Governor primaries
Incumbent Mike DeWine (48%) easily beat Jim Renacci (28%) and Joe Blystone (22%) in the Republican primary.
Ex-Dayton mayor Nan Whaley (65%) dominated ex-Cincinnati mayor John Cranley (35%) on the Democratic side.
That means DeWine and running mate Jon Husted face Whaley and Cheryl Stephens in a hugely Dayton-flavored governor’s race in November.
» REACTION: DeWine, Whaley win governor primaries
U.S. Senate primaries
JD Vance (32%), a Middletown native, comfortably beat out Josh Mandel and Matt Dolan (23-24%) plus four others in the Republican primary.
Tim Ryan (70%) won a Democratic primary that wasn’t close at all.
The winner of the Vance-Ryan November showdown will be only the second U.S. Senator from Ohio under the age of 50 in 75 years. Mike DeWine (narrowly) was the other.
» REACTION: Vance, Ryan win their U.S. Senate primary races in Ohio
Secretary of State
Incumbent Frank LaRose (65%) easily outdistanced John Adams of Sidney in the Republican primary.
LaRose will face Democrat Chelsea Clark, who ran unopposed, in the November election.
The Secretary of State is Ohio’s top elections official, a position that has been in the spotlight after the turmoil of the 2020 presidential race and the controversy over the redrawing of Ohio’s legislative districts.
» REACTION: LaRose wins Republican secretary of state primary
Other statewide races
In many races, only one Democrat and one Republican were on the ballot Tuesday, but those default winners will square off in crucial races come November.
The highest profile races are for three of the seven Ohio Supreme Court seats — races that will determine the partisan leaning of the court at a time when abortion and gerrymandering issues could be central. Ohioans will choose between Sharon Kennedy (R) and Jennifer Brunner (D) for chief justice and will decide two other court seats as well.
Republican incumbents are facing re-election challenges for state auditor, treasurer and attorney general, too.
U.S. Congress
⋅ 10th Congressional District: For Montgomery, Greene and part of Clark County, longtime political activist David Esrati won a fairly tight Democratic primary over three competitors. That means he’ll face incumbent Republican Mike Turner in November. Turner and Esrati have a history that goes back more than 25 years.
⋅ 8th Congressional District: Incumbent Republican Warren Davidson (72%) dominated challenger Phil Heimlich. He’ll be favored against Democrat Vanessa Enoch in November in a Republican-leaning district that includes Butler, Preble and Darke counties, plus parts of Miami and Hamilton counties.
⋅ 4th Congressional District: In the far north Miami Valley, Tamie Wilson (52%) edged Jeffrey A. Sites in a Democratic primary, earning the right to face longtime Republican Congressman Jim Jordan in November.
⋅ 1st Congressional District: After uncontested primaries in this Warren County district, incumbent Republican Steve Chabot will face Democrat Greg Landsman in November.
⋅ 15th Congressional District: After uncontested primaries, Republican Mike Carey will face Democrat Gary Josephson in the 15th District, which includes parts of Miami, Clark, Shelby and other counties.
» REACTION: Southwest Ohio Congressional primaries
Tax levies
⋅ Beavercreek: For years, Beavercreek has been one of only a handful of cities in Ohio that doesn’t levy a city income tax. For the third time in the past few years, city officials asked residents to consider it Tuesday, citing structural funding problems. And for the third straight time, voters said no to the tax, this time by a 55-45 ratio.
⋅ Trotwood: Trotwood already has a 2.25% city income tax, and officials asked voters to add another 0.5% so they could pave more roads. Again, voters said no.
⋅ More communities: Several Dayton-area communities asked voters to renew existing taxes for another 5 or 10 years at the same rate, and in those cases, voters said yes, including levies for Centerville schools, Farmersville village, Washington Twp., and others.
County-level races
⋅ Warren County: Incumbent Tom Grossmann (51.4%) edged longtime Lebanon mayor Amy Brewer for the county commission.
⋅ Montgomery County: Jordan Wortham (50.6%) narrowly beat Rennes Bowers, and will now face incumbent Carolyn Rice for the county commission.
There will be a host of county commission, county auditor and county common pleas court judge races across the region in November. Many of those candidates advanced automatically Tuesday, as no other candidates in their party challenged them.
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