The blue wave that had been talked about nationally so much was barely a ripple in Ohio.
While Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown was reelected, it was a tough loss for gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray.
“I believe that successful politics is not always defined by the outcome of an election," he said. "The reason we do this is because we want to improve people’s lives. And I believe the work that all of you have done throughout this campaign has changed the conversation in ways that will dramatically improve the lives of people all over Ohio.”
Cordray pointed to the conversation about healthcare, in particular and said because of it, there is agreement that Ohioans with pre-existing conditions should be protected. And in his concession speech, Cordray called for unity, like his opponent Mike DeWine did.
“Tensions ran a little high during this campaign at times but it was never personal for me," he said. "Mike has always been a dedicated public servant and I hope he will be a governor who looks out for all Ohioans.”
All of the Democrats who ran for top statewide offices lost to their Republican counterparts. Democrats did pick up five seats in the Ohio House, but also lost one there and one in the Senate. But the Democrats did gain two seats on the Ohio Supreme Court, including the one held by Republican Justice Mary DeGenaro, who’d been appointed to fill Democrat Bill O’Neill’s place on the bench earlier this year. Still, if this election was a referendum on President Trump, most voters landed on his side and decided to make Ohio red again.
