ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio — Athens County is generally viewed as a lone patch of blue in an increasingly red state. But the county’s Republican voters turned out in force on Tuesday to cast ballots in some of the only contested races in the primary.
More than 95% of the county’s registered GOP voters cast ballots on Tuesday. Democratic turnout was lower, at 68%. Only 378 voters requested nonpartisan ballots.
“Really, the big ticket items were — you know, the presidency was already kind of predetermined, but the U.S. Senate race was, I think, what drove most of the high turnout,” said Jay Edwards, chair of the Athens County Republican Party and current House District 95 representative.
The massive GOP turnout doesn’t necessarily indicate that the party’s fortunes are rising in Athens County though, Edwards said. Only one local race, for county treasurer, was contested, and only on the Democratic ticket.
“If there was a primary for the president or a primary for the U.S. Senate race … I think you would see much higher turnout on the Democrat side,” Edwards said. “I think when you get back to the presidential election this fall … it’ll still probably be a much higher turnout for Democrats than Republicans.”
This was the first election using new district maps passed last fall, reconfiguring District 94, which Edwards currently represents, and splitting off part of Athens County into District 95, currently represented by Don Jones. Edwards is in his fourth and, with term limits, final stint for District 94.
“I don’t have any plans as yet,” he said. “So just stay tuned.”
This story uses interactive graphics by the Associated Press and used here through a partnership between AP and the Institute for Nonprofit News.
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State offices
House District 94
District 94 comprises all of Washington and Meigs counties as well as most of Athens County. Washington County Commissioner Kevin Ritter defeated Shannon Walker of Pomeroy, with 55% of the vote.
“[Ritter]’s representing 60,000 people, which is half the district,” Edwards said. “Most of your Republican voters is going to be coming out of Washington County, so clearly he had the big advantage.”
Ritter took 70.4% of the vote in Washington County. The only county he lost was Meigs, where county resident Walker had 56.8% of the vote.
“Obviously, I was very encouraged” by the outcome, Ritter said. “Based on what I know about the district, I think it matches very well with my positions on issues. So I was confident going into the election.”
Ritter said he’s equally confident about the general election in November, when he will square off against Athens County resident Wenda Sheard, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
“The city of Athens is now in the 95th District, and that is the bluest part of Athens County,” Ritter said. “I think I’ll have some appeal to the folks that are in the more rural parts of Athens County.”
Noting the district’s general economic distress, Ritter said, “We need to get rid of onerous rules and regulations, things that are standing in the way of development in our area.”
Ritter and Sheard met at a campaign stop in Chauncey during the primary, and both described the encounter as pleasant. However, “I think she and I differ on significant issues,” Ritter said. “But I’m looking forward to spending time with her on the campaign trail.”
Sheard agreed with Ritter’s assessment. “I think the gist of it is, both of us want the voters to make the decision,” she said. “It’s our job to make our positions clear, to show the voters what their choices are.”
Shannon Walker did not respond to the Independent in time for publication.
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House District 95
Interactive results graphic by Associated Press
In District 95, incumbent Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport) easily defeated challenger Nelson E. Roe of Cambridge by a nearly 2-1 margin.
“Don’s been on the ballot [before]. He’s been a teacher for a long time. He obviously had new parts of the district in Athens County, but he campaigned very hard,” Edwards said. “I don’t think his opponent did very much.”
Roe lives in Belle Valley in Guernsey County and works in business analytics in Noble County. He won Guernsey County and made a strong showing in Noble County; Jones was the landslide winner everywhere else.
“We had a lot of stuff going on throughout the time,” Roe said. “I should have been campaigning, so there was a lot of missed opportunities.”
If he wins in November, Jones will enter his fourth and final term. Might Roe return in 2026?
“At this point, I’m not certain,” he said. “You never know what the future holds. But at this point, that’s two years away.”
Jones will face Athens business owner Lish Greiner in November; Greiner was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Neither Jones nor Greiner responded to the Independent in time for publication.
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Ohio Senate District 30
The primary for Senate District 30 was uncontested on both sides. Incumbent Sen. Brian M. Chavez, a Republican, was appointed in 2023 to fill the seat vacated when Frank Hoagland retired. Athens resident Ari Faber ran unopposed on the Democratic ballot.
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Ohio judicial races
Only one statewide judicial race was contested: the Democratic primary for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court. Eighth District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Forbes handily defeated Terri Jamison, a judge on the Tenth District Court of Appeals. Forbes will face Republican Dan Hawkins for the seat currently held by Justice Joseph Deters, a term that ends Dec. 31, 2026.
Deters is risking his justiceship to challenge incumbent Justice Melody Stewart, a Democrat, for a full term beginning Jan. 2, 2025.
Incumbent Justice Michael Donnelly (D) will defend his seat on the court against a challenge by Republican Megan Shanahan.
Republicans Jason Smith and Mike Hess will take seats on the 4th District Court of Appeals after the November election, as no Democrats filed to run in the primary.
Federal primaries
President
Former president Donald Trump ran away with the county’s GOP presidential primary, taking 82% of the county’s GOP vote. Former North Carolina governor Nikki Haley was a distant second, at 12%. Haley withdrew from the race on March 6.
President Joe Biden similarly coasted to victory on the Democratic ballot, with 85% of the votes. Former U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) took 15% of the vote, despite having withdrawn from the race on March 6.
Biden has faced organized protest vote campaigns in several states over his support for Israel’s war on Gaza, with voters casting “uncommitted” ballots. Ohio’s ballots don’t have that option.
About 8% of Athens County Democrat ballots — 378 total — skipped the question. However, in 2012, the last Democratic presidential primary with an incumbent on the ticket, nearly one-fourth of Athens County voters didn’t vote for a candidate.
At the state level, Biden won 87% and Trump 79.2% of their parties’ primary votes.
U.S. Senate
Bernie Moreno of Cleveland won the primary for the U.S. Senate, besting state Sen. Matt Dolan (R-24) and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Moreno took nearly half of the votes; Dolan came in second with about 29% of votes, and LaRose at 23%.
Edwards believes the race tipped heavily in Moreno’s favor after former president Donald Trump held a rally in Dayton March 16.
“There’s a lot of people who saw polling with Dolan close,” Edwards said. “But when Trump came to Dayton, there were 30% still undecided. I think when Trump came to Dayton and did a big rally for Bernie, I think it definitely gave [Moreno] a big advantage.”
Statewide, Moreno gained 50.5% of the Republican vote for the Senate. Incumbent Sherrod Brown had no opponent and will face Moreno in the November general election.
U.S. House District 12
In the race for U.S. House District 12, Democrat Jerrad Christian and incumbent Rep. Troy Balderson were both unopposed. Christian, a U.S. Navy veteran from Delaware County, will attempt to unseat Balderson in November.
