Triantafilou said.

Right now, both chambers at the Ohio Statehouse have Republican supermajorities, so Walters said 2024 is a good opportunity to “bring more balance in.”

“In our current legislature, it's been one of the most unproductive sessions we've had in decades and decades because it got bogged down in partisan rancor, particularly from the extreme right and the GOP activities,” Walters said. “We spent time in the last session putting illegal elections on the ballot, trying to mess with the presidential ballot access. None of those things actually tackle bringing down costs, bringing down the cost of groceries, bring down the cost of prescription drugs, making life better for working Ohioans.”

You can go to the secretary of state’s website to download a sample ballot, so you can see what statehouse races you will be asked to vote on.

Issue 1 is also a focus of both parties as they move forward campaigning in the final stretch before Election Day. Each chair said the next few days will be critical for all races on the ballot.

“In the last few weeks, this is all about helping people understand how to vote. So, we are out there knocking on doors, making phone calls, holding rallies, doing early vote events, sending out lots of pieces of mail to help people understand their choices. But it's all about making your plan to vote,” Walters said.

“’Get out the Vote’ is really the focus right now. So, that's going into communities and rallying and reminding people about the importance of early voting. And so, a lot of it right now for us is just turning out our Republicans,” Triantafilou said.