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Democratic Party primaries in Ohio, 2026
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← 2024
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| Democratic Party primaries, 2026 |
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| Primary Date |
| May 5, 2026 |
| Federal elections |
| Democratic primaries for U.S. House |
| State party |
| Democratic Party of Ohio |
| State political party revenue |
This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that will take place in Ohio on May 5, 2026.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Ohio law provides for closed primaries, meaning a voter to be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary. However a voter of any affiliation can choose the ballot they would like to vote on the day of the primary and their choice may be regarded as registration with that party.[1][2]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Federal elections
U.S. House
District 1
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Greg Landsman (Incumbent)
- Lindsey Ferreira
District 2
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 3
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Joyce Beatty (Incumbent)
District 4
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 5
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 6
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyDistrict 7
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 8
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 9
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Marcy Kaptur (Incumbent)
District 10
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 11
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Shontel Brown (Incumbent)
- David Light
District 12
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 13
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
- Emilia Sykes (Incumbent)
District 14
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 15
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
State elections
State Senate
- See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2026
Ohio State Senate elections, 2026 |
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| District 5 |
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| District 7 |
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| District 9 | |||
| District 11 | |||
| District 13 | |||
| District 15 | |||
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| District 19 | |||
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| District 23 | |||
| District 25 | |||
| District 27 |
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| District 31 | |||
| District 33 | |||
House of Representatives
State executive offices
Eleven state executive offices are up for election in Ohio in 2026:
Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Auditor
Treasurer
State Board of Education (5 seats)
Governor of Ohio
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Attorney General of Ohio
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyOhio Secretary of State
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection surveyOhio Auditor of State
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Ohio Treasurer
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
State supreme court
- See also: Ohio Supreme Court elections, 2026
Jennifer Brunner's seat
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Dan Hawkins' seat
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
State court of appeals
Ohio intermediate appellate court elections, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals | |||
| Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals (2 seats) | |||
| Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals | |||
| Ohio First District Court of Appeals | |||
| Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals | |||
| Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals | |||
| Ohio Second District Court of Appeals | |||
| Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals (2 seats) | |||
| Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals | |||
| Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals | |||
| Ohio Third District Court of Appeals | |||
| Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals | |||
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Ohio
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Context of the 2026 elections
Ohio Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-six years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
State party overview
Democratic Party of Ohio
- See also: Democratic Party of Ohio
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic state party affiliates.
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Nine of 88 Ohio counties—10.2 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Ashtabula County, Ohio | 18.80% | 12.78% | 13.54% | ||||
| Erie County, Ohio | 9.48% | 12.29% | 13.86% | ||||
| Montgomery County, Ohio | 0.73% | 4.62% | 6.22% | ||||
| Ottawa County, Ohio | 19.51% | 4.30% | 6.24% | ||||
| Portage County, Ohio | 9.87% | 5.52% | 8.99% | ||||
| Sandusky County, Ohio | 22.58% | 2.71% | 4.64% | ||||
| Stark County, Ohio | 17.17% | 0.47% | 5.46% | ||||
| Trumbull County, Ohio | 6.22% | 23.00% | 22.43% | ||||
| Wood County, Ohio | 7.99% | 4.84% | 7.13% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Ohio with 51.7 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 43.6 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Ohio cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 93.3 percent of the time (28 out of 30 elections), more than any other state in the country. In that same time frame, Ohio supported Republican candidates for president more often than Democratic candidates, 60 to 40 percent. Between 2000 and 2016, Ohio voted for the winning presidential candidate in every election.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Ohio. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[3][4]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 39 out of 99 state House districts in Ohio with an average margin of victory of 35.7 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 33 out of 99 state House districts in Ohio with an average margin of victory of 34 points. Clinton won seven districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 60 out of 99 state House districts in Ohio with an average margin of victory of 17.4 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 66 out of 99 state House districts in Ohio with an average margin of victory of 28.3 points. Trump won seven districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 38.79% | 59.24% | R+20.5 | 30.29% | 65.04% | R+34.7 | R |
| 2 | 39.31% | 58.68% | R+19.4 | 29.22% | 66.46% | R+37.2 | R |
| 3 | 51.29% | 46.45% | D+4.8 | 42.61% | 50.69% | R+8.1 | R |
| 4 | 37.14% | 61.16% | R+24 | 29.02% | 66.54% | R+37.5 | R |
| 5 | 43.04% | 54.83% | R+11.8 | 26.99% | 68.78% | R+41.8 | R |
| 6 | 47.63% | 51.35% | R+3.7 | 49.34% | 47.10% | D+2.2 | R |
| 7 | 47.89% | 50.80% | R+2.9 | 43.80% | 52.04% | R+8.2 | R |
| 8 | 81.58% | 17.75% | D+63.8 | 81.13% | 16.64% | D+64.5 | D |
| 9 | 85.23% | 14.11% | D+71.1 | 86.73% | 10.91% | D+75.8 | D |
| 10 | 89.62% | 9.61% | D+80 | 85.79% | 11.52% | D+74.3 | D |
| 11 | 88.72% | 10.64% | D+78.1 | 83.99% | 13.93% | D+70.1 | D |
| 12 | 84.03% | 15.46% | D+68.6 | 82.01% | 15.91% | D+66.1 | D |
| 13 | 76.21% | 22.24% | D+54 | 72.94% | 22.56% | D+50.4 | D |
| 14 | 63.03% | 35.54% | D+27.5 | 53.61% | 42.03% | D+11.6 | D |
| 15 | 59.18% | 39.28% | D+19.9 | 48.53% | 46.89% | D+1.6 | D |
| 16 | 49.37% | 49.54% | R+0.2 | 50.78% | 45.09% | D+5.7 | R |
| 17 | 61.41% | 36.78% | D+24.6 | 53.34% | 41.75% | D+11.6 | D |
| 18 | 70.04% | 27.78% | D+42.3 | 73.61% | 20.76% | D+52.8 | D |
| 19 | 47.99% | 50.56% | R+2.6 | 51.84% | 42.94% | D+8.9 | R |
| 20 | 57.45% | 41.22% | D+16.2 | 54.13% | 41.35% | D+12.8 | D |
| 21 | 48.03% | 50.52% | R+2.5 | 54.17% | 40.64% | D+13.5 | R |
| 22 | 65.70% | 32.50% | D+33.2 | 67.15% | 27.74% | D+39.4 | D |
| 23 | 48.63% | 49.65% | R+1 | 44.07% | 50.55% | R+6.5 | R |
| 24 | 48.32% | 50.18% | R+1.9 | 52.82% | 42.02% | D+10.8 | R |
| 25 | 84.94% | 13.90% | D+71 | 82.21% | 14.45% | D+67.8 | D |
| 26 | 82.21% | 16.89% | D+65.3 | 78.59% | 18.45% | D+60.1 | D |
| 27 | 37.72% | 60.95% | R+23.2 | 44.19% | 50.48% | R+6.3 | R |
| 28 | 47.68% | 51.09% | R+3.4 | 49.74% | 45.54% | D+4.2 | R |
| 29 | 36.38% | 61.99% | R+25.6 | 32.63% | 63.29% | R+30.7 | R |
| 30 | 29.86% | 68.57% | R+38.7 | 29.47% | 65.80% | R+36.3 | R |
| 31 | 68.65% | 29.81% | D+38.8 | 69.01% | 26.01% | D+43 | D |
| 32 | 77.38% | 21.44% | D+55.9 | 76.98% | 19.40% | D+57.6 | D |
| 33 | 74.59% | 24.41% | D+50.2 | 74.33% | 22.24% | D+52.1 | D |
| 34 | 77.67% | 21.29% | D+56.4 | 74.56% | 22.10% | D+52.5 | D |
| 35 | 65.71% | 32.53% | D+33.2 | 54.68% | 40.82% | D+13.9 | D |
| 36 | 51.22% | 47.16% | D+4.1 | 43.84% | 51.40% | R+7.6 | R |
| 37 | 48.21% | 50.59% | R+2.4 | 48.22% | 47.58% | D+0.6 | R |
| 38 | 45.12% | 53.31% | R+8.2 | 39.47% | 56.20% | R+16.7 | R |
| 39 | 83.01% | 15.69% | D+67.3 | 77.40% | 18.70% | D+58.7 | D |
| 40 | 42.26% | 56.01% | R+13.7 | 37.44% | 58.22% | R+20.8 | R |
| 41 | 41.76% | 56.43% | R+14.7 | 41.26% | 53.19% | R+11.9 | R |
| 42 | 37.30% | 61.04% | R+23.7 | 34.78% | 60.50% | R+25.7 | R |
| 43 | 52.03% | 46.30% | D+5.7 | 44.83% | 51.71% | R+6.9 | R |
| 44 | 85.18% | 13.57% | D+71.6 | 78.27% | 17.63% | D+60.6 | D |
| 45 | 67.48% | 30.35% | D+37.1 | 54.70% | 38.87% | D+15.8 | D |
| 46 | 61.17% | 36.89% | D+24.3 | 51.98% | 42.46% | D+9.5 | D |
| 47 | 44.22% | 54.03% | R+9.8 | 39.17% | 55.41% | R+16.2 | R |
| 48 | 45.37% | 52.95% | R+7.6 | 38.85% | 56.51% | R+17.7 | R |
| 49 | 63.88% | 33.96% | D+29.9 | 50.58% | 44.46% | D+6.1 | D |
| 50 | 42.15% | 56.06% | R+13.9 | 32.22% | 63.32% | R+31.1 | R |
| 51 | 39.52% | 58.86% | R+19.3 | 34.67% | 60.85% | R+26.2 | R |
| 52 | 32.15% | 66.62% | R+34.5 | 34.41% | 61.10% | R+26.7 | R |
| 53 | 37.68% | 60.48% | R+22.8 | 31.90% | 64.04% | R+32.1 | R |
| 54 | 33.88% | 64.77% | R+30.9 | 35.15% | 59.94% | R+24.8 | R |
| 55 | 54.00% | 44.36% | D+9.6 | 46.06% | 49.11% | R+3 | R |
| 56 | 66.42% | 31.87% | D+34.5 | 56.04% | 39.48% | D+16.6 | D |
| 57 | 45.16% | 52.88% | R+7.7 | 33.67% | 61.31% | R+27.6 | R |
| 58 | 77.98% | 20.84% | D+57.1 | 63.99% | 32.77% | D+31.2 | D |
| 59 | 51.32% | 47.23% | D+4.1 | 39.03% | 57.44% | R+18.4 | D |
| 60 | 53.77% | 44.35% | D+9.4 | 43.53% | 51.59% | R+8.1 | D |
| 61 | 44.47% | 54.03% | R+9.6 | 37.08% | 58.60% | R+21.5 | R |
| 62 | 27.91% | 70.65% | R+42.7 | 24.13% | 71.55% | R+47.4 | R |
| 63 | 60.72% | 37.58% | D+23.1 | 44.17% | 51.91% | R+7.7 | D |
| 64 | 59.27% | 38.87% | D+20.4 | 44.19% | 51.55% | R+7.4 | D |
| 65 | 31.46% | 66.93% | R+35.5 | 28.92% | 66.19% | R+37.3 | R |
| 66 | 33.65% | 64.53% | R+30.9 | 23.17% | 73.04% | R+49.9 | R |
| 67 | 38.37% | 60.33% | R+22 | 39.82% | 55.21% | R+15.4 | R |
| 68 | 36.74% | 61.59% | R+24.9 | 34.19% | 61.06% | R+26.9 | R |
| 69 | 41.18% | 57.12% | R+15.9 | 35.30% | 60.15% | R+24.9 | R |
| 70 | 39.57% | 58.40% | R+18.8 | 28.98% | 66.22% | R+37.2 | R |
| 71 | 44.17% | 53.76% | R+9.6 | 36.24% | 58.84% | R+22.6 | R |
| 72 | 41.74% | 56.02% | R+14.3 | 26.53% | 69.18% | R+42.6 | R |
| 73 | 38.72% | 59.60% | R+20.9 | 37.58% | 56.86% | R+19.3 | R |
| 74 | 39.24% | 59.00% | R+19.8 | 29.26% | 66.33% | R+37.1 | R |
| 75 | 55.14% | 42.80% | D+12.3 | 45.12% | 49.88% | R+4.8 | D |
| 76 | 40.16% | 58.30% | R+18.1 | 36.58% | 59.26% | R+22.7 | R |
| 77 | 42.94% | 55.55% | R+12.6 | 36.83% | 58.45% | R+21.6 | R |
| 78 | 43.27% | 54.75% | R+11.5 | 27.72% | 67.97% | R+40.3 | R |
| 79 | 50.25% | 48.15% | D+2.1 | 39.71% | 55.79% | R+16.1 | R |
| 80 | 30.58% | 67.60% | R+37 | 23.49% | 72.12% | R+48.6 | R |
| 81 | 36.13% | 61.79% | R+25.7 | 23.47% | 71.04% | R+47.6 | R |
| 82 | 35.40% | 62.61% | R+27.2 | 23.64% | 71.47% | R+47.8 | R |
| 83 | 35.44% | 62.41% | R+27 | 25.53% | 68.92% | R+43.4 | R |
| 84 | 22.84% | 75.48% | R+52.6 | 15.84% | 80.56% | R+64.7 | R |
| 85 | 34.91% | 63.23% | R+28.3 | 23.23% | 72.46% | R+49.2 | R |
| 86 | 40.44% | 57.59% | R+17.2 | 29.69% | 64.99% | R+35.3 | R |
| 87 | 37.79% | 59.89% | R+22.1 | 23.50% | 71.42% | R+47.9 | R |
| 88 | 48.08% | 49.40% | R+1.3 | 33.72% | 59.59% | R+25.9 | R |
| 89 | 53.82% | 44.44% | D+9.4 | 40.79% | 54.12% | R+13.3 | R |
| 90 | 45.61% | 52.45% | R+6.8 | 28.10% | 68.50% | R+40.4 | R |
| 91 | 37.47% | 60.53% | R+23.1 | 23.48% | 72.83% | R+49.3 | R |
| 92 | 44.40% | 54.02% | R+9.6 | 30.49% | 65.30% | R+34.8 | R |
| 93 | 38.50% | 59.36% | R+20.9 | 22.81% | 73.57% | R+50.8 | R |
| 94 | 52.86% | 44.54% | D+8.3 | 41.52% | 53.47% | R+12 | R |
| 95 | 39.50% | 58.11% | R+18.6 | 24.30% | 71.52% | R+47.2 | R |
| 96 | 47.46% | 50.40% | R+2.9 | 29.81% | 66.31% | R+36.5 | D |
| 97 | 45.24% | 52.60% | R+7.4 | 29.04% | 66.33% | R+37.3 | R |
| 98 | 40.54% | 57.23% | R+16.7 | 27.38% | 67.61% | R+40.2 | R |
| 99 | 52.60% | 45.25% | D+7.4 | 37.09% | 58.30% | R+21.2 | D |
| Total | 50.67% | 47.69% | D+3 | 43.69% | 51.84% | R+8.2 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ohio Laws and Administrative Codes, "Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3513.19," accessed September 5, 2025
- ↑ Ohio Laws and Administrative Codes, "Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3513.05," accessed September 5, 2025
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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