For the first time in well over a decade, Ohio's Republican supermajority in the Ohio House of Representatives may be at risk in the 2026 Midterm general election.
All 99 seats in the Ohio House are up for election this November, although Democrats have only fielded candidates in 97 races. If Democrats gain just six House seats, Republicans would lose the supermajority they've held in the Ohio House since 2013.
Under the Ohio Constitution, the Ohio General Assembly can override a governor's veto with a three-fifths majority vote in both chambers of the legislature. That means if Democrat Amy Acton wins the governorship and Democrats end the Ohio House supermajority, Acton would wield significant power over the legislature for at least two years.
Democrats are hoping to capitalize on a very favorable national political environment. President Donald Trump, the standard-bearer for the Republican party, has an approval rating at a record low of 32%, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, Americans are frustrated with gas prices, inflation and the cost of living, issues that have historically harmed the party in power.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), a branch of the national Democratic Party dedicated to winning statehouse races, has made breaking the Ohio House Republican supermajority an explicit goal of this election cycle. The DLCC has tried to break Ohio's supermajorities in the past but has yet to succeed.
Republicans have a few key advantages in Ohio's upcoming elections. Namely, an electorate that went for Donald Trump by 11 points in the 2024 election and district maps that favor Republicans.
Just over half of the seats in the Ohio Senate, 17 of them, are up for election in November. It's less likely that Democrats will be able to break the Republican supermajority in that chamber; just eight of Ohio's 33 Senate districts lean Democratic, and six of these face elections this fall, according to data from Dave's Redistricting App, an online web app created by Dave Bradlee that provides current maps for a U.S. state's congressional and legislative districts. The DLCC does not list breaking the supermajority in the Ohio Senate as one of its goals for this election.
A few close races that could decide the future of the Ohio Statehouse are happening nearby. Here are some central Ohio races to look out for on Election Day.
10th Ohio House District Race
Democratic incumbent Mark Sigrist, of Grove City, is facing a challenge Nov. 3 from Republican Denise D'Angelo of Grove City. His district spans the German Village, the Brewery District, Grove City, Urbancrest and a large chunk of southwest Columbus.
Both candidates have experience running for elected office in central Ohio. Sigrist, 64, is serving his first term in the Ohio House after serving as a Grove City Council member from 2022 to 2024. D'Angelo, 43, is a current South-Western City School Board member.
The 10th Ohio House District is almost evenly split between Republican and Democratic voters; 50% voted Republican from 2016 to 2022 and 49.1% voted Democrat. In the district of around 43,000 people, the difference between the two parties is only a few hundred voters, according to data from Dave's Redistricting App.
11th Ohio House District Race
Democratic incumbent Crystal Lett, of Hilliard, is facing a challenge from Republican Shawn Kaeser, of Dublin, in the 11th Ohio House District, which includes Dublin and Hilliard.
Lett is serving her first term in the Ohio House of Representatives after taking over from Democrat Anita Somani, who ran for another district, in 2024. Lett, 40, is a mental health professional. Kaeser, 54, is a social studies teacher with Dublin City Schools.
Democrats have an edge in the district as 53.8% of residents voted Democrat from 2016 to 2022 and 45.2% voted Republican, according to data from Dave's Redistricting App.
60th Ohio House District Race
Incumbent Republican Brian Lorenz of Powell is facing a challenge from Democrat Shelby Kimball of Dublin.
Before serving in the Ohio House, Lorenz, 53, was the mayor of Powell and a Powell City Council member. Kimball, 34, is a U.S. Marine Corps and Army veteran and a recent Ohio State University graduate.
Lorenz has held the seat since 2023, when Ohio House Republicans chose him to replace Republican Kris Jordan, who died in February 2023. He successfully defended the seat from Democrat Rachael Morocco in 2024.
The 60th Ohio House District includes Powell, part of Westerville and a chunk of southern Delaware County.
Lorenz has a voter advantage in the district as 54.2% of residents voted Republican from 2016 to 2022 while 44.9% voted Democrat, according to data from Dave's Redistricting App.
3rd Ohio Senate District Race
Republican incumbent Michele Reynolds of Canal Winchester will defend her seat from Democrat Stacie Baker of Reynoldsburg in the general election.
Reynolds flipped the seat from incumbent Democrat Tina Maharath in 2022, making her the first African American woman to be elected as a Republican in Franklin County. Reynolds, 52, is also a faith leader and the founder and CEO of NISRE, Inc., a nonprofit that provides housing programs for ex-prisoners.
Baker, 44, is a member of Reynoldsburg City Council and a community outreach coordinator with the Franklin County Treasurer's Office.
The 3rd Ohio Senate District includes Grove City, Circleville, Reynoldsburg and large portions of Madison and Pickaway counties.
The district favors Republicans with 54.6% of residents voting Republican from 2016 to 2022 and 44.6% voting Democrat, according to data from Dave's Redistricting App.
Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, @NathanRHart on X and nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: With Ohio House supermajority on the line, watch these central Ohio races
