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COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio Democrats have “set sights on protecting, adding to Ohio Supreme Court seats,” as attacks on Ohioans’ freedoms escalate – like on voting rights and abortion access. Democrats barrel into the general election with strong candidates in Justice Jennifer Brunner and Judge Marilyn Zayas who are committed to upholding the rule of law and protecting Ohioans’ rights and freedoms.

While Republicans’ candidate attempting to go against Justice Brunner enters the general election with a long ways to go in uniting GOP support after a crowded primary, Democrats are united around Justice Brunner, and Judge Zayas, who are making clear that “the state is at a crossroads,” and people “are losing faith in our court because of politics.”

Read more about Democrats’ opportunity in 2026 to elect Justices to the Supreme Court who will uphold the rule of law and defend Ohioans’ freedoms.

Ohio Capital Journal: Democrats set sights on protecting, adding to Ohio Supreme Court seats

Democratic judges have an uphill battle to change the 6-1 Ohio Supreme Court, where Justice Jennifer Brunner is an island unto herself in a sea of Republican justices. But she and another judge making a run for a seat in November sense a change in the winds when it comes to Democratic support, both in the judicial system and elsewhere.

“As I travel the state, I am taken by the movement, the energy, the sort of undertow that I’m sensing from the counties around the state,” Brunner said at the Ohio Democratic Party’s primary night event on Tuesday.

Brunner has been on the court since 2021, but until last year, she shared the bench with two other Democratic justices.

[…]

Brunner will now face off against Republican challenger and former Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Colleen O’Donnell, who edged out a crowded primary field of appellate judges on Tuesday, garnering 32% of the vote in unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State.

She succeeded in the election with a margin of less than 18,000 votes between her and her closest opponent, Fifth District Court of Appeals Judge Andrew King.

[…]

Brunner told the crowd of Democratic supporters that she wants to be “part of the foundation and the strong shoulders that people like (governor candidate Dr.) Amy Acton can stand on.”

She said the energy she’s seen from voters shows a dissatisfaction with the way government is working, particularly the Republican leadership at the federal level.

“We know we all have problems in our lives … and every time we look up thinking we might get a little hope, what we get out of Washington is this din, and this craziness, and this sense that this is not our country,” she said.

If Brunner loses the Nov. 3 election, and Justice Dan Hawkins defends his seat against a Democratic challenger, First District Court of Appeals Judge Marilyn Zayas, the Ohio Supreme Court will be a full 7-0 Republican panel.

In her campaign to join Brunner on the court, Zayas also feels a different energy in the 2026 election.

“I’m seeing how we are losing faith in our court because of politics, and politics has no place in our Ohio Supreme Court,” said Zayas, who was unopposed in her primary race.

Zayas said the state is at a crossroads, one in which wins for the two Democrats in 2026 could provide opportunities for more judges in 2028.

“We have to do this, because the alternative is way too dire,” Zayas said.

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COLUMBUS, OH – Following Dave Yost’s resignation, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde issued the following statement:

“Dave Yost’s tenure as Ohio’s Attorney General embodied the culture of corruption in Columbus that’s raising our costs and hurting working families across our state. Ohio Democrats will continue holding any Republican elected official accountable who is more focused on helping special interests than Ohioans, and this fall we will finally elect an Attorney General in John Kulewicz, who will listen to Ohioans and go to work for them every day.”

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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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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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