Election 2022: Three Ohio Senate races to watch in Franklin County
With the midterms about a week away, election season is reaching its apex.
The leaves are falling, television screens are blaring attack ads on rotation and Franklin County residents are left wondering which of these candidates actually has their best interests at heart.
In Columbus and the surrounding suburbs, there are several races to keep an eye out for with local implications. The candidates in three of the following races are vying to either keep or gain a seat in the Ohio Statehouse as state senators.
Election 2022: Ohio House, Senate and Congress districts have changed. What district are you in?
Senate District 3: Democratic incumbent, Republican challenger fight for swing district
One of two locally contested races for the Ohio Senate features State Sen. Tina Maharath (D-Canal Winchester) fighting Republican challenger Michele Reynolds to keep her seat representing Senate District 3, which includes New Albany, Gahanna, Reynoldsburg and parts of Columbus.
The district is a true swing seat — 50% Democrat to 47% Republican.
Maharath captured the state Senate district from the GOP in 2018 without the support of the Democratic Party and only a couple thousand dollars to her name, The Dispatch previously reported.
This year Maharath — the first Asian American woman elected to the Ohio Senate — has the full backing of the state's Senate Democrats.
That support includes a recent tweet lambasting her opponent, Reynolds, for the former's involvement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Reagan Tokes' family. Tokes was an Ohio State University senior murdered in 2017 by a convicted sexual offender who lived in a temporary housing center run by Reynolds' nonprofit, The EXIT Program.
Reagan Tokes:Removing the darkness
Maharath told The Dispatch that her legislative focus has been on local families.
"It is important that all families feel safe, and that our government protects our rights to work, live and play free from crime; environmental dangers; costly government corruption; and most importantly hate and bigotry by promoting equality for all," she said.
The central Ohio native, whose son goes to school in Canal Winchester, has sponsored bills that prohibit landlords from putting cables fees in leases, increase access to diapers for families in need and ban conversion therapy for minors.
Reynolds, a Madison Township trustee, nonprofit founder and married mother of two has raised more campaign finance funds than Maharath, who reported almost $48,000 on hand in comparison to Reynold's $67,000 balance.
The Black businesswoman and former director of faith-based and community initiatives for Gov. Mike DeWine also has the support of Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima), who told The Dispatch in February that Reynolds has what it takes to win.
"(She's) a candidate who has got fire in their belly," he said.
The Ohio Republican Party has put its full faith in Reynolds and recently ran a television attack ad, sent mailings and published a website that questions how much time Maharath spends in Ohio because her husband, Fue Lee, is a state representative in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The ad suggests that Maharath votes from Minnesota and uses one of her own tweets to suggest that Maharath doesn't even want to be in Ohio.
Ohio legislature's swing districts:As redistricting drags on, Ohio Republicans get serious about 2022's 'flip-able' districts
That ad campaign is false, Maharath's campaign told The Dispatch. The state senator does not vote in Minnesota. One time, during a special election, she requested an absentee ballot from Ohio while a family member was in hospice.
Reynolds told The Dispatch that her mission is to ensure Ohio families have a path to prosperity and eliminate any barriers threatening their safety, security and sustainability.
"We have important issues on the ballot," she said. "Inflation and crime need to be addressed with responsive leadership that can produce results."
Senate District 25: Veteran Ohio Democrat v. Republican college student
Bill DeMora was not planning to run to represent Franklin County as the 25th district's newest state senator.
But the longtime Democrat felt compelled to collect enough signatures a weekend before the original Democratic primary — initially scheduled in May and later moved to August — to get on the ballot after redistricting drew former Democratic candidate Crystal Lett out of the race.
August primary:Confusion and conflict are already underway
The Republican majority on the Ohio Redistricting Commission submitted five sets of new maps for Ohio's 99 House seats and 33 Senates seats, so far. The state Supreme Court has ruled every single one unconstitutional.
But federal judges ruled that the state can use the third set proposed by the commission, which is how DeMora wound up running for the seat representing Clintonville, Upper Arlington Grandview Heights, South Linden, Italian Village, Victorian Village, Ohio State's campus and Northland.
His opponent, 24-year-old Ohio State University finance student Chandler Wysocki, is on the Republican ticket.
DeMora, former secretary of the Ohio Democratic Party, said he is a fierce advocate for unionization and will always fight for the rights of teachers and all organizations to collectively bargain and organize.
He believes he will overwhelmingly beat Wysocki, but knows the Democrats will be in the minority in the state Senate.
"I'm not gonna accomplish anything on my own," DeMora said. "I will work with the opposition, but I'll also be loyal in holding their feet to the fire if they try to do all this culture war crap or take away abortion rights."
Wysocki told The Dispatch his campaign is focused on school choice, quality of life as well as community involvement.
The 24-year-old Army veteran acknowledged his chances of winning this race are slim, but argued that age doesn't always equate to success.
"As far as being younger candidate, I personally believe that principles matter more than experience," he said.
Senate District 15: Sen. Hearcel Craig runs unopposed
State Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) is running for reelection unopposed in the state Senate's 15th district, which spans from downtown Columbus to the city's East Side.
The former Columbus City councilman told The Dispatch that it is an honor to serve and privilege to run without competition, but encourages everyone to exercise their right to vote.
"Their vote is their voice," he said.
Craig, who joined the Ohio Democratic leadership as assistant minority whip in the Senate, said he is fighting for voting rights, access to affordable housing, quality education and future employment opportunities in Franklin County.
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
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Senate 2022 vote: Three Franklin County races to watch
