Paula Hicks-Hudson

Paula Hicks-Hudson

Democratic Party

Ohio State Senate District 11

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Teresa Fedor

Prior offices

Toledo City Council District 4

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Mayor of Toledo

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Ohio House of Representatives District 44

Successor: Elgin Rogers Jr.

Predecessor: Michael Ashford

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Report an officeholder change

Compensation

Base salary

$71,099/year

Per diem

$No per diem is paid

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Spelman College, 1973

Graduate

Colorado State University, 1975

Law

University of Iowa

Personal

Birthplace

Hamilton, Ohio

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Official website

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Paula Hicks-Hudson (Democratic Party) is a member of the Ohio State Senate, representing District 11. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.

Hicks-Hudson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Lucas County Commission in Ohio. She lost in the Democratic primary on March 19, 2024.

Hicks-Hudson is the former mayor of Toledo in Ohio. Hicks-Hudson was initially appointed to the position in 2015 by the Toledo City Council. Hicks-Hudson lost a re-election campaign in the general election on November 7, 2017. Although municipal positions in Toledo are officially nonpartisan, Hicks-Hudson was affiliated with the Democratic Party. Click here to read Hicks-Hudson's response to Ballotpedia's 2017 municipal candidate survey.

Hudson previously represented District 4 on the Toledo City Council. She was appointed to the council in January 2011 to serve a partial term following the resignation of Michael Ashford. She won election to a full term in November 2011 and served until her appointment as mayor.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Paula Hicks-Hudson is from Hamilton, Ohio. She received a bachelor's degree in political science and journalism from Spelman College in 1973, a master's degree in communications development from Colorado State University in 1975, and a J.D. from the University of Iowa. Hicks-Hudson has worked as an attorney for the Toledo Legal Aid Society, an assistant prosecutor for Lucas County, and an assistant public defender.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Hicks-Hudson was assigned to the following committees:

• Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
• Energy and Public Utilities Committee
• Senate Finance Committee
• Government Oversight Committee
• Senate Judiciary Committee
• Senate Rules and Reference Committee
• Correctional Institution Inspection Committee

2021-2022

Hicks-Hudson was assigned to the following committees:

• Joint Legislative Ethics Committee
• Agriculture and Conservation Committee (decommissioned)
• House Finance Committee
• House Rules and Reference Committee

2019-2020

Hicks-Hudson was assigned to the following committees:

• Agriculture and Conservation Committee (decommissioned)
• Civil Justice Committee (decommissioned)
• House Finance Committee
• House Rules and Reference Committee

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Lucas County, Ohio (2024)

General election

General election for Lucas County Commission

Incumbent Anita Lopez defeated John Rozic in the general election for Lucas County Commission on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Anita Lopez (D)	56.5	104,077
		John Rozic (R)	43.5	80,195

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 184,272
= 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 Lucas County Commission

Incumbent Anita Lopez defeated Paula Hicks-Hudson and Knute Huber in the Democratic primary for Lucas County Commission on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Anita Lopez	55.1	13,370
		Paula Hicks-Hudson	44.7	10,836
	Submit photo	Knute Huber (Write-in)	0.0	12
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	48

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 24,266
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lucas County Commission

John Rozic advanced from the Republican primary for Lucas County Commission on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Rozic	100.0	16,069

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 16,069
= 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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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hicks-Hudson in this election.

2022

See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Ohio State Senate District 11

Paula Hicks-Hudson defeated Tony Dia in the general election for Ohio State Senate District 11 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paula Hicks-Hudson (D)	55.3	64,761
		Tony Dia (R)	44.7	52,384

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 117,145
= 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 State Senate District 11

Paula Hicks-Hudson advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 11 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paula Hicks-Hudson	100.0	10,210

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,210
= 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 11

Tony Dia advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio State Senate District 11 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tony Dia	100.0	5,202

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,202
= 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.

2020

See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 44

Incumbent Paula Hicks-Hudson defeated Robert McMahon in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 44 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paula Hicks-Hudson (D)	79.0	32,101
	Submit photo	Robert McMahon (R)	21.0	8,511

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 40,612
= 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 44

Incumbent Paula Hicks-Hudson advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 44 on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paula Hicks-Hudson (Write-in)	100.0	1,527

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,527
= 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 44

Robert McMahon advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 44 on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Robert McMahon	100.0	1,085

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,085
= 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.

2018

See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 44

Paula Hicks-Hudson won election in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 44 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paula Hicks-Hudson (D)	100.0	27,368

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,368
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kenneth Cousino (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 44

Paula Hicks-Hudson defeated Robert James Worthington in the Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 44 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paula Hicks-Hudson	83.5	5,613
		Robert James Worthington	16.5	1,113

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 6,726
= 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 44

Kenneth Cousino advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 44 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kenneth Cousino	100.0	1,061

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 1,061
= 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.

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Toledo, Ohio (2017)

The city of Toledo, Ohio, held elections for mayor and six seats on the city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on September 12, 2017. The filing deadline for this election was July 14, 2017. Wade Kapszukiewicz defeated incumbent Paula Hicks-Hudson in the general election for mayor of Toledo.

Mayor of Toledo, General Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Wade Kapszukiewicz	55.45%	28,546
Paula Hicks-Hudson Incumbent	44.55%	22,930
Total Votes		51,476
Source: Lucas County, Ohio, "November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed November 7, 2017

Incumbent Paula Hicks-Hudson and Wade Kapszukiewicz defeated Tom Waniewski and Opal Covey in the primary election for mayor of Toledo.

Mayor of Toledo, Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Paula Hicks-Hudson Incumbent	38.91%	9,686
Wade Kapszukiewicz	33.54%	8,350
Tom Waniewski	26.75%	6,659
Opal Covey	0.80%	199
Total Votes		24,894
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Board of Elections," accessed September 12, 2017

2015

See also: Toledo, Ohio municipal elections, 2015

The city of Toledo, Ohio, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A primary election in the city council races took place on September 15, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 21, 2015, for the city council race. Six councils seats were up for election.

Acting Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson sought election to the remainder of an unexpired four-year term left by Mayor Michael Collins's death in February 2015. Hicks-Hudson defeated Mike Bell, Sandy Drabik Collins, Opal Covey, Mike Ferner, Carty Finkbeiner and Sandy Spang.

Mayor of Toledo, General election, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Paula Hicks-Hudson Incumbent	35.6%	23,087
Mike Bell	17.3%	11,228
Carty Finkbeiner	15.9%	10,276
Sandy Drabik Collins	14.6%	9,432
Sandy Spang	10.8%	7,028
Mike Ferner	5.0%	3,208
Opal Covey	0.8%	544
Write-in votes	0%	0
Total Votes		64,803
Source: Lucas County Board of Elections, "Election Summary Results", accessed November 3, 2015

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Paula Hicks-Hudson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Paula Hicks-Hudson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Paula Hicks-Hudson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2017

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Hicks-Hudson participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“	Clean drinking water, safe livable neighborhoods, government efficiency and economic diversity.	”
—Paula Hicks-Hudson (July 31, 2017)

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue	Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	City services	7	Environment
2	Civil rights	8	Crime reduction/prevention
3	Housing	9	Unemployment
4	Recreational opportunities	10	K-12 education
5	Homelessness	11	Transportation
6	Government transparency	12	Public pensions/retirement funds

Nationwide municipal issues

The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?Answer options: Not important; Not important, but required by state law; A little important; A little important, but required by state law; Important; Very important	Very important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?Answer options: None, Local, State, Federal	Hicks-Hudson did not respond to this question.
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Increased economic opportunities, Increased police presence/activity, Harsher penalties for offenders, Public outreach/education programs	Increased economic opportunities and community policing
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Changing zoning restrictions, Create a more competitive business climate, Focusing on small business development, Instituting a citywide minimum wage, Recruiting new businesses to your city, Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform	Recruiting new businesses to the city
What is the one thing you’re most proud of about your city?	I'm proud of the citizens. Toledoans are resilient and fervent.
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your city?	Nothing. Toledo is the best city.

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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Paula Hicks-Hudson campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Ohio State Senate District 11	Won general	$139,737	$81,843
2020	Ohio House of Representatives District 44	Won general	$24,217	N/A**
2018	Ohio House of Representatives District 44	Won general	$10,992	N/A**
Grand total			$174,946	$81,843
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Endorsements

2015

Hicks-Hudson received the following endorsements in 2015:

• Ohio Democratic Party
• Lucas County Young Democrats
• Lucas County Democrats
• Laborer's Local 500
• AFSCME
• I.B.E.W Local Union 8
• Greater NW Ohio AFL-CIO
• CWA
• Sheet Metal Worker, Local 33

Presidential preference

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Hicks-Hudson endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

See also: Endorsements for Hillary Clinton

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Ohio

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Ohio scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].
In 2024, the Ohio State Legislature was in session from January 2 to December 19. A special session on elections commenced on May 28, 2024, and ended on May 31. Equality Ohio Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to LGBTQ, civil rights, and racial justice issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].
In 2023, the Ohio State Legislature was in session from January 2 to December 31. Ohio Environmental Council Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Ohio State Legislature was in session from January 19 to December 15. Equality Ohio Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to LGBTQ, civil rights, and racial justice issues. Innovation Ohio Representatives are scored on their votes on bills affecting working families. Ohio Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills impacting Ohio's business community. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The Institute for Legislative Analysis Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].
In 2021, the Ohio State Legislature was in session from January 4 to December 31. Ohio Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills impacting Ohio's business community. Ohio Environmental Council Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].

In 2020, the Ohio State Legislature was in session from January 6 to December 31. Club for Growth Foundation Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Innovation Ohio Representatives are scored on their votes on bills affecting working families. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Ohio Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills impacting Ohio's business community. Ohio Environmental Council Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].
In 2019, the Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 7 through December 31. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].
In 2018, the 132nd Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 2 through December 31. Innovation Ohio Representatives are scored on their votes on bills affecting working families. Ohio Chamber of Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills impacting Ohio's business community. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

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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External links

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Candidate

Lucas County Commission

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Officeholder

Ohio State Senate District 11

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Teresa Fedor (D)	Ohio State Senate District 11 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Michael Ashford (D)	Ohio House of Representatives District 44 2019-2022	Succeeded by Elgin Rogers Jr. (D)
Preceded by -	Mayor of Toledo 2015-2018	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Toledo City Council District 4 2011-2015	Succeeded by -

[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)