Sean O'Brien (born August 19, 1968) is a former Democratic member of the Ohio Senate who represented the 32nd district. The district includes all of

Ashtabula Ashtabula ( ) is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, and the center of the Ashtabula micropolitan area. It is located at the mouth of the Ashtabula River on Lake Erie, northeast of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city ha ...

and Trumbull counties, as well as a portion of

Geauga County Geauga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca language word meaning 'raccoon', originally the name of the ...

(including the City of Chardon; but excluding Chardon Township). O'Brien formerly served in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in Ch ...

from 2011 to 2016.

Life and career

A lifelong resident of the

Mahoning Valley The Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH–PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, typically known as the Mahoning Valley (and historically the Steel Valley), is a metropolitan area in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania the United States, with t ...

, O'Brien went on to graduate from

Edinboro University PennWest Edinboro is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University, a multi-campus public university in Pennsylvania. Located in the town of Edinboro, the campus has more than 4,600 enrolled students. History Edinboro University was founded a ...

before earning his law degree from the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classifie ...

. O'Brien founded the Trumbull County Community Foundation, an economic development not-for-profit. He is married with two daughters. O'Brien was elected to the

in November 2010 with 64.53% of the vote, defeating

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Geno Capone and

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Werner Lange. He won reelection in 2012, garnering 72.46% of the vote, and again in 2014 with 66%. Prior to his election O'Brien served as assistant prosecutor in

Trumbull County Trumbull County is a county in the far northeast portion of U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 201,977. Its county seat is Warren, which developed industry along the Mahoning River. Trumbull County is part of the ...

Ohio Senate

In 2016, ten-year incumbent

Capri Cafaro Capri Silvestri Cafaro (born November 21, 1977) is a former Democratic member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 32nd District from 2007 to 2016. From the Mahoning Valley, Cafaro served three terms as an Ohio State Senator (2007-2016), includ ...

was ineligible to run for re-election to the Ohio Senate due to term-limits. O'Brien made it known fairly early that he intended to succeed her. While initially he faced competition for the nomination from

Tom Letson Tom Letson (born September 29, 1952 in Columbus, Ohio) is a former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 64th District from 2007 to 2014. Life and career Letson was born in Columbus, but shortly after his bir ...

, Letson eventually dropped out. In the primary, he faced political newcomer Kristen Rock, but defeated her easily 62% to 38% to take the nomination. While

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

won the district in 2016, O'Brien easily defeated Republican Robert Allen, 56% to 44% to take the seat in the general election. He was sworn in on January 3, 2017. On November 3, 2020 O'Brien lost re-election to former Ashtabula County Auditor Sandra O'Brien.

Committee assignments

* Senate Committee on Agriculture (Ranking Minority Member) * Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (Ranking Minority Member) * Senate Committee on Insurance and Financial Institutions * Senate Committee on Judiciary * Senate Committee on Local Government, Public Safety and Veteran's Affairs * Senate Committee on Public Utilities * Senate Committee on Ways and Means * Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on General Government and Agency Review (Vice Chair)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Sean Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Living people 21st-century American politicians Democratic Party Ohio state senators 1969 births Edinboro University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Akron alumni