Ohio State Senate elections, 2010
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Elections for the office of Ohio's State Senate were held in Ohio on November 2, 2010.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 18, 2010 (May 3 for independents). The primary election day was May 4, 2010.
In Ohio, senators serve four-year terms with a limit of two consecutive terms. Senators assume office on the first day of January following their election.
There were 17 seats up for re-election in the Ohio Senate. Incumbents ran for re-election in 9 of those seats. Of the remaining 8 districts, 7 incumbents were ineligible to run because of term limits.
In the 2010 election, Republicans gained two seats and retained a majority in the chamber.
- See also: Ohio State Senate and State legislative elections, 2010
November 2 General Election Results
The following candidates won election on November 2, 2010:
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits and Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2010
The Ohio State Senate has been a term-limited state senate in Ohio voters approved Ballot Issue 4, an initiated constitutional amendment, in 1992. This amendment became part of Section 2 of Article II of the Ohio Constitution and limits the amount of time that an Ohio State Senator can stay in office to two 4-year terms, saying, "No person shall hold the office of State Senator for a period longer than two successive terms of four years." Senators can run for office again after being out of office for at least a four-year period.
Seven incumbents (41.2% of all incumbents) were term-limited in 2010. Of the 7 term-limited incumbents, 5 were Republicans and 2 were Democrats. These incumbents were as follows:
Democrats (2):
Republicans (5):
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 2 election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Ohio State Senate:
Ohio State Senate | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
Democratic Party | 12 | 10 | |
Republican Party | 21 | 23 | |
Total | 33 | 33 |
Campaign contributions
The expenditures from a candidate's personal funds, or the funds of his or her spouse, parents, children, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, brothers, sisters, grandparents, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, or grandparents by marriage, in connection with his or her campaign for nomination for election to office may exceed one hundred thousand dollars during a primary election period in the aggregate or one hundred fifty thousand dollars during the general election period in the aggregate, in the case of statewide candidates, and twenty five thousand dollars during a primary election period in the aggregate or twenty-five thousand dollars during the general election period in the aggregate.[1]
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Ohio in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[2]
Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
---|---|---|
2010 | 57 | $10,478,510 |
2008 | 44 | $10,659,072 |
2006 | 48 | $11,477,877 |
2004 | 40 | $11,477,877 |
2002 | 38 | $8,461,690 |
2000 | 41 | $8,804,029 |
During the 2010 election, the total contributions to the 57 Senate candidates was $10,478,510. The top 10 contributors were:[3]
2010 Donors, Ohio State Senate | |
---|---|
Donor | Amount |
Republican Senate Campaign Cmte of Ohio | $2,463,124 |
Ohio Republican Party | $1,246,811 |
Ohio Republican State Senate Campaign Cmte | $482,625 |
Republican Senate Campaign Cmte | $325,958 |
Ohio Democratic Party | $213,780 |
Schneider, Michelle G | $151,000 |
Wholesale Beer & Wine Association of Ohio | $146,030 |
Ohio Senate Democrats | $145,500 |
SEIU Healthcare District 1199 | $125,451 |
Ohio Dental Association | $122,600 |
Qualifications
Article 2, Section 3 of the Ohio Constitution states: Senators and representatives shall have resided in their respective districts one year next preceding their election, unless they shall have been absent on the public business of the United States, or of this state.
Article 2, Section 5 of the Ohio Constitution states: No person hereafter convicted of an embezzlement of the public funds, shall hold any office in this state; nor shall any person, holding public money for disbursement, or otherwise, have a seat in the General Assembly, until he shall have accounted for, and paid such money into the treasury.
Incumbency
Unopposed incumbents
There were 9 incumbents seeking re-election. 1 incumbent (11.1% of those seeking re-election) faced no competition in the November 2 general election.
- 1 Democratic incumbent faced no November challenger.
- All GOP incumbents faced a November challenger.
Primary challenges
One incumbent (11.1% of those seeking re-election) faced competition in the July 27 primary. Incumbent Shannon Jones (R) defeated her primary opponent for District 7.
Retiring incumbents
1 incumbent senator (5.9% of all incumbents) chose not to run for re-election, while 9 incumbents (52.9% of all incumbents) ran for re-election. Dale Miller (D) was the sole incumbent retiring.
List of candidates
Partisan dominance in state senates heading into the 2010 state legislative elections |
![]() |
2010 State senate elections
|
---|
AL • AK • AR • AR • CA • CO • CT • DE • FL • GA • HI • ID • IL • IN • IA • KY • ME • MD • MA • MI • MN • MO • MT • NE • NV • NH • NY • NC • ND • OH • OK • OR • PA • RI • SD • TN • TX • UT • VT • WA • WV • WI • WY |
Parties with candidates |
Impact of term limits |
Successful challengers |
Defeated incumbents |
State house elections |
State senate elections |
State legislative elections |
District 1
- Erik Cranmer: 8,302
- Erik Cranmer: 8,302
- Stephen Buehrer: 29,409
Incumbent Republican Buehrer first assumed office for the Ohio Senate in 2006.
- Stephen Buehrer: 29,409
November 2 General election candidates:
Erik Cranmer 30,138
Stephen Buehrer 85,798
District 3
Note: Incumbent Republican David Goodman was not eligible to run for another four-year term.
- Mark Pfeifer: 7,963
- Ben Kessler: 6,443
- Bev Campbell: 3,044
- Roxyanne Burrus: 2,193
- Star Johnson: 1,498
- Jim Wiley: 1,058
- Cortez Bogard: 863
- Mark Pfeifer: 7,963
- Kevin Bacon: 25,301
- Kevin Bacon: 25,301
- William Yarbrough: 381
- William Yarbrough: 381
November 2 General election candidates:
Mark Pfeifer 63,844
Kevin Bacon 72,337
William Yarbrough 5,849
District 5
- Fred Strahorn: 11,936
Incumbent Strahorn first assumed office for the 5th District in 2009.
- Fred Strahorn: 11,936
- Bill Beagle: 8,437
- Joe LeMaster: 6,971
- Bill Beagle: 8,437
November 2 General election candidates:
Fred Strahorn 47,681
Bill Beagle 49,339
District 7
- Sam Pettinichi: 9,215
- Sam Pettinichi: 9,215
- Shannon Jones: 23,316
Incumbent Jones first assumed office for the 7th District in 2009.
- Michelle Schneider: 14,986
- Shannon Jones: 23,316
November 2 General election candidates:
Sam Pettinichi 40,250
Shannon Jones 102,759
District 9
- Eric Kearney: 9,941
Incumbent Kearney first assumed office for the 9th District in 2005.
- Eric Kearney: 9,941
- Deborah M. McKinney: 5,311
- Deborah M. McKinney: 5,311
- Jessica L. Mears: 87
- Jessica L. Mears: 87
November 2 General election candidates:
Eric Kearney 54,430
Deborah M. McKinney 22,842
Jessica L. Mears 2,677
District 11
Note: Incumbent Democrat Teresa Fedor was not eligible to run for another four-year term.
- Edna Brown: 10,688
- Joe McNamara: 8,385
- Edna Brown: 10,688
- Tom Waniewski: 8,271
- Tom Waniewski: 8,271
November 2 General election candidates:
Edna Brown 53,547
Tom Waniewski 35,766
District 13
- Sue Morano: 19,299
Incumbent Morano first assumed office for the 13th District in 2007.
- Sue Morano: 19,299
- Gayle L. Manning: 14,482
- Gayle L. Manning: 14,482
November 2 General election candidates:
Sue Morano 55,023
Gayle L. Manning 60,298
District 15
Note: Incumbent Democrat Ray Miller was not eligible to run for another four-year term.
- Charleta B. Tavares: 12,861
- Dan Stewart: 8,529
- Oyango Snell: 3,159
- Charleta B. Tavares: 12,861
- Alicia Healy: 7,599
- Alicia Healy: 7,599
November 2 General election candidates:
Charleta B. Tavares 64,771
Alicia Healy 24,199
District 17
Note: Incumbent Republican John Carey was not eligible to run for another four-year term.
- Justin Fallon: 10,053
- Justin Fallon: 10,053
- David T. Daniels: 13,656
- Clyde Evans: 12,797
- David T. Daniels: 13,656
November 2 General election candidates:
Justin Fallon 36,868
David T. Daniels 63,830
District 19
Note: Incumbent Republican Bill Harris was not eligible to run for another four-year term.
- Neil Patel: 12,174
- Neil Patel: 12,174
- Kris Jordan: 21,538
- Thom Collier: 14,843
- Louis G. Petros: 3,575
- Kris Jordan: 21,538
November 2 General election candidates:
Neil Patel 43,562
Kris Jordan 97,307
District 21
- Shirley A. Smith: 16,131
Incumbent Smith first assumed office for the 21st District in 2007.
- Shirley A. Smith: 16,131
- Burrell Jackson: 2,207
- Burrell Jackson: 2,207
November 2 General election candidates:
Shirley A. Smith 55,836
Burrell Jackson 10,321
District 23
Note: Incumbent Democrat Dale Miller will not be seeking re-election in 2010.
- Michael Skindell: 13,724
- Ron Mottl: 8,293
- Nicholas Celebrezze: 7,293
- Michael Skindell: 13,724
- Dave Morris: 7,861
- Dave Morris: 7,861
November 2 General election candidates:
Michael Skindell 49,404
Dave Morris 31,891
District 25
- Nina Turner: 26,665
Incumbent Turner first assumed office for the 25th District in 2008.
- Nina Turner: 26,665
- No Republican ran for election.
November 2 General election candidates:
Nina Turner 77,987
District 27
Note: Incumbent Republican Kevin Coughlin was not eligible for another four-year term.
- Frank Comunale: 13,500
- Tamela Lee: 7,248
- Frank Comunale: 13,500
- Frank LaRose: 15,279
November 2 General election candidates:
Frank Comunale 51,386
Frank LaRose 66,742
District 29
Note: Incumbent Republican Kirk Schuring was not eligible for another four-year term.
- Richard Reinbold Jr.: 17,580
- Richard Reinbold Jr.: 17,580
- Scott Oelslager: 25,086
- Scott Oelslager: 25,086
November 2 General election candidates:
Richard Reinbold Jr. 47,440
Scott Oelslager 68,481
District 31
- Dennis Lupher: 16,695
Lupher replaced Chelsea Black on the Democratic ticket after her withdrawal.[4]
- Dennis Lupher: 16,695
- Tim Schaffer: 31,379
Incumbent Shaffer first assumed office for the 31st District in 2007.
- Tim Schaffer: 31,379
November 2 General election candidates:
Dennis Lupher 43,110
Tim Schaffer 88,694
District 33
- Joe Schiavoni: 22,635
Incumbent Schiavoni first assumed office for the 33rd District in his appointment in 2009
- Kathleen Purdy: 11,983
- Joe Schiavoni: 22,635
- Matt Lewis: 5,764
- Gary Tweeter: 5,143
- Adam L. Rutushin: 2,799
- Matt Lewis: 5,764
- John Fockler Jr.: 100
- John Fockler Jr.: 100
November 2 General election candidates:
Joe Schiavoni 75,350
Matt Lewis 52,476
John Fockler Jr. 5,019
External links
- Official Ohio State Senate elections results
- Ohio official list of state senate candidates, 2010
- Democratic primary results
- GOP primary results
- Libertarian primary results
- Project Vote Smart list of candidates for Ohio State Senate in the November 2, 2010 election
See also
- Ohio State Senate
- Ohio State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2010
- Primary election dates in 2010
Footnotes