November 2 , 2004 ** SPECIAL GENERAL ELECTION RECAP ** CHAMBER-ENDORSED SUPREME COURT CANDIDATES SWEEP TO VICTORY! Two years after the re-election of Justice Evelyn Stratton and the election of Justice Maureen O’Connor restored fairness and balance to the Ohio Supreme Court, Ohioans today bolstered the new majority on the Court by re-electing Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, keeping Justice Terrence O’Donnell, and electing Judge Judith Lanzinger to fill a vacancy. Justice Paul Pfeifer, running unopposed, was also re-elected. The new Court should help make the “gang of four” and the judicial activism that plagued our state’s highest court for the past decade just a distant, unpleasant memory. In addition, today’s results will mean that, at least through 2008, Ohio consumers and businesses can rest assured that philosophical control of the court can’t be wrested away by personal injury lawyers. Though this year’s Supreme Court contests received relatively little attention by the media and voters – especially when compared with the previous two election cycles – the efforts of all sectors of the business community again provided the winning candidates with the support and momentum they needed to put up solid victories. Chief Justice Moyer defeated challenger C. Ellen Connally 54 percent to 46 percent. Justice O’Donnell piled up the largest victory margin of the three winners, beating Appeals Court Judge William O’Neill 60 percent to 40 percent. He gets to finish out the term to which former Justice Deborah Cook was elected in 2000 and will be on the ballot again in two years. Appeals Court Judge Lanzinger took the open seat contest between her and Common Pleas Judge Nancy Fuerst by capturing 57 percent of the vote. Justice O’Donnell actually carried Cuyahoga County outright, while Chief Justice Moyer was able to keep his margin of defeat there to less than 100,000 votes – a target considered necessary for Republican candidates to have a shot at winning statewide. Judge Lanzinger lost Cuyahoga by nearly 140,000 votes, but did unusually well for a Republican candidate in her native Lucas County and won 81 of the state’s 88 counties overall. Many factors combined to give these candidates their victories, not the least of which was strong support from the business community. All sectors of the business community, including insurers, physicians, small business owners and farmers, rallied together to elect Moyer, O’Donnell, and Lanzinger. Another factor was the lack of active involvement on the part of personal injury lawyers. Campaign finance reports demonstrate they certainly didn’t support candidates Connally, Fuerst, and O’Neill at anywhere near the levels they’ve supported their preferred candidates in the recent years. Nor did they conduct an independent expenditure TV ad campaign through their “Citizens for an Independent Court” PAC as they have in the past, either. Why they weren’t more involved remains somewhat of a mystery. OHIO SENATE RESULTS PRESERVE STATUS QUO All along, it was clear that there would be only one truly competitive Senate contest in 2004 – the 20th district battle between appointed Sen. Joy Padgett (R-Coshocton) and challenger Terry Anderson (D-Athens). The conventional wisdom turned out to be true. Apart from the Padgett-Anderson race, in only one other Senate election this year did the winner not capture 60 percent: appointed Sen. Steve Stivers’ (R-Columbus) 58 percent win in the 16th district. The Padgett-Anderson race was as nasty and expensive as predicted, and the outcome roughly mirrored the GOP index of the district. Sen. Padgett prevailed 54 percent to 46 percent, winning all but two of the district’s nine counties along the way. Anderson scored a decisive win in his home county, Athens, and also won Monroe County. Sen. Padgett’s victory ensures the Republicans will maintain their 22-11 majority in the Senate next year. Overall, Republican candidates won 13 of the 16 Senate contests. Both Chamber Choice candidates – the candidates targeted by the Ohio Chamber who will aggressively champion the free enterprise system and help foster a better climate for business growth and job creation in the legislature – in the Senate, Sen. Padgett and Rep. Charlie Wilson, were victorious. The following is a brief summary of the results of the year’s 16 Senate contests: District 2: Sen. Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green) easily captured a second term, winning 63%-37% over challenger Nate Nickens (D-Sylvania), a BGU student. District 4: Rep. Gary Cates (R-West Chester) will succeed term-limited Sen. Scott Nein (R-Middletown) after a resounding 66%-34% win over Melvin Smith (D-Hamilton), president of the AFL-CIO of Butler, Warren, and Clinton Counties. District 6: The political mishaps that cost Sen. Jeff Jacobson (R-Dayton) the chance to be the next Senate President certainly didn’t cost him at the polls. In fact, the 65% of the vote he captured against retired Pastor Jason Stanton (D-Dayton) exceeded his 2000 performance, when he won his first term with 58%. District 8: Replacing Sen. Lou Blessing (R-Cincinnati), as expected, is Rep. Patricia Clancy (R-Cincinnati). Clancy beat real estate agent Jeannette Harrison (D-Cincinnati) 64%-36%. District 10: Despite an aggressive challenge from farmer Charlie Hart (D-Springfield), Sen. Steve Austria (R-Beavercreek) scored a solid 65%-35% re-election victory. District 12: In a rematch of their 2000 race, challenger Jack Kaffenberger (I-Rossburg) nearly doubled the percentage of votes – from 12% to 21% – he captured four years ago. However, Sen. Jim Jordan (R-Champaign) was elected to a second term by the getting the other 79%. District 14: Unlike the March GOP primary, there’ll be no waiting for provisional ballots and recounts this time for Rep. Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond). He will replace outgoing Senate President Doug White (R-Manchester) following a convincing 67%-33% win over electrician Paul Schwietering (D-Cincinnati). District 16: Buoyed by an significant TV ad campaign paid for by the Republican Senate Campaign Committee, appointed Sen. Steve Stivers (R-Columbus) won election to a full term by receiving 58% of the vote against two opponents. Katherine Thomsen (D-Grandview Heights) was second with 34% and retired LSC Division Chief Don Eckhart (I-Galloway) got the other 9%. District 18: The second-most competitive Senate race of 2004 was won by Rep. Tim Grendell (R-Chesterland). He won the open seat contest to replace term-limited Sen. Bob Gardner (R-Madison) 60%-40% over attorney John Hawkins (D-Mentor-on-the-Lake). District 20: All eyes were on this race from the get-go, and it lived up to expectations. After a rancorous campaign that will probably approach the $2 million mark in combined spending, appointed Sen. Joy Padgett (R-Coshocton) defeated Terry Anderson (D-Athens) 54%-46%. District 22: Sen. Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster) was unopposed on his way to earning a second term. District 24: The Republican Senate Campaign Committee spent heavily on TV ads to make sure there were no surprises here. There weren’t, as Sen. Bob Spada (R-North Royalton) cruised to a 62%-38% victory over first-time candidate Robert Matius (D-Westlake), an engineer and consultant. District 26: Sen. Larry Mumper (R-Marion) was re-elected without opposition. District 28: Appointed Sen. Kim Zurz (D-Uniontown) won a full-term, easily distancing challenger Kevin Fowler (R-Ravena) 65%-35%. District 30: The seat of term-limited Senate Minority Leader Greg DiDonato (D-New Philadelphia) will remain safely in Democratic hands after Rep. Charlie Wilson’s (D-St. Clairsville) victory. Wilson easily defeated Michael Wilkes (R-Columbiana), 67%-33%. District 32: Appointed Sen. Marc Dann (D-Youngstown) rolled to an easy win over challenger Gary Pasqualone (R-Geneva). Dann won 66%-34%. GOOD NIGHT FOR HOUSE DEMOCRATS: A THREE SEAT PICKUP FOUR OF FIVE CHAMBER CHOICE CANDIDATES WIN Unlike two years ago, when only two Ohio House races were decided by a margin as close as six percentage points, there were numerous close contests this year. Overall, the House Democrats scored a pickup of three seats. It’s the first time since 1998 that the Democrats actually increased the size of their caucus in the House and the first time in more than 20 years that they picked up more than two seats. Nonetheless, the GOP will still have a large majority after winning 59 contests. Three incumbents – two Republicans and one Democrat – were defeated. Appointed Rep. Marilyn Slaby (R-Akron) lost by less than 300 votes, but her defeat was not altogether unexpected. The losses by Reps. Nancy Hollister (R-Marietta) and Dan Sferra (D-Warren) were, however, big upsets. The 93rd House district is contained within the 20th Senate district, and Rep. Hollister performed consistently worse than did Sen. Padgett in the district and may have been the victim of a backlash by socially conservative southeastern Ohio voters upset about her vote against the Defense of Marriage Act. By contrast, her opponent, attorney Jennifer Garrison (D-Marietta), made an issue of Issue 1 and publicly supported the constitutional amendment. House Republicans hinted last week that they believed Randy Law (R-Warren) was in striking distance against Rep. Sferra, and they apparently dumped a significant amount of late resources into the race. So the Law victory wasn’t a total shock, but the magnitude of it was – he won 54%-46% in a district with a GOP index in the mid-30’s. The Democrats’ other two pickups came in an open seat contests in Lake County. Willowick Mayor Lorraine Fende (D-Willowick) beat Chris Galloway (R-Concord) 53%-47% in the 62nd district and Tim Cassell (D-Madison) won the 63rd district seat by just 374 votes over B.J. Kresnye (R-Mentor). The Democrats almost pulled off another upset that would have been a major coup. In the 1st House district, challenger Frank Rayl (D-Salem) came within 495 votes of knocking off Rep. Chuck Blasdel (R-E. Liverpool). Vulnerable incumbents like Reps. Earl Martin (R-Avon Lake), Dan Stewart (D-Columbus), Jimmy Stewart (R-Athens), and Kathy Walcher (R-Norwalk) all survived strong challenges. Of the five Chamber Choice candidates running for election to the House, four – Reps. Martin, Jeff Wagner (R-Sycamore), and Walcher and open seat candidate Ron Hood (R-Ashville) – were successful. The only Chamber Choice candidate to lose was Galloway. In all, the freshman class of the 126th General Assembly will have 19 members, including three appointed incumbents elected to their first full terms. The partisan breakdown of the freshman class is ten Republicans and nine Democrats. The following is a brief summary of the results in each of the 99 House districts: District 1: Perhaps underestimating his opponent, Rep. Chuck Blasdel (R-E. Liverpool) barely escaped what would have been a huge upset. He managed a third term by just 495 votes over Frank Rayl (D-Salem), head of a United Steelworkers of America local. Though the district leans Democrat, Rep. Blasdel won with roughly 60% of the vote in both of his previous races. District 2: Rep. Jon Peterson (R-Delaware) turned back a challenge from educational consultant Cathy Burner (D-Westerville) 69%-31%. District 3: Rep. Jim Carmichael (R-Wooster) won a third term convincingly, 66%-34% over paralegal Joan Bradley (D-North Lawrence). District 4: Running unopposed in his bid for a fourth and final term was Rep. John Willamowski (R-Lima). District 5: Rep. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) got the exact same percentage he got in 2002: 100%. He was, of course, unopposed both times. District 6: This rematch of the 2002 race between Rep. Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) and Scott McCarty (D-Perrysburg) had the same outcome – a resounding win for Rep. Latta. He won 63%-37%. District 7: The Ohio House will have a new labor organizer: Kenny Yuko (D-Richmond Heights). Yuko, who’s served an organizer for Laborers’ Local 860 since 1980, captured the open seat of term-limited Rep. Ed Jerse (D-Euclid) with a 74%-26% win over school administrator Beverly Valencic (R-Euclid). District 8: Rep. Lance Mason (D-Shaker Heights) won a second term the same way he won a first term two years ago: unopposed. District 9: Rep. Claudette Woodard (D-Shaker Heights) had no opposition in this heavily Democratic district. District 10: Rep. Shirley Smith (D-Cleveland) was unopposed in her campaign to capture a fourth and final term. District 11: Rep. Annie Key (D-Cleveland), too, was unopposed. District 12: Two years ago, Rep. Michael DeBose (D-Cleveland) captured the highest percentage of the vote – 86% – of any House candidate not running unopposed. This year he again garnered 86% of the vote. His opponent was Anthony Cefaratti (R-Maple Heights). District 13: Freshman Rep. Mike Skindell (D-Lakewood) was re-elected without opposition. District 14: Rep. Dale Miller (D-Cleveland) had only an independent challenger, Bill Ritter (I-Parma), standing between him and a fourth term. Ritter wasn’t much of a roadblock, as Rep. Miller scored a 76%-24% win. District 15: Appointed Rep. Timothy DeGeeter (D-Parma) won a full term with a solid 68%-32% victory over Michelle Stys (I-Parma), who serves on Parma Council as a Democrat, ran this race as an independent, and had said she would caucus with House Republicans if elected. District 16: Rep. Sally Kilbane (R-Rocky River) had to contend not only with ’02 opponent Kevin Kennedy (D-North Olmsted), but also with Chris Glassburn (I-North Olmsted). With Glassburn, a Green Party candidate, in the race, her winning percentage actually went up this year. She captured 59% of the vote to win a fourth and final term. District 17: When this seat is open two years from now the General Election outcome could be close. It wasn’t this year, as Rep. Jim Trakas (R-Independence) beat personal injury lawyer David Pomerantz (D-Solon) 53%-47%. District 18: Two years after being involved in one of the most competitive and expensive races of the year, freshman Rep. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) had a relatively easy time against Bobby Bland (D-Strongsville). Rep. Patton defeated Bland 67%-33% to win a second term. District 19: Rep. Larry Flowers (R-Canal Winchester) scored a convincing win over two opponents by capturing 61% of the vote. District 20: Rep. Jim McGregor (R-Gahanna) won a second term by defeating challenger Michael Murdock (D-Westerville), 56%-44%. District 21: Rep. Linda Reidelbach’s (R-Columbus) race this year didn’t compare with the difficult campaign she faced two years ago, which she won 55%-45%. However, the outcome was even closer this time around. She beat former Worthington School Board member Abramo Ottolenghi (D-Worthington) to win a third term, but only by a 53%-47% margin. District 22: Rep. Jim Hughes (R-Columbus) rolled up an impressive 61%-39% victory over community activist Brian McCann (D-Columbus). District 23: Running unopposed for the second straight time was Rep. Larry Wolpert (R-Hilliard). District 24: As a Democrat, Pat Byrne (I-Columbus) held Rep. Geoff Smith (R-Columbus) to 60% of the vote two years ago. Even without the benefit of the party label this time, Byrne managed to do even better. Nonetheless, Rep. Smith still won a third term, 56%-44%. District 25: It was an uphill battle running against an incumbent in a presidential year in a Democrat-leaning district, but Andy Bowers (R-Columbus) gave it everything he had. However, he came up short in the end. Freshman Rep. Dan Stewart (D-Columbus) survived Bowers’ aggressive challenge, 55%-45%. District 26: Mike Mitchell (D-Columbus) had his tough race earlier this year, when he ousted Rep. Larry Price (D-Columbus) in the primary. He was without opposition in the General Election. District 27: Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Columbus) was re-elected without opposition. District 28: Four years ago, Wayne Coates (D-Cincinnati) defeated Jim Raussen (R-Cincinnati) by 535 votes to win this seat. Two years later Raussen turned the tables on Coates, ousting the incumbent rather easily in 2002. This year, the rubber match went to Rep. Raussen, who defeated Coates 54%-46% – much closer than anticipated. District 29: After eight years in the Senate, Sen. Lou Blessing (R-Cincinnati) will be making his way back to the House. He won the race to succeed term-limited Rep. Patricia Clancy (R-Cincinnati) with a 56%-44% win over former Colerain Township Trustee Joe Wolterman (D-Cincinnati). Like the Raussen-Coates race, the result here was much tighter than was expected. District 30: Rep. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) trounced realtor Ann Thompson (D-Cincinnati), 73%-27%, to capture a third term. District 31: Once Pete Witte (R-Cincinnati) withdrew from the race, it was expected that Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) would have easy victory. He did, knocking off Terry Weber (R-Cincinnati) 69%-31%. District 32: Rep. Catherine Barrett (D-Cincinnati) was unopposed. She’ll be back for a fourth and final term. District 33: Rep. Tyrone Yates (D-Cincinnati) cruised to a second term with 74% of the vote. His opponent was Tom Jones (R-Avondale). District 34: After handily dispatching a credible primary opponent, it looked as if Rep. Tom Brinkman (R-Cincinnati) would secure a third term with little difficulty. He did, beating back the challenge of Glen Miller (D-Cincinnati) 60%-40%. District 35: Brian Miller (D-Loveland) provided just token opposition for Rep. Michelle Schneider (R-Madeira). She cruised to a 72%-28% landslide win and a third term. District 36: Clayton Councilwoman Bev Smith (D-Clayton) got less publicity but more votes against Rep. Arlene Setzer (R-Vandalia) than did fellow Democrat Doug Orange (D-Dayton) in 2002. However, the ultimate outcome was the same: a Setzer re-election victory. Rep. Setzer captured 62% of the vote in defeating Smith. District 37: The presumptive next Speaker of the House, Rep. Jon Husted (R-Kettering), made sure he didn’t forget about his own re-election effort. He defeated challenger John Shady (D-Dayton), a Moraine councilman, 65%-35%. District 38: Rep. John White (R-Kettering) coasted to victory over attorney John Doll (D-Centerville). Rep. White won with 61% of the vote. District 39: Winning a fourth term – in impressive fashion – was Rep. Dixie Allen (D-Dayton). She faced three challengers and still managed to garner 77% of the vote. Armiya Muhammed (R-Dayton) was second with only 13%. District 40: Rep. Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton) had no problem turning away a challenge from Glenn Jones (R-Dayton), winning 70%-30%. District 41: Brian Williams (D-Akron), a former superintendent of the Akron Public Schools, knocked off appointed incumbent Rep. Marilyn Slaby (R-Akron) in the year’s closest contest. Williams won by just 268 votes and is the first Democrat to win in this district since Karen Doty (D-Akron) ten years ago. An automatic recount will take place before an official victor is declared later this month. District 42: The race between Rep. John Widowfield (R-Cuyahoga Falls) and attorney Diana Colavecchio (D-Cuyahoga Falls) ended in a second term for Rep. Widowfield. He prevailed 57%-43%. District 43: Of the 62 seats held by Republicans prior to this election, freshman Rep. Mary Taylor’s (R-Green) is the least Republican of them all. In fact, the Republican index in the district is just 45%. She out-performed the index by 13 percentage points in winning a second term 58%-42% over challenger Jane Tabor-Grimm (D-Tallmadge). District 44: Rep. Barbara Sykes (D-Akron) got a free pass for the second consecutive General Election. District 45: Rep. Bob Otterman (D-Akron) won a third term by beating Don Longshore (R-Akron), 74%-26%. District 46: Mark Wagoner (R-Toledo) won this attorney vs. attorney battle against Nancy Patrick Greeley (D-Monclova) with an overwhelming 62%-38% victory. Wagoner will succeed term-limited Rep. Lynn Olman (R-Maumee) and will be the only GOP House member in the Lucas County delegation. District 47: Rep. Peter Ujvagi (D-Toledo) posted an easy 67%-33% win two years in an open seat race against an opponent that ran a spirited, aggressive campaign. It’s no surprise, then, that he scored an even bigger win as an incumbent in a presidential year. He defeated attorney Michael Goulding (R-Toledo) 71%-29%. District 48: Rep. Edna Brown (D-Toledo) got 86% of the vote two years ago against two opponents. As a result, no one even bothered challenging her this time. District 49: Challenger Chris Myers (R-Toledo), a webmaster at the University of Michigan, did everything he could to garner free media and to make this a race against veteran Rep. Jeanine Perry (D-Toledo). But there are just too many Democrats in this district. Rep. Perry was re-elected to a fourth term with 71% of the vote. District 50: This campaign in this district was a rematch of the ’02 race – and with the same result. Rep. John Hagan (R-Alliance) defeated attorney Martin Olson (D-Uniontown) 58%-42%. District 51: Freshman Rep. Scott Oelslager (R-Canton) had no opposition in his bid for a second House term. District 52: Bill Healy (D-Canton), son of the late former Rep. Bill Healy (D-Canton), fell five votes short of winning an outright majority against four candidates – including incumbent Rep. Mary Cirelli (D-Canton) – in the Democrat primary in March. Healy captured 71% of the votes in a General Election win over Mandwel Patterson (R-Canton), administrator of the Canton Community Improvement Corp., to win this House seat. District 53: Rep. Shawn Webster (R-Hamilton) cruised to an easy victory over Miami University student Scott Siebel (D-Oxford), 66%-34%. District 54: Rep. Courtney Combs (R-Hamilton), who replaced former Rep. Greg Jolivette (R-Hamilton) back in January, ran unopposed for his first full term. District 55: Attorney Bill Coley (R-West Chester) easily dispatched former police office Tyrone Sims (D-West Chester) in this heavily Republican district. Coley will succeed term-limited Rep. Gary Cates (R-West Chester) after a 70%-30% win. District 56: Rep. Joe Koziura (D-Lorain) won a second term with a convincing 74%-26% win over Daniel Williamson (R-Oberlin), a substitute teacher, in a rematch of their 2002 race. District 57: Rep. Earl Martin (R-Avon Lake) had a target on his back from the moment he was appointed to replace the late Rep. Jeff Manning in the spring of ’03. But, after an expensive and contentious campaign, Rep. Martin is still standing. He squeaked out a 48%-43% win over former North Ridgeville Mayor Deanna Hill (D-North Ridgeville). Independent Ken Prechtel (I-Elyria) took 10%. District 58: Rep. Kathy Walcher (R-Norwalk) won her first race two years ago in comfortable fashion against an inexperienced, underfunded opponent. She had a more formidable opponent this time in personal injury lawyer Matt Barrett (D-Amherst). However, Rep. Walcher was able to hang onto her seat by a 54%-46% margin. District 59: After dipping down to “just” 58% two years ago, Rep. Ken Carano (D-Youngstown) saw his vote percentage climb back up over 60% this year. He defeated realtor and Boardman Township Trustee Kathy Miller (R-Youngstown) 62%-38% to secure a third term. District 60: Though he may not stick around until the end of it – he’s said to be planning a run for mayor of Youngstown next year – Rep. Sylvester Patton (D-Youngstown) scored a blowout win in his race for a fourth and final term. Rep. Patton defeated Youngstown State student Nicolas Keller (R-Youngstown) 82%-18%. District 61: It’s tough to convince folks to vote out an incumbent legislator while he’s serving on active duty in Iraq. For the second election in a row, that’s what Alliance Councilman Randy Pope (R-Alliance) tried to do. For the second election in a row, he failed. Rep. John Boccieri (D-New Middletown) won a third term with a 65%-35% victory over Pope. District 62: House Democrats believed that their best chance to score a pickup of a GOP-held open seat was in this western Lake County district. It looks like they were right. Willowick Mayor Lorraine Fende (D-Willowick) held off a strong effort by Chris Galloway (R-Concord) to put this seat back in the Democratic column. Incumbent Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Willowick) is term-limited. Fende won a 53%-47% victory over Galloway. District 63: The Democrats made it a clean sweep of Lake County open seats by winning this district, as well. Though the turf in eastern Lake County is slightly more favorable for Republicans than it is in western Lake, it wasn’t favorable enough for B.J. Kresnye (R-Mentor), a small business owner. A surprisingly strong campaign by Tim Cassell (D-Madison) resulted in a 374-vote victory. This slim margin is still outside the window that would require an automatic recount. Cassell will succeed term-limited Rep. Ron Young (R-Painesville). District 64: Perennial candidate Randy Law (R-Warren) pulled off the upset of the year, ousting Rep. Dan Sferra (D-Warren) by a stunningly wide 54%-46% margin. The two squared off two years ago and, percentage-wise, the race was one of the closest of 2002. However, that result was considered a fluke in this solid Democrat district. Apparently Sferra thought so, too. District 65: Rep. Sandy Harwood (D-Niles) was never really challenged by Teamster Don Johnson (R-Hubbard). She won a third term 71%-29% over Johnson. District 66: His victory in a five-way primary in March assured Miami Township Trustee Joe Uecker (R-Loveland) of a seat in the House, as he was unopposed in the General Election. He will succeed outgoing Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland). District 67: Competition? What’s that? Rep. Tom Raga (R-Mason) hardly knows, as he faced no opposition for the second consecutive election. District 68: Freshman Rep. Kathleen Chandler (D-Kent) scored a comfortable win over first-time candidate Andrew Manning (R-Kent), 64%-36%. District 69: A spirited challenge from recent college graduate Tom Betti (D-Brunswick) – which included his surprise endorsement by the Akron Beacon Journal – wasn’t enough to convince voters to choose him over veteran lawmaker and Chairman of the powerful House Finance and Appropriations Committee Chuck Calvert (R-Medina). Calvert beat Betti with 55% of the vote. District 70: Rep. Kevin DeWine (R-Fairborn), a close ally of the likely next Speaker of the House Jon Husted (R-Kettering), won a rematch with ’02 opponent Larry Gordon (D-Xenia). Though his victory margin dropped a bit from two years ago, Rep. DeWine still won a third term with 69% of the vote. District 71: Rep. Dave Evans (R-Newark) captured a fourth and final term by defeating attorney Geoffrey Judge (D-Newark) 58%-42%. District 72: Two years after winning a pitched battle against fellow incumbent Rep. Ron Rhine (D-Springfield), Rep. Merle Kearns (R-Springfield) faced a first-time candidate, Richard Spangler (D-Springfield). The results were, predictably, not all that close. Rep. Kearns prevailed with 60% of the vote. District 73: His winning percentage having increased in each successive election, Rep. Bill Hartnett (D-Mansfield) finally scared off any opponent whatsoever this time. He won a fourth and final term without opposition. District 74: Rep. Steve Buehrer (R-Delta) ran unopposed for the second straight time. Did he take advantage of the opportunity to prepare for a potentially grueling Senate primary in 2006? District 75: Rep. Jim Hoops (R-Napoleon) didn’t get a free pass like he did in 2002, but the challenge presented by investment adviser Ben Nienberg (D-Glandorf) must not have been that much more significant. Rep. Hoops won with 69% of the vote. District 76: The third time wasn’t a charm for challenger Ken Ludwig (D-Findlay). Like he did in both 2000 and 2002, Rep. Mike Gilb (R-Findlay) easily bested Ludwig, winning 68%-32%. District 77: Rep. Keith Faber (R-Celina) crushed Betsy Marshall (D-Eaton), 70%-30%, to secure a third term. District 78: In the last presidential election, he pulled one the greatest upsets in recent memory, winning this solid GOP district by just 242 votes. This time, Rep. Derrick Seaver (D-Minster) was unopposed. District 79: Rep. Diana Fessler (R-New Carlisle) earned a third term with a solid 67%-33% win over challenger Dave Fisher (D-Tipp City). District 80: House Minority Leader Chris Redfern (D-Port Clinton) had a good night. Not only did his caucus finally make a dent in the GOP House majority, he was unopposed in his own re-election effort. District 81: Long-time Sandusky County Auditor Bill Farrell (D-Fremont) looked on paper like a strong challenger – and he probably would have been a very formidable candidate when this was an open seat two years ago. But running against a strong and able candidate and legislator like Rep. Jeff Wagner (R-Sycamore) proved too difficult a test. Rep. Wagner easily survived Farrell’s bid to oust him after only one term, defeating Farrell 59%-41%. District 82: Rep. Steve Reinhard (R-Bucyrus) posted another easy victory, this time defeating International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 2714 President David Combs (D-Marion) with 62% of the vote. District 83: The Democrats haven’t made it too hard on Rep. Tony Core (R-Rushylvania). He won with 70% of the vote two years ago and followed that up with a 73%-27% victory this time over Miami University student Geoff Lane (D-Marysville). District 84: Is it personal? Two years ago Rep. Chris Widener (R-Springfield) defeated attorney Natalie Tackett (D-South Vienna) to win his seat in the House. This time, Tackett’s husband, Pleasant Township Trustee Bill Eby (D-South Vienna), was out to avenge his wife’s defeat. Eby met with the same fate, however, falling to Rep. Widener 66%-34%. Who’s next? The couple has daughter currently attending college… District 85: Rep. John Schlichter (R-Washington CH) sprung the biggest upset of the cycle two years ago, sending then-Rep. Joe Sulzer (D-Chillicothe) packing. There were no upsets in this district this time around, as Rep. Schlichter disposed of challenger Chad Cunningham (D-Chillicothe), an Ohio State student and Union-Scioto School Board member, 63%-37%. District 86: The party label certainly didn’t help Bill Horne (D-Hillsboro) much. After a petition snafu forced him to run as an independent in 2002, the economics professor lost 65%-35% to Rep. Dave Daniels (R-Greenfield). Running as a Democrat in 2004, Horne managed just four percent more and lost the rematch. Daniels captured 61% of the vote on his way to winning a second term. District 87: Rep. Clyde Evans (R-Rio Grande) made quick work of Lowe’s sales specialist Philip Roberts (D-Kitts Hill). He earned a second term with a convincing 67%-33% win over Roberts. District 88: Democrats often talked up their chances in this district, but it appears the 64% Republican index was simply too much to overcome. State Board of Education member Cy Richardson (D-Bethel) made it close, but attorney Danny Bubp (R-West Union) won a seat in the House by beating Richardson 62%-38%. Bubp succeeds outgoing Rep. Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond). District 89: Freshman Rep. Todd Book (D-McDermott) improved significantly on his already impressive vote margin of two years ago, distancing challenger Richard Holt (R-South Point) 68%-32%. District 90: Rep. Thom Collier (R-Mount Vernon) won a third term over Duane Grassbaugh (D-Howard), a farmer and animal genetics consultant who got a late start to the race. Grassbaugh only became a candidate when he was put on the ballot as a replacement in August. Rep. Collier captured 64% of the vote. District 91: Whether you prefer to call him “Youngstown Ron” or “Buckeye Ron,” just make sure you also refer to him as “Representative.” After a four year absence, former Rep. Ron Hood (R-Ashville) is back. The race may have been up for grabs at one time, but the final results weren’t all that close. Hood defeated attorney Dan Dodd (D-New Lexington) 53%-47%, capturing a majority in three of the four counties in the district. District 92: Viewed as one of the more vulnerable GOP incumbents, Rep. Jimmy Stewart (R-Athens) nonetheless scored a solid win en route to winning a second term. Rep. Stewart beat challenger Pat Lang (D-Albany) 59%-41%. District 93: The other big shock of the night occurred here, where two-term incumbent Rep. Nancy Hollister (R-Marietta) – the former Lt. Governor, Governor, and mayor of Marietta – was defeated by attorney Jennifer Garrison (D-Marietta). Garrison won 52%-48%, capturing three of the five counties in the district and losing a fourth by just 108 votes. District 94: Rep. Jim Aslanides (R-Coshocton) was unopposed in his bid for a third term. District 95: Rep. John Domenick (D-Smithfield) had little difficulty turning away challenger Patrick Lanaghan (R-Wintersville). Rep. Domenick garnered 69% of the vote to win a second term. District 96: Because it was an open seat contest in a swing district, both parties took a significant interest in this district. Real estate appraiser Allan Sayre (D-Dover) posted a surprisingly strong victory, beating retired state trooper Tom Gerber (R-New Philadelphia) 54%-46%. Sayre will succeed term-limited Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-St. Clairsville). District 97: In another 2002 rematch, Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Lakeville) again defeated attorney Tom Mason (D-Ashland). Rep. Gibbs even upped his margin over two years ago, capturing 65% of the vote. District 98: Attorney Matt Dolan (R-Novelty) defeated UAW Local 1050 vice president Dan Dombeck (D-Highland Heights) 65%-35%. Dolan replaces outgoing Rep. Tim Grendell (R-Chesterland). District 99: Rep. George Distel (D-Conneaut) won a third term in the House by defeating challenger Joseph Pikor (R-Thompson), 67%-33%.