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Takeaways – An Encouraging May 5 Primary Election Day for Ohio Democrats

To: Interested Parties

From: Marisa Nahem, Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director

Date: May 6, 2026

Subject: Takeaways – An Encouraging May 5 Primary Election Day for Ohio Democrats

In yesterday’s May 5 Primary Election, Ohio Democrats saw encouraging voter turnout across the state while Republicans saw a lack of enthusiasm. Democrats will be connecting with Ohioans of all political backgrounds around their winning message to lower costs and get our state back on track, while Ohio Republicans will be forced to own deeply unpopular policies from Washington and Columbus, like Washington Republicans’ tariffs that are raising the price of goods, the reckless war with Iran that is sky-rocketing gas prices, and the devastating healthcare cuts that are ripping care from Ohio families and putting rural hospitals at risk.

Republicans will also have to own deeply flawed candidates who may have escaped their primary, but now have to spend time and energy working to unite their own base before even facing Ohioans who are fed up with Republican’ policies that are raising costs, like for healthcare, housing, groceries, energy, and in nearly every part of Ohioans’ daily life.

Ohio Democrats saw encouraging turnout across the state – including in urban areas that Democrats have been putting in the critical work to re-energize:

Raw Democratic vote totals were higher in most counties when compared to 2022 and raw Republican vote totals were lower in most counties when compared to 2022.

When looking at urban and suburban counties, Democrats saw big increases with Franklin, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Summit, Lucas, Lorain, Stark, Butler, Montgomery, Delaware, Lake, and Medina each increasing their Democratic ballots cast by 5,000+ when compared to 2022.

In Butler County, Democrats returned significantly more ballots, showing incredible enthusiasm for Democratic candidates’ message to lower costs, protect our freedoms, and get our state back on track. In 2022, 8,410 Democratic ballots were returned, and in 2026, there were 17,433 returned. While Democrats saw a doubling of ballots returned in Butler County, Republicans’ saw 3,811 fewer ballots returned this year than in 2022.

Additionally, Clermont and Jackson counties each also doubled their number of Democratic ballots returned from 2022 to 2026.

Ohio Republicans mark the start to the general election still having to unite their own base after toxic GOP primaries that have seen weeks of brutal infighting:

THE GOVERNOR’S RACE: Despite spending millions of his own dollars to bail out his campaign after calling Ohio workers “lazy” and “mediocre,” saying Medicare and Medicaid were “a mistake,” calling affordability a “buzzword,” and garnering widespread backlash for his plans to close Ohio’s public schools and universities, 1 in 5 Republicans still refused to vote for Vivek Ramaswamy.

THE TREASURER’S RACE: After pitting J.D. Vance and Bernie Moreno against Vivek Ramaswamy, Republicans’ nominee (who isn’t Ramaswamy’s pick) is now left to piece together their fractured party.

OH09 CONGRESSIONAL RACE: After GOP candidates spent the weeks leading up to the primary brutally fighting with each other and focusing on anything but the issues that matter most to Ohio families, they’re now left to attempt to unite – which begins with losing candidates actually endorsing the winner.

Path to victory:

While the Ohio Republican leader has “acknowledged a tough political climate for Republicans this year,” Ohio Democrats are making clear that “Ohio is back,” as we go on offense with great candidates up and down the ballot, a winning message to lower costs and get our state back on track, and the infrastructure to do the critical work that’s needed in the days to come to capitalize on the momentum and deliver wins for Democratic candidates in November. 

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Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde Issues Statement on Strength of Democratic Ticket

COLUMBUS, OH – Following today’s primary election, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde issued the following statement on Ohio Democrats’ strong ticket, and the importance of electing Democratic leaders up and down the ballot to lower costs, protect Ohioans’ freedoms, and get our state back on track in November.

“After decades of Republican policies in Columbus causing Ohioans to fall further and further behind, and with policies in Washington that are raising costs for working families, Ohioans are ready for change. This November, all eyes are on Ohio and Ohioans have a huge opportunity to elect Democrats who will get our state back on track and finally put hardworking Ohioans first, instead of billionaires and corporate special interests.

“With Dr. Amy Acton, Sherrod Brown and the rest of our strong Democratic ticket, the contrast is clear between Ohio Democrats who have commonsense plans to lower costs, provide much-needed relief to Ohio families, and create a brighter future in our state, and Republicans who are raising costs, ripping away healthcare from Ohio families, and putting rural hospitals at risk.

“In the days to come, the Ohio Democratic Party will work with Democratic candidates in every corner of our state to connect with Ohioans of all political backgrounds in this critical moment to turn out the vote to elect leaders who will lower costs and protect our freedoms in November.”

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On Election Day, Here’s What Ohioans Need to Know About Jon Husted

COLUMBUS, OHIO — As Ohioans head to the polls today, Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement on Senator Jon Husted: 

“As voters head to the polls today, one thing is clear: Jon Husted is screwing over Ohioans by putting billionaires and corporations before lowering costs. Jon Husted is part of the corrupt system that lets politicians enrich themselves while life gets more expensive for working people, and he keeps insulting struggling Ohioans by telling them to just work harder. Voters will send Jon Husted packing in November.” 

Here’s what to know about Jon Husted: 

Jon Husted’s loyalties lie with powerful insiders like Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirators, not regular Ohioans. 

  • Husted voted against releasing the Epstein files to protect one of Jeffrey Epstein’s closest friends and co-conspirators. 
  • He has taken over $116,000 from the Epstein co-conspirator, 10 times more than any other sitting Senator in America. 
  • Husted even accepted the maximum contribution from him last year, and just weeks later voted to cover up the files.
  • Husted’s association with pedophiles and predators doesn’t stop there. His campaign has proudly touted the endorsement of State Representative Rodney Creech, who has been accused of sexual misconduct involving a minor relative.
  • Husted’s Sandusky County co-chair has also come under fire reminiscing on video about talking to young girls about sex during Ohio House testimony.

Jon Husted helps corporations and billionaires, even when it hurts Ohioans. 

  • Husted is part of the rigged system that allows corrupt politicians to enrich themselves and helps billionaire elites, all while hardworking Ohioans get screwed. 
  • In the Senate, Husted has voted 9 times to increase health care premiums on Ohio families. Because of Husted’s votes, hundreds of thousands of Ohio families will see their health care costs rise over $800 a year for hundreds of thousands of Ohioans.
  • Husted also was the deciding vote to cut health care to raise health care costs to help pay for the largest tax cut for billionaires in history, claiming “he loves doing that kind of stuff.”
  • Husted has voted six times to support another endless war in the Middle East, sending energy prices skyrocketing and crushing Ohio farmers and families. He claimed recently that the war was going “much better” than expected and that Ohioans will eventually need to “do more work.”

Jon Husted was at the center of the largest bribery scheme in Ohio history that sent electric bills skyrocketing. 

  • Husted sold Ohioans out to pass a billion dollar bailout for utilities that contributed to electric bills skyrocketing more than $600 annually.
  • The utility company’s executives were indicted for spending $61 million on political bribes, and spent millions more to elect Husted.

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ICYMI: While OH09 GOP Candidates Face “Uphill Task,” Marcy Kaptur Is “A Force To Be Reckoned With In Congress”

COLUMBUS, OH – While the GOP primary for OH09 has been marked with brutal infighting, scandals, and a focus on anything but the issues that matter most to Ohio families, those aren’t the only challenges that Republicans’ eventual winner will be facing. As described by the Toledo Blade’s Editorial Board, “whoever wins the GOP nomination is going to have an uphill task explaining to voters in November how northwest Ohio would be better off under two more years of unchallenged Trump policies.”

On the other hand, Ohioans know that they have a fighter in Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who is “a force to be reckoned with in Congress,” and is focused on supporting Ohio families in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District: “unlike ideological extremists in Congress, Ms. Kaptur sticks to what matters to average Ohioans — jobs, national security, protecting our rights.”

Read more: Toledo Blade: Editorial: 9th District decision

[…]

Whoever wins the GOP nomination is going to have an uphill task explaining to voters in November how northwest Ohio would be better off under two more years of unchallenged Trump policies. The alternative would be a Congress with at least one House providing checks and balances on the President. That will not happen with Republicans still in the majority. Ms. Kaptur has represented the 9th District diligently for almost 44 years.

As shown by the money awarded to northwest Ohio in a partnership with the University of Michigan to promote nuclear engineering education, Ms. Kaptur is still a force to be reckoned with in Congress. Unlike ideological extremists in Congress, Ms. Kaptur sticks to what matters to average Ohioans — jobs, national security, protecting our rights.

Will MAGA Republicans put the interests of the 9th District at the forefront? MAGA Republican officeholders pay lip service to Trump’s lie about the 2020 election being stolen and stand by silently while Trump abuses lawful restrictions on the power of the President.

On Tuesday, Republicans get to choose which of the five will be their MAGA warrior.

In November, the voters get to decide whether MAGA has really made northwest Ohio great again.

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ICYMI: Ramaswamy’s Scam Proposals Would Cause “Significant Hikes” to Taxes and “Major Cuts to Government Services” 

Columbus, Ohio – On Saturday, an analysis by The Plain Dealer found that Vivek Ramaswamy’s dangerous plans to eliminate the state income tax, cancel the capital gains tax, and abolish property taxes would “involve significant hikes to other taxes” and “major cuts to government services.” 

Ramaswamy’s scam proposals would raise costs on working families already struggling to make ends meet and have a “far more dramatic effect on government finances” Republican Governor Mike DeWine called it “absolutely devastating.”  

READ: Vivek Ramaswamy vows bold tax cuts if elected Ohio governor; How would he pay for them?

  • So far, the Columbus-area Republican is silent about how he would pay for such moves – which, if implemented, would likely involve significant hikes to other taxes and/or major cuts to government services.
  • …Ramaswamy’s campaign platform, if passed, would have a far more dramatic effect on government finances than what Acton has put forward so far, an analysis by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer found.
  • One of the cornerstones of Ramaswamy’s campaign platform is a vow to phase out Ohio’s state income tax completely over an unspecified number of years.
  • But the state’s income tax has brought in roughly $10 billion per year over the past five years. That’s about a third of Ohio’s total annual state tax revenue.
  • Filling a state budget hole of around $10 billion per year would require substantially raising other state taxes (such as the sales tax or commercial activity tax), making substantial cuts to state government spending (such as Medicaid, education, and other core public services) or some combination of the two.
  • Critics of ending Ohio’s income tax have pointed to what happened in Kansas more than a decade ago, when major tax cuts – passed by Republicans amid promises that the economic growth they would create would cover their cost – led to a state budget crisis.
  • Ramaswamy… favors effectively eliminating the 20-mill floor, a policy mechanism that often contributes to higher tax bills when property values rise.
  • Property taxes, which are levied by school districts and other local governments around Ohio at varying rates, are the main funding source for the state’s K-12 public schools. Some local levies also raise money for roads, parks, libraries and local governments, among other things.
  • But the more such taxes are cut, the more schools and municipalities would have to slash budgets and/or raise other local taxes.
  • Gov. Mike DeWine has warned that sales tax rates could hit 20% if property taxes are done away with altogether – a move that Ramaswamy initially called for.

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