© 2024 Ideastream Public Media

1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 916-6100 | (877) 399-3307

WKSU is a public media service licensed to Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ohio's Primary Turnout was Weak

Ohio voting sticker
STATE OF OHIO
Mike DeWine and Richard Cordray will face off in the general election.

While there may have been a lot of interest in yesterday’s primary among political junkies, turnout among Ohio voters was just under 21 percent. Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler has some more insights into what happened in yesterday’s vote.

This year’s Republican primary for governor was easily the most expensive in Ohio history, with at least $10 million spent by Mike DeWine to defeat Mary Taylor.

Richard Cordray dominated the six-way Democratic gubernatorial primary, but only spent $1.7 million compared to his closest competitor, Dennis Kucinich, who spent less than a half a million. There were 13 sitting state representatives who were facing primary challengers – only Republican Wes Retherford of Hamilton was defeated.

And Democratic Reps. Nickie Antonio and Teresa Fedor defeated fellow representatives Martin Sweeney and Mike Ashford to win their Ohio Senate primaries. And though more Democratic ballots had been requested in early voting, 20 percent more Republicans ballots were cast overall.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.