Ohio Democrats appear to have overcome a Republican gerrymander of Ohio's 15 congressional districts, flipping three seats to send eight total Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrat Don Leonard unseated Republican Congressman Mike Carey in Columbus' suburbs and rural areas to the south and west. In Cleveland's suburbs, Brian Poindexter beat embattled Republican Congressman Max Miller. In Dayton, Kristina Knickerbocker declared victory and leads Republican Congressman Mike Turner.
When Republicans redrew the map in 2026, it was drawn to favor 12 Republicans and 3 Democrats. This year, the map produced 8 Democrats and 7 Republicans, as Democrats nationwide were swept into power in the U.S. House and Senate by what looks to be overwhelming margins.
Knickerbocker's race hasn't officially been called by the AP as of Wednesday afternoon. If she succeeds, Knickerbocker, a U.S. Air Force veteran and nurse, will have unseated Turner, a 20-year incumbent and former Dayton mayor.
Poindexter is a Brook Park City Council member and union ironworker. He ran against Miller, who was accused of abusing his daughter and ex-wife, the daughter of U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno. Miller denies any wrongdoing.
Leonard, a former Ohio State University city planning professor and Hilltop neighborhood resident, told WOSU on Wednesday these victories for Democrats happened because voters believe the Republican agenda is "bankrupt."
"I think for many Americans, there was no map that could have saved the Republican Party from the wallop they got last night," Leonard said.
The three congressmembers-elect will join Democratic U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty, Greg Landsman, Marcy Kaptur, Shontel Brown and Emilia Sykes, who were reelected.
Ohioans also reelected Republican U.S. Reps. Troy Balderson, Jim Jordan, Warren Davidson, Dave Joyce, Dave Taylor, Bob Latta and Michael Rulli.
Leonard said he believes other factors played into these victories — like candidate quality for himself, Poindexter and Knickerbocker — but he ultimately sees it as voters rejecting the politics of Republicans.
"(Poindexter and Knickerbocker) are some of the best citizens that you could possibly imagine. You know, a tradesman, an Air Force veteran and a nurse, both of these folks would make phenomenal neighbors and they're gonna make amazing colleagues of mine in Congress," Leonard said.
On WOSU's All Sides with Amy Juravich on Wednesday, Ohio State University professor emeritus Paul Beck echoed Leonard's opinion. Beck said voters in these districts were fed up with corruption from President Donald Trump and Ohio Republicans.
Beck pointed to Carey, Leonard's opponent, and his career as a coal lobbyist.
"Somebody who's been a lobbyist is not going to fare well in the current realm of elections because they are looked upon as people who are... supportive of the very rich and the very well-heeled," Beck said. "And I think the FirstEnergy scandal here in Ohio was something that was kind of an undercurrent and I think hurt (U.S. Sen. Jon) Husted actually, and was effectively used against him by the Sherrod Brown campaign."
Leonard said to hold this seat for more than two years it's his job now to effectively serve all the voters in the district and make inroads to rural areas of the district like Piqua and Hillsboro.
Leonard's victory was largely due to higher than usual turnout in the southern and western portions of Franklin County that the 15th District represents. He won more than 60% of the vote there compared to only 53% for previous candidates who ran in 2024 and 2022 against Carey.
Rural areas in the district like Pickaway, Madison and Fayette counties saw higher turnout compared to 2022 also, but Carey won less of the vote compared to previous years.
The mid-decade redistricting effort required by law in Ohio changed the 15th District's boundaries. U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor and former U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup represented parts of what is now the 15th District in the past, but the part of Franklin County in the district remained largely the same.
Leonard promised to revolutionize constituent services from his office, like creating an app and opening offices that mirror a cafe.
"Most of all, (constituents) know that if they have a problem not just with a federal agency, but state or local agencies for which the candidate or his team can open up our network, we are gonna work to solve problems for everyday folks in my district," Leonard said.
Leonard said he'd like to open one office in the Hilltop, another in Franklin County where services are needed, like the south side of Columbus, and also in rural parts of the district like Highland County.
Once in office, Leonard said he hopes to get high profile committee assignments on the House Ways and Means or Appropriations committees. He said some legislation he would push for in his first days in office include banning congressmembers from trading stocks and crafting new ethics rules for congressmembers.
