Despite the early confusion surrounding Ohio’s primary, and the move to hold an all-mail election due to concerns over COVID-19 — the disease caused by the new coronavirus — over 19% of Franklin County’s registered voters cast a ballot in this year’s primary election.
Now, the results of the primary election originally scheduled for March 17, 2020 are in. To sum up, Central Ohioans voted largely in favor of party-endorsed candidates, with progressive candidates falling short.
For the Democratic nomination for President in Ohio’s Third District, Joe Biden won 66.75% of the vote in Franklin County. Bernie Sanders, who dropped out on April 8, had the second-most votes with 22.99% of the vote. Among the nominees who dropped out before Ohio’s original primary election date, the most votes went to Elizabeth Warren with 3.91%, Michael Bloomberg with 2.55%, and Pete Buttigieg with 1.19% of the vote.
Joe Biden also won in Ohio’s 12th and 15th districts by similar margins.
For Congress, incumbent Rep. Joyce Beatty, who ran against Democratic challenger Morgan Harper for Third District Representative, won the primary with 68.29% of the vote and will move onto the general election in November, leaving Harper with 31.71% of the vote.
Republican candidate Mark Richardson will challenge Beatty in the general election. Richardson won 86.45% of the vote in his respective race.
And Democrat Alaina Shearer, who ran against Democrat Jenny Bell for Ohio’s 12th District, won the Democratic primary with 66.04% of the vote to Bell’s 33.96%.
Shearer will face incumbent Troy Balderson in the general election. Balderson overwhelmingly won against challenger Tim Day with 82.11% of the vote.
Issue 21, the Columbus State Community College bond issue, passed with 59.6% of the vote.
Crystal Lett became the Democratic candidate that will challenge incumbent Republican Stephanie Kunze for Ohio Senate’s 16th District.
And Dontavius Jarrells will go on to become the Democratic candidate for the state’s 25th District, winning a five-way race for State Representative.
Other contested races included positions on the Franklin County Central Committee and suburban Ohio Statehouse races.
For more information, visit vote.franklincountyohio.gov.