2024 is an important election year for the future of American energy. The results from this year’s election will chart the course for Ohio’s energy producers and associated industries. At stake is control of the White House, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives, and Ohio’s Supreme Court.

 

OOGA will be providing election and voting information to the membership over the next several months as we count down to election.

 

Here is a short preview for what is at stake for members:

 

President of the United States

Democratic:   Vice President Kamala Harris

Governor Tim Walz

 

Republican:   Former President Donald Trump

Senator J.D. Vance

 

Former President Donald Trump is back on the ballot attempting to become the first President since Grover Cleveland to be re-elected in nonconsecutive terms since 1892. Trump selected Ohio’s junior senator, J.D. Vance as his running mate. Vance was thrust into the spotlight after his book Hillbilly Elegy was published in 2016.

 

President Joe Biden originally was expected to be the Democratic candidate however after a poor debate performance he stepped down and was replaced by his running mate current Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate.

 

This campaign has been filled with shocking surprises. First, former President Trump survived an assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania, and then after weeks of speculation President Biden withdrew his name from being nominated. With just a few more weeks until election night who else can predict what might be in store for this race.

 

United States Senator

Democratic:   Senator Sherrod Brown

 

Republican:   Businessman Bernie Moreno

 

Senator Sherrod Brown is looking for his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. He first won election back in 2006 against then Senator Mike DeWine.

 

Businessman Bernie Moreno is making his second attempt at a United States Senate seat. His first attempt ended with him withdrawing in 2021 to replace retiring Senator Rob Portman. This time around he survived a bruising Republican primary and is in position to capture the seat from Brown.

 

If Donald Trump and JD Vance win the Presidency, Governor Mike DeWine will get to appoint someone to fill Vance’s unexpired U.S. Senate seat.

 

In just a matter of days the entire Presidential race changed drastically. Now is the time for the oil and gas industry’s voices to be heard. The results from this year’s election will play a significant role in determining the future business climate in Ohio. At stake in 2024 is control of the White House, the U.S. House and Senate, the Ohio House and Senate, and Ohio’s judicial branch.

 

United States Congressional Districts

The majority of U.S. Congressional Districts are considered safe. But several are considered to be in play across the state of Ohio, and there is a newly elected congressman in the 6^th district, who needs to defend his seat in the fall.

 

District 6:

Democrat:      Businessman Michael Kripchak

 

Republican:   U.S. Representative Michael Rulli

 

With former Congressman Bill Johnson retiring, former State Senator Michael Rulli was able to win the special election earlier this year. He now has to defend his seat. The dark red district should be an easy victory for the newly minted Congressman from Salem, Ohio.

 

District 9:

Democratic:   U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur

 

Republican:   State Representative Derek Merrin

 

Longtime Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur is in a race for her political life. Her newly redrawn district has put this longtime Democrat stalwart in a tough battle. Republicans are looking to defeat her for the first time as she has been victorious in every election since 1983. State Representative and former mayor Derek Merrin is trying to flip the historically blue seat red this fall.

 

 

District 13:

Democratic:   U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes

 

Republican:   Former State Senator Kevin Coughlin

 

Current Congresswoman Emilia Sykes finds herself in another tough race as the Republicans look to pick up another seat, this one located in the Akron area. Sykes was able to keep the seat for the Democrats in the 2022 cycle. This time former State Senator Kevin Coughlin will try to deliver a victory for the GOP. Coughlin previously served in both the Ohio House and Senate and has been a consistent winner on the ballot.

 

Ohio Supreme Court

There are three seats up in the Ohio Supreme Court. This election has the chance to flip the Court’s political ideology from the current conservative majority to a liberal leaning majority.

 

Seat #1

Democratic:   Justice Michael Donnelly

 

Republican:   Judge Megan Shanahan

 

Incumbent Justice Donnelly has won on the statewide ballot before. However new Ohio laws require party affiliation next to the name of Supreme Court candidates. This has a chance to impact the court races depending on how excited R’s and D’s are to turn out for the top of the ticket. Judge Shanahan has a name that should play well with Ohio voters and has run a strong campaign to unseat the incumbent.

 

Seat #2

Democratic:   Justice Melody Stewart

 

Republican:   Justice Joe Deters

 

Justice Deters elected to vacate his current seat so that he could run against incumbent Justice Stewart for a full-term. This election sets two current Supreme Court Justices against each other. Both are hoping for a boost from party voter turnout.

 

Seat #3

Democratic:   Judge Lisa Forbes

 

Republican:   Judge Dan Hawkins

 

Judges Forbes and Hawkins are battling for Justice Deters unexpired seat with the term ending in December 2026. That means the winner of this race will be running again in two years for a full term on the Court.

 

Ohio General Assembly

 

All 99 Districts in the Ohio House of Representatives will be on the ballot in November. House Republicans will look to hold and even pad their super majority against the House Democrats. Very few of the over 60 House Republican seats are considered in jeopardy as the majority have solid R indexes.

 

Half of the Ohio Senate is up for grabs. The majority of Senate Districts are safe for incumbents. Although there are competitive districts on paper in northern Franklin County, Cuyahoga County, and one district in Montgomery County that was redistricted from a Republican district to a Democratic district.

 

Overall Republicans are expected to retain heavy majorities in both the House and Senate. If you have a particular race, you are interested in, please contact Stephanie Kromer at stephanie@ooga.org.

 

Click here to view the list of General Assembly Candidates.

 

Title:   Ohio Establish the Citizens Redistricting Commission Initiative

 

Short Description: Establish the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC), a 15-member non-politician commission responsible for adopting state legislative and congressional redistricting plans

 

This is the latest of several attempts to change the method Ohio uses to draw congressional and legislative districts. Ohio has used a variety of methods to draw districts but for the most part has had elected officials who are accountable through elections to make those decisions. Ohio’s current method was most recently overwhelmingly approved by the voters in both 2015 and 2018.

 

The redistricting process for new congressional and legislative maps were met with lawsuits and issues over the past couple of years. The amendment on the ballot was a citizen initiative that collected enough signatures to make the ballot and was certified earlier this summer.

 

Republican leaders have denounced the effort, with Governor DeWine holding a press conference to show exactly why the amendment is not what the supporters have described. Since that press conference Republican leaders and have voiced their opposition against the proposal, including Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Senate President Matt Huffman.

 

Supporters of the amendment have been heavily backed by out of state and even out of country money. Of the $23 million first reported in August over 80% of that has come from out of state groups., which begs the question as to who is really supporting the amendment. The redistricting amendment is no different than many amendments Ohio has seen on its ballot over the past decade that is heavily funded by out of state interests.

 

If you would like to learn more about the amendment, please contact Stephanie Kromer at Stephanie@ooga.org.