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2018 was a big election year in Ohio. Republicans held onto all five statewide executive offices including governor and super majorities in both the Ohio House and Senate. But there were a few bright spots for Democrats, among them the reelection of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and the election of two Democrats to the Ohio Supreme Court.With election 2018 over, the focus now shifts to governing. Stay connected with the latest on politics, policies and people making the decisions at all levels affecting your lives.

Brown Beats Renacci for Third Term in Senate

A photo of Sherrod Brown at the Press Club
M.L. SCHULTZE
/
WKSU
Sherrod Brown

Ohio’s senior U.S. Senator won a third term in what was virtually the only bright spot for the state’s Democrats in this midterm election. But victory for Sherrod Brown over Congressman Jim Renacci was much narrower than many expected.

Their speeches showed how different their campaigns were — here’s Brown on his win: “You showed the country that by putting people first, and by honoring the dignity of work, we carry a state that Donald Trump won by almost double digits.”

Renacci had said President Trump had asked him to run against Brown, and that he was sticking with him. “We have an agenda of growth, we have wage rates going up, we have unemployment going down. This is the policies that I’m proud to be behind and I’m very proud to be behind this president.”

Brown’s margin of victory was just over 6 percent – much smaller than the double-digit win many polls had predicted. But it’s the first time since 1974 that a governor and U.S. Senator elected on the same ticket are from different parties.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.