President Trump carried Ohio by eight percentage points in 2016, but the state is known for swinging from one party to the other. It did a little bit of just that this year. Read more

Senator Sherrod Brown, the Democratic incumbent, was successful in his re-election bid. His Republican opponent, Representative Jim Renacci, ran on a conservative platform that called for restricting abortion, preventing illegal immigration and supporting gun rights.

But Republicans were able to defend an open governor’s seat. This year, Democrats had a chance to regain power in state government after eight years under Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who couldn’t run again because of term limits, but ultimately failed to do so. Mike DeWine, the Republican nominee and a former representative and senator, won the election, with a campaign that focused on support for law enforcement and calls for expanded job training. He and the Democratic nominee, Richard Cordray, a former state attorney general, were both conventional, experienced politicians familiar to Ohioans.