This article was last updated at 6:19 a.m.
Donald Trump Wins the Presidency
Former U.S. President Donald Trump will return to the role in 2025, after winning the 2024 election against the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump, whose win in Pennsylvania sealed the deal, is only the second president to ever serve non-consecutive terms.
Ohio native J.D. Vance will serve as vice president. The senator is the third Ohioan to do so and the first since Charles Dawes in the late 1920s. Before entering politics, Vance made a name for himself by writing a best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy. He is a graduate of Yale Law School.
"I think that we just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America," said Vance in an early acceptance speech around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. "Under President Trump's leadership, we're never going to stop fighting for you, for your dreams, for the future of your children, and after the greatest political comeback in history, we're going to lead the greatest economic comeback in history."
Bernie Moreno Wins Senate Race
Bernie Moreno will begin his first Senate term in 2025. The businessman and politician beat Sherrod Brown, who had previously held one of Ohio’s U.S. Senate seats since 2007. The Associated Press called the race at 11:27 p.m., when Moreno led with 50.3% of the vote, compared to Brown's 46.3%.
Addressing supporters, Moreno spoke of his agenda, including a "pro-immigration, not invasion" immigration policy, energy independence, empowering teachers against a “teachers’ union that doesn’t care about them” and bringing down the national debt.
"My opponent talked a lot about helping the working man, and I will agree with him on the need to help working Americans, but the difference is talk without action is nothing," said Moreno. "This is the dawn of new Republican leadership."
In conceit, Brown thanked his supporters and doubled down on his working-class campaign message.
“We may be tempted to say hope was not enough. We might be tempted to second-guess ourselves and question whether we worked hard enough or long enough. That is not our story tonight.”
RELATED: Sherrod Brown vs. Bernie Moreno: Who Do You Trust In the 2024 Ohio Senate Race
Issue 1 (Establishing a Citizens Redistricting Commission): Failed
Issue 1 has failed. The Associated Press called the race at 11:21 p.m.
The Ohio Redistricting Commission, composed of lawmakers, will continue to be in charge of drafting future statehouse and congressional maps, not to be replaced with a citizen-led commission. Issue 1, organized by Citizens Not Politicians, would have been the latest major change in Ohio’s past few years of gerrymandering updates:
- In 2015, voters passed a constitutional amendment to replace the Ohio Apportionment Board (which previously drew district maps from 1851 until 2011) with the Ohio Redistricting Commission.
- In 2018, voters passed another constitutional amendment to create a more bipartisan process for drawing congressional districts, and to make stricter guidelines for forming districts.
- In 2020, Ohio’s Supreme Court rejected district maps multiple times, finding that they did not comply with the state constitution.
- In 2022, federal judges implemented a previously submitted map they called “the best of our bad options” — one that’s been accused of gerrymandered districts and has been the subject of lawsuits from the League of Women Voters and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, according to Ohio Capital Journal reports.
RELATED: Hear from Citizens Not Politicians, the Organizers Behind Issue 1
Issue 55 (Increasing Cuyahoga County Cigarette Tax): Passed
This tax will benefit Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, an organization that funds local arts spaces and programming. It will increase taxes from 1.5 cents per cigarette to 3.5 cents per cigarette, for 10 years. A whopping 342,091 (71.52%) of Cuyahoga County voters voted for the tax, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website.
Find more of Cuyahoga County’s election results at the Board of Elections’ website.
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