Residents of Ohio headed to the polls on Tuesday for what many consider one of the most closely monitored primaries in the country as the midterm elections approach later this year.
The primary drawing the most attention is the Republican race for governor, where the victor will compete against an unchallenged Democratic candidate in November.
With over 98% of the votes tallied, Vivek Ramaswamy secured 82.5% of the votes, while Casey Pucci garnered 17.5%.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and former presidential hopeful who has President Trump’s endorsement, went up against Pucci, who identifies as an “America First” candidate. Ramaswamy, the frontrunner in the polls, successfully defeated Pucci for the Republican nomination.
After the results came in, Ramaswamy expressed his ambition, stating he aims “not just to make Ohio great again, but to make Ohio greater than ever.”
Pucci’s supporters urged him to be proactive in Ohio post-election, but he remained silent on social media after the results.
Looking ahead, Ramaswamy is set to face the uncontested Democratic candidate, Amy Acton, in November. Acton faced backlash for his leadership as director of the Ohio Department of Health during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, earning him the moniker “Dr. Lockdown.”
Another intense race involves Ohio Republican leaders seeking to achieve a 7-0 outcome in the state Supreme Court against Democratic Judge Jennifer Brunner. The four candidates from the Republican side include Judge Jill Flagg Lanzinger, former Judge Colleen O’Donnell, Judge Andrew King, and Judge Ronald Lewis. As of Wednesday morning, O’Donnell was leading, but the race remained tight.
In the contest for the U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio Republicans triumphed in over half of their primaries, while the Democrats encountered three uncontested primaries.
