Hamilton County Board of Elections staff begins counting votes Tuesday, November 3, 2020 after the polls closed. Photo by Andria Carter
By Dan Yount
The Cincinnati Herald
Democratic voters in Hamilton County not only came out strong for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the Presidential ticket, but also for congressional, state and local county candidates, upsetting some long standing Republican county officeholders, according to unofficial results at press time Tuesday evening. Provisional ballots will be counted later, and could change some results.
Here is how county races were doing late Tuesday evening:
Democrat Kate Schroeder, a health care consultant, defeated veteran Republican Congressman Steve Chabot in the 1st Congressional District, which includes much of Cincinnati and its West Side. However, Warren County continued to favor Chabot and he held onto his seat.
In the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Cincinnati’s East Side, Democrat Jamie Castle led strongly for most of the night, but Congressman Brad Wenstrup eventually pulled ahead in the race to retain his seat.
In State Senator races, Louis Blessing, Jr. ® defeated Daniel Brown (D) in the 8th District.
In State Representative races, incumbent Tom Brickman (R) defeated Sara Bitter (D) in the 27th District; Jessica Edwards (D) defeated Chris Monzel (R) in the 28th District; Bill Seitz (R) defeated Tom Roll (D) in the 30th District; and Sedrick Denson (D) defeated Mary Hill in the 33rd District. Incumbent Democratic State Representatives Brigid Kelly (31st District) and Catherine Ingram (32nd District) both ran unopposed.
Hamilton County Commission President Denise Driehaus, a Democrat, was re-elected over challenger Matthew Paul O’Neill, a Republican.
Democratic candidate Alicia Reece, a former Cincinnati City Council Vice Chair and State Representative, won a seat of the County Commission that opened following the death of long standing Commissioner Todd Portune. She defeated Republican Andy Black and Independent Herman J. Najoli.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, a Republican who has held the office a number of years defeated former Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Fanon Rucker (D). This was Rucker’s second attempt to unseat Deters.
Aftab Pureval (D), Hamilton County Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, retained his seat by defeating Republican Alex Glandorf.
Former Hamilton County Sheriff Department Major Charmaine McGuffey (D), who defeated her former boss, Sheriff Jim Neil, in the primary election in March, now takes Neil’s job after winning the sheriff’s contest over Bruce Hoffbauer (R).
Democrat Scott Crowley challenged incumbent Hamilton County Recorder and former Judge Norbert Nadel for the County Recorder’s seat and won.
In the final county race for the vacant County Treasurer position, Jill Schiller (D) won over former City Councilman Charlie Winburn.
Republican Eric Beck (County Engineer) and Democrat Lakshmi Sammarco (County Coroner) were unopposed.
In the Hamilton County contests for Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, incumbent Melba Marsh defeated Heidi Rosales; Christian Jenkins defeated incumbent Pat Dinkelacker; Chris Wagner defeated incumbent Curt Hartman; incumbent Jennifer Branch defeated Elizabeth Callan; Alan Triggs defeated Stacey DeGraffenreid; Robert Goering defeated Thomas Beriden; Wende Cross defeated Ethna Marie Cooper; Alison Hatheway defeated incumbent Charles Kubicki Jr.; Nicole Sanders defeated Kim Wilson Burke; incumbent Ralph Winkler defeated Pavan Parikh,. Kari Bloom defeated incumbent John Williams; and Amy Searcy defeated Anne Flottman.
Issue 17, a Cincinnati City School District proposed tax levy (renewal), overwhelmingly passed.