Judge Holbrook fights off Dem sweep of Franklin County Common Pleas Court seats
Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Holbrook, a longtime Republican incumbent, won a tight victory Tuesday over his Democratic challenger, Assistant Columbus City Attorney Zach Gwin, according to unofficial results.
Otherwise, Democrats won five other contested races for seats on the bench, according to unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections with 100% of county precincts reporting.
Holbrook got about 50.3% of the vote, or about 2,300 more votes than Gwinn, based on unofficial results that still must be certified by the elections board.
"I'm happy," Holbrook told The Dispatch. "I was nervous. I respect the voters in Franklin County. I'm happy that I was reelected. It was a good race. Zach's a wonderful young man. He may make a great judge someday, but I'm glad that I was reelected."
The other Republican incumbent seeking reelection, Judge Colleen O'Donnell, lost to Democratic attorney Andria C. Noble 45% to 55%, according to unofficial results.
Four Democratic judges ran for reelection unopposed: Mark A. Serrott, Jeffrey M. Brown, Sheryl Munson and Kimberly Cocroft.
If the unofficial results are certified by the elections board, Democrats will have won nine of the 10 seats up for grabs on the county Common Pleas Court in Tuesday's general election. That would leave Holbrook as one of just two Republicans on the bench in all of Franklin County Common Pleas Court among the 17 judges in the general division and seven judges in the Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court division. The other Republican judge is Daniel Hawkins.
Here are the unofficial results from the Franklin County Board of Elections with 100% of precincts reporting:
Domestic Relations and Juvenile court
Judge Kim A. Browne (D) defeated Don Roberts (R) 69% to 31%.
Browne has sat on the bench since 2002. Originally elected as a Republican, Browne switched her party affiliation to Democrat in 2021. Roberts has a local practice focused on family law and he's practiced in domestic court for two decades.
Douglas Nobles (D) defeated Janie Roberts (R) 57% to 43%.
Nobles is a prosecutor in the Columbus City Attorney's office who has previously worked as a staff attorney in the Franklin County Public Defender's office and the Common Pleas Court Division of Domestic Relations. Roberts has worked for nearly two decades in domestic and juvenile cases.
Common Pleas General Division
Judge Michael J. Holbrook (R) wins tight race over Zach Gwin (D).
Holbrook is one of the longest-serving judges on the county bench and one of the few remaining Republicans. He's been a judge for 17 years. Gwin is an Assistant Columbus City Attorney whose recent work has focused on public nuisance complaints.
On whether Franklin County's heavy Democratic registration led to the tight race, Holbrook said the dynamics of the community likely played a role.
"We recognized we were running against a longtime incumbent in a tough race and we were excited to tackle the opportunity," Gwin told The Dispatch.
Andria C. Noble (D) beats incumbent Judge Colleen O'Donnell (R) 55% to 45%.
Noble has worked in the Columbus City Attorney's office since 2011 as a prosecutor and then in the civil division. O'Donnell has sat on the bench since 2013.
"I'm feeling pretty good," Noble told The Dispatch. "I want to thank the voters for their confidence in me. I really enjoyed getting out in the communities and meeting the voters and hearing what matters the most to them."
Noble said it's possible that the county getting bluer played a role in the judge races this election but said she and the rest of the ticket worked hard to get out in the community and speak with voters.
O'Donnell did not immediately return a phone call requesting comment Tuesday night.
Judge Julie M. Lynch (D) defeated Jessica Barwell (R) 57% to 43%.
Lynch has sat on the bench since 2005. Originally elected as a Republican, Lynch switched her party affiliation to Democrat. Barwell is a local attorney with a practice in civil law.
Bill Sperlazza (D) wins handily over Will Ireland (R) 59% to 41%.
Sperlazza has worked in the Columbus City Attorney's office since 2005, including on criminal and civil litigation. Ireland has practiced as a criminal defense attorney since 2004.
jlaird@dispatch.com
@LairdWrites
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who won Franklin County Common Pleas judge races?
