Katie O'Neill

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Katie O'Neill

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Chagrin Falls High School

Bachelor's

Ohio University

Law

Vermont Law School

Personal

Birthplace

Geneva, Ohio

Profession

Lawyer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Katie O'Neill (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Ohio State Senate to represent District 18. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

O'Neill completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Katie O'Neill was born in Geneva, Ohio. She graduated from Chagrin Falls High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio University and a law degree from Vermont Law School. Her career experience includes working as a lawyer.

Elections

2024

See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Ohio State Senate District 18

Incumbent Jerry Cirino defeated Katie O'Neill in the general election for Ohio State Senate District 18 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jerry Cirino (R)	54.1	106,470
		Katie O'Neill (D)	45.9	90,464

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 196,934
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 18

Katie O'Neill defeated Chris Callender in the Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 18 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Katie O'Neill	56.0	10,897
	Submit photo	Chris Callender	44.0	8,562

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,459
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio State Senate District 18

Incumbent Jerry Cirino advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio State Senate District 18 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jerry Cirino	100.0	25,964

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,964
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for O'Neill in this election.

2020

See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 94

Incumbent Jay Edwards defeated Katie O'Neill in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 94 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Edwards (R)	60.4	31,584
		Katie O'Neill (D)	39.6	20,719

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,303
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 94

Katie O'Neill advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 94 on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Katie O'Neill	100.0	5,356

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 5,356
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 94

Incumbent Jay Edwards advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 94 on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jay Edwards	100.0	7,895

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,895
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Katie O'Neill completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by O'Neill's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Katie O’Neill, Your Democratic Candidate for Ohio State Senate, District 18. I want to be a State Senator from Northeast Ohio where I was born and raised. I have earned three degrees since graduating from Chagrin Falls High School in the Class of 2000. I have a Bachelor's in History and the Environment from Ohio University, a Master’s of Energy Regulation and Law and a Juris Doctorate from Vermont Law School. I have spent the past two decades working with the public on issues concerning democracy, the environment, energy and agriculture. I have spent my lifetime working to be prepared for this position in the State Senate. I believe governance is a profession. It requires education, experience, compassion and courage. We have to stop the bullying and discrimination in our elections, schools, communities and government. We need people that have the emotional intelligence to listen, learn and solve problems. I am 43 years old and my generation is ready to be in leadership in our Statehouse.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Environment: I will work on getting funding to clean up the Superfund and Hazardous sites in Ohio, establishing Bio-remediation as a practice. Unfortunately, our government has permitted the technique of deny, dilute, and bury for too long. I will work on banning Class II injection wells, this has never been a safe practice for the toxic radioactive liquid waste produced by the gas and oil industry. They create an imminent threat to our drinking water. I will work to stop fracking under our state parks and public lands. I will continue to support our restoration and conservation practices, while contributing funding to the documentation of this work. We know how to restore water, air and soil quality in Ohio which is valuable information.
• We need to stop the billion-dollar voucher program that is taking public school funding and giving it to private and religious schools. We need to focus on supporting trade schools, libraries and historical societies that compliment our public schools. My three siblings and I all benefited from the post-secondary and trade schools that were offered in High School. I went to Tri-C my Senior year, my twin brother went to autobody school, my sister went to culinary school and my youngest brother went to horticulture school. These programs prepared us for adulthood. My opponent and state senator has been attacking Teachers and Higher Education, their Lesson Plans, Diversity and Inclusion, Tenure and Collective Bargaining in his SB 83.
• Ohio is a water state and we can utilize this energy with strategic dams and wave turbines. We can supplement that base-load with nuclear energy, solar and wind energy. We can reduce our energy costs in our government buildings, public buildings and schools buildings by making them energy efficient and utilizing 100% renewable energy. We need to build a electric train system that connects our cities and communities which will reduce our carbon emissions, fossil fuel demands, car accidents, and drunk driving.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Everyone needs clean water and air, healthy soil and food, safety, affordable housing and education. We all need transportation, communication, healthcare, and living wages that provides us with quality time to share with our family, friends, and community. Our government needs to be protecting us from the glamorized workaholic lifestyle that was created to destroy the accomplishments of the labor movement. We need time to seek our happiness, be caregivers, peacekeepers, and informed and engaged citizens in our democracy. I believe that law and policy is meant to prevent injustice and I will use my law degree to ensure that our government represents the public, expands and defends our civil rights.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Governance is a Profession. We need to stop the bullying, lies, and discrimination in our elections, schools, communities, businesses, and government. We need people with the education and experience to represent to create laws and policies that enhance our quality of life.

I graduated from Vermont Law School the top environmental law school in the nation, holding the number one position all four years I attended, so that I would be qualified as a lawmaker. I earned a Master's degree in Energy Regulation and Law. I attended Ohio University and earned a Bachelor's degree in History and the Environment, focusing on our Civil Rights Movement, Energy and Agriculture.

My education and experience has been prepared me to work on issues impacting our Civil Rights, our Health and Safety, Education and Environment, Energy and Transportation, Communication and Care-giving.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I have already made a legacy by helping to elect my father as the only Democrat to the Ohio Supreme Court in 2012 without accepting money from anyone, proving that our votes are more powerful than monetary influence. I worked on the Conservation Commission in Bethel, Vermont while in Law School and we were able to work with the public and organizations to save a critical floodplain that protects the town from destructive flooding. I won a case at the Ohio Supreme Court in 2020, six months after graduating from Vermont Law School. My case set a precedent in the State of Ohio that members of the Board of Elections must allow people to run for office without election interference and injustice against them.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was 18 during the 2000 election which was historic for many reasons. The Bush family represented the gas and oil industry and Al Gore represented Global Warming awareness and solutions. The US Supreme Court chose George Bush as the winner, by not allowing the recount of votes in Florida. A year later the attack on the Trade Towers in New York started the longest War in our Nation's History and the Patriot Act was passed into law. I decided not to become a public school teacher and started a career as an environmentalist and political activist. My twin brother went into the Air Force and has been a disabled veteran for the past 17 years. These foundational shift in my life proved to me that elections change our lives.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

My friend and mentor in the State Senate is Senator Kent Smith.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Katie O'Neill did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Katie O'Neill campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Ohio State Senate District 18	Lost general	$29,768	$29,471
2020	Ohio House of Representatives District 94	Lost general	$37,112	N/A**
Grand total			$66,880	$29,471
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Ohio State Senate District 18

Website

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Personal

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Ohio State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Robert McColley

Minority Leader:Nickie Antonio

Senators

District 1

Robert McColley (R)

District 2

Theresa Gavarone (R)

District 3

Michele Reynolds (R)

District 4

George Lang (R)

District 5

Stephen Huffman (R)

District 6

Willis Blackshear (D)

District 7

Steve Wilson (R)

District 8

Louis Blessing (R)

District 9

Catherine Ingram (D)

District 10

Kyle Koehler (R)

District 11

Paula Hicks-Hudson (D)

District 12

Susan Manchester (R)

District 13

Nathan Manning (R)

District 14

Terry Johnson (R)

District 15

Hearcel Craig (D)

District 16

Beth Liston (D)

District 17

Shane Wilkin (R)

District 18

Jerry Cirino (R)

District 19

Andrew Brenner (R)

District 20

Tim Schaffer (R)

District 21

Kent Smith (D)

District 22

Mark Romanchuk (R)

District 23

Nickie Antonio (D)

District 24

Thomas Patton (R)

District 25

William DeMora (D)

District 26

Bill Reineke (R)

District 27

Kristina Roegner (R)

District 28

Casey Weinstein (D)

District 29

Jane Timken (R)

District 30

Brian Chavez (R)

District 31

Al Landis (R)

District 32

Sandra O'Brien (R)

District 33

Alessandro Cutrona (R)

Republican Party (24)

Democratic Party (9)