The head of the Ohio Democratic Party is leaving her post for a national job. The move comes just a year before statewide elections for governor and U.S. Senate.
ODP Chair Liz Walters will be taking a job with TargetSmart, a Democratic political data firm in Washington D.C. Walters confirmed that in a post on X. In a story from Signal Cleveland, Walters said that she was not forced out and thinks the job in the nation’s capital poses a good opportunity for her.
Walters has led the party for four years. The party has continued to struggle on a statewide level. Donald Trump won Ohio in 2024 by a larger margin than his wins in 2016 and 2020. In 2022, newcomer JD Vance won the state’s open U.S. Senate seat over U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan. Republicans swept the five executive offices in 2022, as they did in the three previous cycles. Democrats did win five of 15 Congressional seats in 2022 and 2024, and gained two seats in the Ohio House and two in the Senate. But Republicans still hold supermajorities in both chambers. And two of the Ohio Supreme Court’s three Democrats lost in 2024, leaving Justice Jennifer Brunner as the one statewide elected Democrat.
The ODP must choose a new leader ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial elections, when newly appointed U.S. Sen. Jon Husted will run for that office for the first time, and every statewide executive office will be open, as all of the Republicans who now hold those posts are term limited. Four of them are running for different executive offices, though Gov. Mike DeWine is not running for anything.
Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) has told the Statehouse News Bureau that he will be running to replace Walters. It is unknown if anyone else might also be running for the post.
The chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, Alex Triantifilou, sent a kind wish on X to Liz as she leaves her post.
"I see that my counterpart in the @OHDems @lizmwalters is stepping down as Chair. Our professional interaction was limited, but always respectful. I wish her well," Triantifilou said.
This is a breaking story and details will be added to it as they come in.
