There are six members of the Ohio Senate who are ineligible to run for re-election in 2020 when their current term ends. The following list is all the seats with term-limited Ohio Senators, shaping up the open Senate races to watch in 2020.
District 4
Includes: Butler County
Incumbent: Sen. Bill Coley
Sen. Coley is wrapping up two Senate terms after hitting term limits in the Ohio House. Signs are pointing towards his retirement from state office after serving out his final term. Butler County is heavily Republican, and Coley faced three primary opponents as the incumbent seeking re-election in 2016. With Coley handily receiving 55% of the primary vote, none of his primary challengers were able to hit a 20% threshold. Each of the four House districts with territory in Butler County were won handily by Republicans in 2018.
District 6
Includes: Parts of Montgomery County
Incumbent: Sen. Peggy Lehner
The 6th Senate District nearly encapsulates the urban epicenter of Dayton, and includes the suburbs on the north, east, and south sides of Montgomery County. Term-limited Republican Sen. Peggy Lehner was preceded in the seat by former Secretary of State and current Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. Rep. Niraj Antani from House District 41 has already announced his campaign for the Senate seat.
District 14
Includes: Adams, Brown, Clermont, and Scioto Counties, parts of Lawrence County
Incumbent: Sen. Joe Uecker
Sen. Uecker will be wrapping up a long 16-year tenure in the Statehouse in 2020. Senate District 14, which covers a large swath of the southern Ohio-Kentucky border just east of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, is a deep, deep red district with notable Ohio Republican lineage that includes former Senate Presidents Tom Niehaus and Doug White.
District 18
Includes: All of Portage County, parts of Geauga, Lake Counties
Incumbent: Sen. John Eklund
Senate District 18 is unique in terms of political geography in that it is a longtime Republican district in northeast Ohio sandwiched between deep blue Cuyahoga, Summit, and Mahoning Counties. Republican Gov. Mike Dewine won all three counties in District 18 in the 2018 election, but Democrat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown won both Lake and Portage Counties handily in his 2018 re-election over Jim Renacci, leaving Geauga County a staunchly red oasis in that corner of the state. Since 2020 is a presidential election year, it is also worth noting here that President Trump and Eklund won all three district counties in 2016.
District 22
Includes: Medina, Ashland and Richland Counties, parts of Holmes County
Incumbent: Sen. Larry Obhof
The current Ohio Senate President is heading into his final lap at the helm, and 2020 will look to find a replacement to serve his district, which spans the upper half of the region around Interstate 71 between Cleveland and Columbus.
District 26 Includes: Union, Crawford, Marion, Morrow, Sandusky, Seneca and Wyandot Counties
Incumbent: Sen. Dave Burke
Senate District 26 is one of the larger Ohio Senate districts, nearly connecting Greater Toledo and Greater Columbus. Rep. Bill Reineke of the 88th House District recently announced his bid to replace Sen. Burke, who was on-hand at the announcement to give his immediate endorsement. Former U.S. Senate candidate and Marysville businesswoman Melissa Ackison has also announced her bid as a Republican for Senate District 26.