We’re tracking election results in three states today, the highest-profile being the special elections for the two open Congressional seats in Ohio. We will also have special election results for the two open state senate seats in Michigan, the Detroit mayoral primary, and the Seattle mayoral primary.
Ohio’s 11th Congressional District
The 11th Congressional District covers the most populous areas of Cuyahoga County, including most of Cleveland, and runs down in a thin strip to cover some of Summit County, including part of Akron. The seat is open after Marcia Fudge became the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Biden Administration. The district is considered to be the safest Democratic seat in Ohio (then Rep. Fudge won reelection in November by over 60%). With that comes a large field in the Democratic primary to fill the seat. There are 13 candidates running in the Democratic primary. The overwhelming favorites are Shontel Brown, a Cuyahoga County Council member and the Chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, and Nina Turner, a high-profile surrogate and national co-chair for both of Bernie Sanders’s most recent presidential campaigns. The race has attracted national attention and has brought many prominent figures, including Bernie Sanders and James Clyburn, to the district to campaign for their preferred candidate. There are also two candidates running in the Republican primary, including Laverne Gore who was the Republican nominee back in the November 2020 general election. The winner of each primary will face off on November 2. We will have election results for both races once polls close at 7:30 p.m. (EDT)
Ohio’s 15th Congressional District
The 15th Congressional District covers 12 counties in central and southern Ohio. The district includes parts of Columbus and many of its surrounding suburbs, extends to Athens in the east, and reaches Wilmington in the west. The seat is open after Steve Stivers resigned to become CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. The district has been a solidly Republican seat since 2010 redistricting with the closest contest being in 2010 when former Rep. Stivers unseated former Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy by a margin of almost 13%. Just like the 11th, that means there is a large field of candidates for the dominant party’s primary. There are 11 candidates running in the Republican primary. Included in the field are Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist based in Columbus who has received the endorsement of former President Trump; Jeff LaRe, a state representative from Fairfield County who has been endorsed by former Rep. Stivers; Ron Hood, a former state representative who has represented three different state house districts in three different counties in the 15th Congressional District dating back to the early 90s; Stephanie Kunze, the state senator for western Franklin County; and Bob Peterson, a state senator and former President Pro Tempore in the Ohio Senate who has been an elected official out of Fayette and Clinton Counties for almost 25 years. There are two candidates in the Democratic primary including Allison Russo, a state representative from western Franklin County. The winner of each primary will face off on November 2. We will have election results for both races once polls close at 7:30 p.m. (EDT)
Michigan State Senate Special Elections
There are two open state senate seats in Michigan. The first is in Senate District 8, which runs along the Lake St. Clair coast in Macomb County, and cuts all the way up to the county’s northwest corner. It’s open after Peter Lucido was elected Macomb County Prosecutor. There are seven candidates in the Republican primary and just two in the Democratic field. The seat has been held by a Republican since 2014. The winners of each primary will join one independent candidate in a November 2 general election. We will have election results for both races once polls close at 8:00 p.m. (EDT)
The other open seat is in Senate District 28, which covers most of Kent County excluding Grand Rapids. The seat is open after Peter MacGregor was elected Kent County Treasurer. There are two candidates in the Democratic primary and three in the Republican primary. The winners of each contest will meet in a November 2 general election. We will have election results for both races once polls close at 8:00 p.m. (EDT)
Detroit and Seattle Mayor
Last, we have the mayoral primaries in Detroit and Seattle. Both are nonpartisan contests where the top two finishers move onto the general election on November 2. In Detroit, incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan is facing nine challengers in an effort to win a third term. In Seattle, incumbent Mayor Jenny Durkan initially filed to run for a second term, but later withdrew, leaving the mayor’s office open to a field of 15 candidates. Just like the rest of Michigan, polls close in Detroit at 8:00 p.m. (EDT). Polls in Seattle close at 8:00 p.m. (PDT).