Warren County stays red, but hints of purple emerge
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Even with Ohio turning blue Tuesday, Warren County stayed stubbornly red.
Why it matters: Somehow, both political parties walked away feeling pretty good about it.
- Though the county remains firmly Republican, Democrats are betting its politics will eventually change as it grows and more voters show up at the polls.
State of play: Republicans carried Warren County by double-digit margins in the elections for governor, U.S. Senate and the 1st Congressional District, even as Democrats Amy Acton, Sherrod Brown and Greg Landsman won in those respective races.
Zoom in: The local GOP had plenty to celebrate.
- Every candidate it endorsed won in Warren County, including longtime incumbent County Commissioner Tom Grossmann.
- Republicans have controlled the commission since 1976, and no Democrat has won a seat since 1990.
What they're saying: Christian Mays, GOP of Warren County chair, calls the area a "shining light on the hill for Republicans."
- He credits local conservatives with turning out voters at a "level rarely seen in a nonpresidential election."
The other side: Local Democratic Party chair Kelly Sakalas isn't disputing the losses, but thinks the results obscure something bigger.
- The county is attracting new residents, jumping from 175 voting precincts in 2024 to 185 this year. Its suburban and rural communities are becoming more diverse, Sakalas says.
- She also believes infighting among local Republicans is prompting some voters to take another look at their options.
By the numbers: More than 114,000 Warren County residents voted this cycle, pushing turnout to 64.3%, compared with roughly 60% in 2022.
- Nearly 58% of Tuesday's ballots came from voters classified as "Other," a category that likely includes many unaffiliated voters, Sakalas says.
Case in point: Democrat Ian Logan, a first-time candidate fresh out of college, lost his county commissioner race to Grossmann by more than 25,500 votes.
- Not exactly a nail-biter. Still, Sakalas believes Logan's campaign showed Democrats can reach voters in races that once seemed unwinnable.
What's next: Mays says Republicans won't grow complacent, promising to keep Warren County a "beacon of Republican strength."
- Sakalas, meanwhile, wants to use the momentum from Tuesday to recruit a new wave of local candidates.
- "There are more of us than you think," she says.