Voters Head to the Polls for Special US House Elections in Ohio

Voters on Tuesday will cast ballots for two special House of Representatives elections in Ohio.

One seat was left open by the resignation of former Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio). The other became vacant after the resignation of former Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio).

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Mike Carey in the race to replace Stivers.

Carey is among the candidates vying to fill the seat representing Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, which was held by Stivers before he stepped down in May to become the president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

Trump said in a video on Monday that Carey “is going to do a fantastic job on Second Amendment, on the military, on our vets—on every single element of what we’re doing, and really a big focus on crime.”

Carey, an Army National Guard veteran and former coal executive, is one of a dozen Republicans running for the seat, which is expected to stay in the GOP.

Carey says he’ll focus on “America first policies” championed by Trump, such as lowering taxes, working on fair trade deals, and investing in the military, if he’s elected.

The race will test the power of Trump’s endorsement. Ohio Rep. Jeff LaRe received the backing of Stivers.

A Trump-backed candidate lost in a special election in Texas last month. However, a Trump-backed candidate won a special election for Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District earlier this year.

LaRe says he’ll work on bolstering America’s borders, balancing its budget, and defending the Second Amendment if elected.

The winner of Tuesday’s primary will move onto the general election, which is slated for Nov. 2.

 

Nina Turner, a candidate running in a special Democratic primary election for Ohio’s 11th Congressional District speaks with supporters near the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections before casting her vote in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 7, 2021. (Phil Long/AP Photo)

The other special election primaries are for the seat representing Ohio’s 11th Congressional District.

Fudge held the seat before stepping down to become President Joe Biden’s secretary of housing and urban development in March.

The seat is expected to remain controlled by Democrats, but 13 candidates are hoping to win the primary.

They include former Ohio Sen. Nina Turner, who has received endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Shontel Brown, chairwoman of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, who has garnered endorsements from former Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.).

The House is controlled at present by Democrats. They hold a 220-212 majority.

The only other vacancy is in Florida’s 20th Congressional District, where Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) died in April.

Primaries for that seat will take place on Nov. 2. The general election is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2022.

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