CINCINNATI (AP) — A Democratic U.S. House incumbent knocked away a spirited challenge in central Ohio and two Democrats competed to take on a potentially vulnerable Republican congressman in the Cincinnati area as Ohio’s extended primary voting came to an end Tuesday.
A late surge of votes arriving by mail and from people allowed to vote in-person Tuesday left some races still undecided early Wednesday.
House District 3 results early Wednesday gave four-term Rep. Joyce Beatty a decisive victory in her primary with some 68 percent of the vote in unofficial returns.
In the Democratic primary in House District 1 health care advocate Kate Schroder carried Warren County over veteran Air Force pilot Nikki Foster, but the bigger county, Hamilton, hadn’t reported yet Wednesday morning.
There were primary races in most of the state’s 16 congressional districts, and incumbents handily won nominations in the districts that had reported totals.
Voters were also voted for state legislative and judicial nominees and candidates for local offices. Many ballots also have school and other levies to be decided.
State officials called off in-person voting just hours before the scheduled March 17 primary for public health reasons during the coronavirus outbreak. Voting continued mostly by mail, with Tuesday’s in-person voting at county election board offices limited to disabled and homeless people and voters who attested they didn’t get their requested ballots back by mail in time.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, had told counties not to report partial returns, leading to late tallies.
“It’s a volume issue, and that’s a good thing,” spokesman Jon Keeling said by email early Wednesday. “It’s an unprecedented election and we’ve learned to expect the unexpected … What matters is accuracy — not speed.”
Ohio’s congressional districts were drawn for incumbent safety, but Rep. Beatty in Columbus drew a Democratic challenger from the left in Morgan Harper. Harper was endorsed by Justice Democrats, the progressive political action committee that helped give rise to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York.
However, Beatty won endorsements from the Franklin County Democratic Party and former gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray, who was the Democrats’ unsuccessful gubernatorial nominee in 2018.
Schroder, and Foster, were battling in House District 1 to oppose 12-term Republican Rep. Steve Chabot of Cincinnati. Both Democrats say they believe Chabot’s district is ripe for an upset, with Republican President Donald Trump looming as an issue they could try to use to sway suburban female voters.
In nearby District 10, Republican incumbent Mike Turner, former mayor of Dayton, easily won his party’s nomination and will face Democratic nominee Desiree Tims. Tims has worked for conservation and child care groups, and also on the staffs of Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats. Turner was first elected to Congress in 2003.