Abortion, Trump, more on voters’ minds
The U.S. Supreme Court’s potential reversal of Roe v Wade, the former President who picked three of those justices and COVID-19 were all on the minds of Ohio primary voters Tuesday.
For Democrats, a leaked Supreme Court opinion appearing to overturn federal abortion protections swept former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley to a landslide victory in the gubernatorial primary.
For Republicans, the results were less decisive. J.D. Vance won 32% of the vote in a seven-way race for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate, but Gov. Mike Dewine failed to clear 50%, according to final, unofficial results.
Republicans split on Senate race
The crowded race to replace U.S. Sen. Rob Portman divided Republican primary voters despite former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Vance moved to the top of the pack after getting Trump’s endorsement and won with 32%. Former state treasurer Josh Mandel, who was the frontrunner for most of the campaign, came in second with 24% while the only candidate not to seek Trump’s endorsement, state Sen. Matt Dolan, came in a close third with 23%.
Joseph Davidoski, 67, of Anderson Township said Trump’s endorsement of Vance helped him decide.
But others weren’t so sure about the “Hillbilly Elegy” author, citing his past comments criticizing Trump as “a total fraud“and labeling some supporters “racist.”
“I’ve heard some things about Vance that I just didn’t really care for,” said Kerrie Clark, a part-time online teacher from Grove City. “I know he was endorsed by Trump, but I don’t know. There’s something about him that didn’t sit right. Maybe that sounds crazy, but when something doesn’t sit right with me, I just can’t go with them.”
She chose Cleveland businessman Gibbons, who finished fourth with about 12%.
Jerry Sparks, 52, of North Canton, was “absolutely” influenced by the former president, but he voted for former GOP Party Chair Jane Timken because “she’s fit for the job” and “follows Trump.”
And Warren Harding, 46, of Anderson Township, chose state Sen. Dolan because he was the only Republican who didn’t chase Trump’s endorsement.
“It’s nice to see certain candidates that just aren’t beholden to a person rather than ideals that I think would benefit society as a whole,” Harding said, adding he feels traditional Republican values have been lost.
Tim Ryan had strong support
U.S. Congressman Tim Ryan consistently led the pack in the Democratic
Senate primary, and voters on Tuesday agreed, saying they thought the moderate from northeast Ohio would have the best chance in November.
“I like Morgan (Harper), but she needs to get into office someplace before she goes for Senate,” said Mary Ellen Burns, a retired teacher from the Westgate area near Columbus. “It’s like jumping into the big leagues right away.”
Most Democratic primary voters agreed with Burns. Ryan’s victory was the first competitive statewide race to be called on election night, and he won 70% of the vote.
Mike Credur and Larry Hall, a central Ohio gay couple who have been together for 29 years, also picked Ryan and worried the Supreme Court might reverse their rights next.
“The Republican Party is slowly turning everything back 50,100 years,” Credur said. “They’re just taking away human rights. It’s the most unpatriotic party I’ve ever seen in my life and I’m 67-years-old.”
Whaley wins big
As soon as the news spread that Politico had a copy of a draft Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Democrats across Ohio started reacting, especially in the race for governor.
“It has never been more important to elect a genuinely pro-choice candidate to be Ohio’s next governor,” former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said in a statement. “If you care about reproductive rights, we need your vote tomorrow–full stop.”
Whaley has always supported abortion access, but her challenger for the Democratic nomination to be governor, former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, started his political career as a “pro-life Democrat.” A fact Emily’s List hammered when he entered the race last year.
Cranley, who started supporting abortion access after having children with his wife, called the news from Washington “an outrageous attack on the dignity and freedom of all women.”
But many voters in Cranley’s backyard voted for his opponent.
Laura Knight, 41, of Anderson Township near Cincinnati, picked Whaley specifically because of her stance on abortion and women’s rights.
Whaley won 65% of Democratic primary voters Tuesday, and she even squeaked out a narrow victory in Cranley’s home county of Hamilton, according to unofficial results.
COVID-19 and Gov. Mike Dewine
Gov. Mike Dewine was praised by Democrats and criticized by his own party for the steps he took in the early days of the global pandemic.
But the Republicans who wanted someone else couldn’t coalesce around an alternative, and Dewine kept his place on the November ballot.
“I think Mike Dewine has done a pretty good job with everything during his term,” Harding said.
Former Congressman Jim Renacci, farmer Joe Blystone and former state
Rep. Ron Hood all challenged Dewine from the right, but they ended up splitting the anti-dewine vote.
The governor won 48% while Renacci, who came in second, won 28%.
Arjuna Smith, 44, chose Renacci because his Cincinnati gym nearly went under during the shutdown.
“I own a business, and he about ruined it,” Smith said. “He never admitted his mistake with how he handled stuff.”
Blystone didn’t raise much, but the political newcomer came in third.
Dane Williams, 19, of Marion County picked Blystone because he was “definitely a guy who isn’t in it just for the money.”
“He is not a shill for the other party. He is for the people, by the people,” Williams said. “He cares about the people. He’s not run by the government, strictly the people.”
And while GOP voters might have had doubts about Dewine, some Democratic voters expressed their general support.
Sara and Robert Frato, who picked Whaley for governor, said they appreciated Dewine’s leadership
“We are not Republican,” Sarah Frato said. “But we felt Dewine did a good job.”
Anna Staver is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau. It serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.