08/04/21
Yesterday Ohio held a primary special election to fill two of Ohio’s vacant Congressional seats. The elections were a test of voters’ influences and party establishment power. In both races there was very low turnout and huge candidate fields that lead to some interesting results.
Ohio’s 11th Congressional District
In the heavily Democratic northeast Ohio race, Cuyahoga County Council member Shontel Brown pulled out a victory against former state legislator Nina Turner. Turner, a leading national voice for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns, was for many months the best known and most visible among the 13 Democrats running. Ohio BankPac supported Shontel Brown in the primary and hope to welcome the moderate Democrat to the congressional delegation. She is the likely favorite to win the general election in November.
Ohio’s 15th Congressional District
Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist backed by former President Donald Trump, beat a bevy of Republicans in the Central Ohio district. Carey has family ties to the Ohio banking industry and plans to work collectively with the OBL in the coming months. He will take on Democratic State Representative Allison Russo, a health policy consultant who won the Democrat nomination, in the GOP-leaning 15th Congressional District this fall. The OBL has a relationship with both nominees facing off in the general election, and has been in contact with both candidates today.