Election 2022: Here's who won in Franklin County for Ohio Senate

Céilí Doyle, The Columbus Dispatch
·3 min read
Suzanne Mahon, of Reynoldsburg, votes Oct. 18 with her dog, Maddie, at her side during early voting at the Franklin County Board of Elections.
Suzanne Mahon, of Reynoldsburg, votes Oct. 18 with her dog, Maddie, at her side during early voting at the Franklin County Board of Elections.

With the polls closed, the attack ads have quieted and the campaign billboards' ability to proselytize highway drivers has been extinguished.

In a hotly contested Franklin County race for Ohio Senate, Republican challenger Michele Reynolds upset Democratic incumbent Sen. Tina Maharath (D-Canal Winchester) by a six percentage point margin with 97% of the votes counted for a seat in Senate District 3, which includes New Albany, Gahanna, Reynoldsburg and parts of Columbus, according to final, unofficial results.

Voters also reelected Ohio State Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) to Senate District 15, and also elected first-time candidate Bill DeMora, a Democrat, to Senate District 25, according to final, unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections, which officials will certify in the coming days.

The incoming Ohio state senators will take office on Jan. 1.

More:Election 2022: Three Ohio Senate races to watch in Franklin County

Senate District 3: Republican challenger edges out Democratic incumbent in swing district

Reynolds, a Madison Township trustee, nonprofit founder and married mother of two beat Maharath, the first Asian American woman elected to the Ohio Senate, by a vote of almost 53% to 47%.

Senate District 3, a true swing seat, is 50% Democrat to 47% Republican.

"It's just like a dream come true," Reynolds said. "I'm just a little speechless right now. Very excited. I expected to pull out a victory, but knew it would take every single vote."

Reynolds, a Black businesswoman and former director of faith-based and community initiatives for Gov. Mike DeWine, has had the public support of Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima), who told The Dispatch in February that Reynolds has what it takes to win.

Reynolds told The Dispatch her first order of business will be addressing inflation. She also plans to prioritize public safety and is looking forward to the ways in which Intel can stabilize the economy and add jobs in her district.

State Sen. Tina Maharath
State Sen. Tina Maharath

Senate District 25: Veteran Ohio Democrat wallops Republican college student

Democrat Bill DeMora handedly beat Republican challenger, Ohio State University finance student Chandler Wysocki almost 73% to 27%.

DeMora is also the campaign manager for several Democrats running, including Ohio State Reps. David Leeland (D-Columbus), Adam Miller (D-Columbus) and Judge Jeffrey Brown in the Franklin County County Court of Common Pleas.

One of DeMora's clients, Rep. Richard Brown (D-Canal Winchester) is behind his Republican challenger Ohio State graduate student Ronald Beach IV with the narrowest of gaps between them — 96 votes as of Wednesday morning.

"I'm more of a campaign manager, when my clients aren't winning I'm feeling for them," he said.

DeMora, who said he never intended to run for office, gathered enough signatures to land on the ballot a weekend before the original Democratic primary — initially scheduled in May and later moved to August — after redistricting drew former Democratic candidate Crystal Lett out of the race.

"I won big," he said. "I'm excited. It's a new chapter in my life, I'm looking forward to getting out there and giving 'em hell."

Senate District 15: Sen. Hearcel Craig ran unopposed, won

Ohio Democratic Senator Hearcel F. Craig speaks to the crowd at the Franklin County Democratic Party celebration at Strongwater in Columbus, Ohio on November 8, 2022.
Ohio Democratic Senator Hearcel F. Craig speaks to the crowd at the Franklin County Democratic Party celebration at Strongwater in Columbus, Ohio on November 8, 2022.

Sen. Hearcel Craig, a Democrat, was reelected in Senate District 15 after running unopposed.

"I'm certainly honored, deeply honored for the spot I've been given over the years, but obviously I'm very concerned. It clearly is not just about me," he said.

The assistant minority whip of the Ohio Senate bemoaned his colleague, Maharath's loss.

"It's clearly difficult to put into words," he said. "I'm always so proud of our city, county and certainly county commissioners council. We have much work to do regarding access to affordable quality housing, issues around equity, quality education and huge issues around workforce economic development."

Craig plans to prioritize those challenges when he begins his second term in the new year.

Céilí Doyle is a Report for America corps member and covers rural issues in Ohio for The Dispatch. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift at https://bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.

You can reach her via email at cdoyle@dispatch.com or follow her on Twitter at @cadoyle18

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here's who won in Franklin County races for Ohio Senate