Mike DeWine defeats Richard Cordray, will become 70th Governor of Ohio

DeWine defeated Richard Cordray in a rematch of their 2010 contest for attorney general by a much healthier margin of five points. Governor-Elect DeWine outperformed all of the most recent polling numbers that showed the race within a one percent margin either way. DeWine was endorsed by OCCPAC during the summer.

Sherrod Brown wins third term in U.S. Senate, No real shocks in U.S. Congressional races. 

The story of the night for me is the margin of victory by Sherrod Brown. Many considered Sen. Brown to be the top of the ticket and polling showed him up by double-digits. The fact that he only won by five points (53-47 percent) against Congressman Jim Renacci didn’t create the political headwinds for the rest of the Democrat ticket that many were predicting. In the congressional races, there were no surprises in the 1st and 12th Congressional Districts. Rep. Troy Balderson and Rep. Steve Chabot won their races by five and six points, respectively. Additionally, former Ohio State football standout Anthony Gonzales won his race to replace Rep. Jim Renacci against Democrat Susan Palmer 57-43 percent.

Republicans sweep statewide executive offices, OCCPAC endorsed candidates go 2-0.

Polling was once again off in the races for statewide executive offices. OCCPAC endorsed candidate Dave Yost carried the race for Attorney General 52-48 percent. OCCPAC endorsed candidate for Secretary of State Frank LaRose defeated Kathleen Clyde 51-47 percent. In the race for State Auditor, Rep. Keith Faber defeated Zack Space 50-46 percent. Finally, after a hard-fought primary that saw his war chest depleted, Rep. Robert Sprague rallied back to defeat Rob Richardson 54-46 percent to become the next state treasurer.

Baldwin & DeGenaro go down in Ohio Supreme Court Contest

Unfortunately, the two OCCPAC endorsed candidates for Ohio Supreme Court fell short on Tuesday night. Judge Melody Stewart defeated Justice Mary DeGenaro 52-48 percent and Judge Michael Donnelly beat Judge Craig Baldwin 60-40 percent. The partisan makeup of the court come January will stand at 5-2 in favor of Republicans.

Issue 1 Fails, another attempt from out-of-state special interests fails.

Issue 1, the flawed proposal to amend Ohio’s Constitution to reduce penalties for crimes of obtaining, possessing, and using illegal drugs financed mostly by national groups fell 63-37 percent. The Ohio Chamber board voted to oppose this measure in the early fall.

General Assembly: House GOP loses historic majority, Senate GOP increases it

OCCPAC endorsed candidates for the General Assembly did well, going 71-5. Ohio House Democrats picked up five seats, taking all three house seats in northern Franklin County and two additional seats in Northeast Ohio. No incumbent members from either party lost their bids for re-election. In the Ohio Senate, the Republican majority gained another seat. They now control 25 of the states 33 senate districts. Mahoning Valley businessman Michael Rulli knocked off Rep. John Boccierri to replace outgoing Sen. Joe Schiavoni in Mahoning and Trumble Counties. The full list can be found here.