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In an election dominated by national headlines, Ohio Farm Bureau members worked to identify candidates who would be friendly to agriculture through a system that is truly unique to the organization. Through the grassroots process of reviewing incumbents and screening open seats, county leaders identified 106 seats where a Friend of Agriculture could be named, with 104 of those seats ultimately being won by a Friend of Agriculture candidate for a success rate of 98%. This success is a testament to the leadership of county members and the strength of the process. 

In addition to the successes of the candidate races, including the Ohio Supreme Court where all three Friend of Agriculture candidates were successful, Ohioans rejected Issue 1. If passed, Issue 1 would have created a redistricting amendment that did not share the same priorities as the Ohio Farm Bureau’s member-created redistricting policy. 

Ohio Farm Bureau members continue to be leaders in policy engagement throughout Ohio, helping shape the status of the agriculture industry both through building comprehensive policy plans and identifying candidates who will work on behalf of agriculture. 

Issue 1

After outspending opponents of the amendment 4 to 1, Ohio voters turned Issue 1 down by nearly eight points. Ohio Farm Bureau supported redistricting reform conversations in 2015 and 2018 that represented our member-created policy and priorities. While conversations about redistricting will continue, Farm Bureau’s priority will be making sure future proposals focus on keeping communities whole and using county-line boundaries whenever possible. 

Ohio results breakdown

Supreme Court: After continued engagement by Ohio Farm Bureau with Ohio Supreme Court Candidates Joe Deters, Megan Shanahan, and Dan Hawkins, all three candidates captured their intended seats on the bench. Republican Justices, as party designations are now identified on the ballot for the second election cycle, will now hold a 6-1 majority in the Ohio Supreme Court.

Ohio State Senate: With 16 seats up for election on Tuesday, 15 of which had a Friend of Agriculture designated for the race, the Democrats picked up two seats to now occupy nine seats, picking up districts in the Columbus and Dayton area, with the remaining 24 seats being held by Republicans. Friend of Agriculture candidates won 14 of the 15 designated races, with all incumbents retaining their seats.  

Ohio State House of Representatives: While only half of the Senate was up for election, all 99 House seats were up for grabs. Ohio Farm Bureau had Friend of Agriculture candidates designated in 78 of the 99 races, 77 of which were successful, the only losing seat being an open Franklin County seat. Democrats gained two seats, to now hold 34, while Republicans will hold 65 seats. All incumbents retained their seats. 

U.S. Senate: Ohio voters sided with Bernie Moreno instead of the incumbent, Sherrod Brown, to serve as one of Ohio’s two senators. Ultimately, Moreno beat Sen. Brown by nearly 4% which will end Brown’s three terms in the Senate. With this win, Republicans gained control of the U.S. Senate with at least a 52-48 margin, but the results for several U.S. Senate races around the country are still to be determined.

Also, with Sen. JD Vance now the vice-president-elect, the process to find his replacement begins. Ohio Revised Code grants the governor the ability to appoint to this vacated seat. The person who is granted the appointment gets to serve until the next election in 2026 when a special election would be held. The winner of that contest will then finish out the rest of Vance’s term which expires at the end of 2028.

U.S. House: Going into the election with new district lines and one open seat with current Congressman Brad Wenstrup retiring at the end of his term, this was one of the most interesting election cycles for Ohio’s congressional delegation in recent memory. In the end, all incumbents held their seats with Dave Taylor taking over for Rep. Wenstrup. That said, three races were tightly contested, but ultimately Reps. Kaptur, Sykes, and Landsman held off their challengers. Many House races across the country are still being determined.  

What is next?

Ohio Farm Bureau members will continue their policy engagement at the state and federal level. Annual meeting delegates will soon be gathering in Columbus to vote on policy suggestions from their peers. Those policies will make their way from the delegate body to the General Assembly, where Farm Bureau will continue to work with members of the General Assembly and advocate for agriculture. 

As we enter the next General Assembly, Ohio Farm Bureau will be focused on building new relationships, working on new policy initiatives, and helping members grow their advocacy efforts through Advocacy in Action monthly downloads and a potential campaign school session. Members will also be asked in continued communication to opt-in to personalized action alerts, to better prepare our grasstops when new opportunities for policy arise. 

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