Democrats charged into the Ohio midterm election full of piss and vinegar. Their belief was that they were surfing a blue wave and were going to start the process of turning what is often described as a purple state into a blue one. The Buckeye State is a major prize in the quest for the presidency with its 18 electoral votes and central position in the Midwest region. 

This was all a Democrat rehearsal for 2020. But things did not turn out that way. With one exception which will be addressed further down, the election was a wipe out for Democrats. Here's a summary.

Ohio Statehouse in Columbus

Statewide Offices

At the top of the ticket was the race for governor. Here, Mike DeWine faced off against the Obama administration's former Consumer Financial Protection Director Richard Cordray. Days before the election, the media here were saying the race was a “nail-biter.” But even a new hair cut style didn't help the disheveled Obamite as DeWine handily defeated him  50- 46. From there, the GOP swept all the down-ticket statewide offices with healthy margins. With 100 percent of the votes tallied, Dave Yost won as attorney general, Robert Sprague as treasurer, and Frank LaRose as secretary of state, and Keith Faber as auditor. Of these, Yost and LaRose could have bright prospects for the future.

Not only does this allow the GOP to keep control of the executive branch of Ohio's government, it also weighs heavily on the upcoming redistricting:

Of added importance to both parties, the governor, the secretary of state and auditor are members of the Ohio Apportionment Board, which is responsible for drawing district maps. For congressional districts, if the legislature cannot reach a bipartisan agreement on a new map, a seven-member commission that also includes four legislative appointees, will draw a map with bipartisan support. If not, then the majority party can draw a map with stricter rules.

Obviously, this bodes well for Republicans.

Ohio State Legislature

Prior to the election, Republicans controlled the state legislature. In the Assembly the GOP enjoyed a super-majority and had a firm control of the Senate. After the election, all this stays the same. With a Republican governor and a GOP legislature, conservative initiatives can be expected. For example, Mike DeWine has already said he is looking forward to cutting regulations and said he would sign an anti-abortion Heartbeat bill.

Ohio's Congressional Delegation

As with the state legislature, it was the same for Ohio's congressional delegation. Of its 16 members, 12 were Republicans prior to the election. The midterm election allowed the GOP to hold every congressional seat it owned. There were no Republican loses.

U.S. Senate race

The only fly in the midterm election ointment was the reelection of ultra-liberal Sherrod Brown over challenger Jim Renacci, 53-47. This was more a case of bad luck and Republican failure than a Democrat success. Here's the story.

As of 2017, Ohio treasurer Josh Mandel, was set to take on Brown, while Renacci gave up his congressional seat eying a run for governor.  But in January 2018, Mandel abruptly pulled himself out of contention due to a serious issue of his wife and threw the GOP for a loop. They scrambled around but couldn't find a suitable replacement for Mandel. It is said that calls from Washington and President Trump persuaded Renacci to drop his quest for governor and instead take on Brown. He accepted the challenge in just February of this year.

Starting that far behind, being under funded by the RNC, and greatly outspent by his Democrat opponent, Renacci didn't have much of a chance. Renacci was good on the issues, but he is not the dynamic campaigner that Mandel is. It is a shame the GOP let this Senate race slip away. Brown is not all that popular in Ohio.

Ballot Issue

Issue 1 was the only statewide question on the ballot, a measure initiated and funded by out-of-state sources like the Tides Center taking advantage of Ohio's referendum system. The Columbus Dispatch  reported that

...backers raised $9.8 million, plus another $1.4 million in in-kind support. Nearly $6 million of that money came from out of state non-profits, including Chan Zuckerberg Advocacy and the Tides Center. Less than $4,000 came from inside Ohio. Opponents raised $1 million and most of it came from Ohioans for a Healthy Economy, a non-profit advocacy group.

The intent of Issue 1 was to make the possession of any amount of deadly illegal drugs nothing more than a misdemeanor. It also prohibited jail sentencing for the first two offenses no matter the quantity of drug involved. Issue 1 would also have enabled some 10,000 felons to be released from state prisons. The provisions of Issue 1 would have been embedded in the state constitution making legislative changes impossible. It would also give Ohio the most liberal drug laws in its region.

Issue 1 went down hard, 63-37. Its proponents, however, are claiming a moral victory. They say the ballot question got the conversation stated and promised to be back at it again. No doubt they will as money seems to be no object to them..

Conclusion

The media fabricated blue wave did not come to life in Ohio. The secret behind the GOP’s success was acknowledged by even the liberal Plain Dealer of Cleveland.

And the President appears poised to win the state again in 2020. He stunned much of the political world with his 8-percentage point victory in  2016. If there were any questions about his popularity in the state Tuesday morning, they were erased Tuesday night. Trump rallied for Republicans the day before the election in Cleveland, and it looks like it yielded results.

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