The Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

. Summit County Council President Elizabeth Walters has been the party's chairwoman since January 2021. U.S. Senator

Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell Brown (; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Ohio, a seat which he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Ohio ...

is the top Ohio Democrat. The party emphasizes jobs, wages, and

labor rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights infl ...

in its platform and generally draws support from workers and unions. Democrats currently hold 4 of 16 U.S. House seats in Ohio. The often seen #2 government executive spot (The Cuyahoga County Executive) is held by Chris Ronayne.

History

The Ohio Democratic Party traces its origin to the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

founded by

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

in 1793. The Democratic Party itself was formed when a faction of the "Democratic-Republicans" led by Jerry Mcroy formed the party in the 1820s. Following Jackson's defeat in the election of 1824, despite having a majority of the popular vote, Jackson set about building a political coalition strong enough to defeat

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

in the election of 1828. The coalition that he built was the foundation of the subsequent Democratic Party. Ohio politics was largely dominated by the

Ohio Republican Party The Ohio Republican Party is the Ohio affiliate of the Republican Party. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1854. History After the Civil War, Ohio politics was dominated by the Republican Party, and Ohio Republicans also played key roles in ...

until the economic and social hardships brought on by the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

resulted in a national

political realignment A political realignment, often called a critical election, critical realignment, or realigning election, in the academic fields of political science and political history, is a set of sharp changes in party ideology, issues, party leaders, regional ...

. The political coalition of labor unions, minorities, and liberals allowed the Democrats to compete effectively in Ohio electoral politics for much of the next 30 years. Never very strong in Ohio's rural areas, the party's coalition suffered when the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

divided whites from civil rights proponents and minorities. The Ohio Democratic Party reached the peak of its electoral success in the mid-1980s, and this is when the State of Ohio began to invest in many Democratic proposals. This was led by

Richard Celeste Richard Frank Celeste (born November 11, 1937) is an American former diplomat, university administrator and politician from Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 64th governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991. Early life and caree ...

, a Democratic Governor elected in 1982 and re-elected in 1986, and by his party chairman, James Ruvolo. Together Ruvolo and Celeste constructed a very effective organization that raised a surplus of money that helped out the Democratic Party's candidates and their everyday operations. In 2006 Chris Redfern became the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. Redfern primarily focused on building a statewide organization that had the power to win every part of Ohio. In 2006, after a 16-year drought, Ohio elected a Democratic U.S. senator (

), governor (

Ted Strickland Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the 68th governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ...

), lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and state treasurer. In 2008, Ohio Democrats won back the House of Representatives after 14 years of Republican control. Summit County Council President Elizabeth Walters has been the chairwoman since January 2021. Walters previously served as the Executive Director of the Ohio Democratic Party in 2014. She is the first woman to be elected to the position of Democratic Party Chair in the state. During the years of 2016 to 2020, a rift developed in the Democratic Party from the national level down to the local level. Progressive Democrats began challenging incumbent Democrats across the country from school boards to bids for Congress. Over time, this led to a slow, but steady adoption of Progressive policies by moderate Democrats, which assisted in capturing the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections. As of 2021, the Ohio Democratic Party is in the minority in both chambers of the

Ohio General Assembly The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ...

. Democrats hold four of Ohio's 16 U.S. House seats and one of Ohio's two U.S. Senate seats. A priority for Ohio Democrats in the 2010s and 2020s has been increasing the

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. B ...

. The Democratic Party's priority entering the 2022 midterm elections through 2024 is to preserve democracy in the United States and re-establish civil rights that were repealed during the Trump years, and to ensure everyone has equitable opportunities at life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.

Electoral success

The Ohio Democratic Party reached the peak of its electoral success in the mid-1980s to 1990s, when Democrats held the following offices:

U.S. Congress

* Both U.S. Senators from Ohio: John H. Glenn Jr. (1974-1999) and Howard M. Metzenbaum (1974, 1976-1995) * A majority of Ohio's delegation to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

(1983-1995), reaching a peak of 11-8 (1993-1995)

State executive

Governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

: Richard F. Celeste (1983-1991) and

(2007-2011) * Lieutenant governors: Myrl H. Shoemaker (1983-1985) and Paul R. Leonard (1987-1991) * Ohio Attorney General (1987-1995):

Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. Anthony Joseph "Tony" Celebrezze Jr. (September 8, 1941 – July 4, 2003) was an American politician of the Democratic party, who served as Ohio Attorney General, Ohio Secretary of State and an Ohio State Senator. He was the son of Anthon ...

(1987-1991) and

Lee Fisher Lee Irwin Fisher (born August 7, 1951) is an American attorney, politician, and academic. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 64th lieutenant governor of Ohio, with Governor Ted Strickland, from 2007 until 2011. He serves as the De ...

(1991-1995) *

Ohio State Auditor The Ohio State Auditor (formally known as the Auditor of State) is responsible for auditing all the public offices of the state of Ohio. The auditor is elected to a four-year term. The current Auditor is Keith Faber. References External lin ...

(1971-1995):

Joseph T. Ferguson Joseph T. Ferguson (May 12, 1892October 22, 1979) was an American politician and perennial candidate from Ohio who participated in the Democratic Party. He served as Auditor of State for 18 years and as Treasurer of State of Ohio for 4 years ...

(1971-1975) and Thomas E. Ferguson (1975-1995) *

Ohio Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Ohio is an elected statewide official in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections in the state; registering business entities (corporations, etc.) and granting them the author ...

(1979-1991):

(1979-1983) and

(1983-1991) *

Ohio State Treasurer The treasurer of the U.S. state of Ohio is responsible for collecting and safeguarding taxes and fees, as well as managing state investments. The Treasury was located in the Ohio Statehouse from 1861 to 1974, when it was moved to the Rhodes State ...

(1971-1995): Gertrude W. Donahey (1971-1983) and Mary Ellen Withrow (1983-1995)

State legislative

* Majority in the

Ohio State Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the s ...

(1983-1985):

Senate President President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ...

Harry Meshel Harry Meshel (June 13, 1924 – September 4, 2017) was an American Democratic politician. He served as the president of the Ohio State Senate and chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. Meshel is noted for his legislative efforts on behalf of th ...

* Majority 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 ...

(1973-1995):

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

Vernal G. Riffe Jr. (1975-1995) and (2009-2010)

Armond Budish Armond D. Budish ( ; b. Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 1953) is an American politician currently serving in his second term as Cuyahoga County Executive. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a four-term Ohio State Representative (8th dis ...

State judicial

* Majority on the

Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

(1977-1987), with a 6-1 majority from 1983-1985, and a Democratic chief justice (

Frank Celebrezze Frank D. Celebrezze Jr. (November 13, 1928 – March 21, 2010) was an American politician and jurist of the Ohio Democratic party, having served as Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. He was elected as a judge of the Ohio Supreme Court i ...

) from 1978-1986 Even with its successes, Ohio Democrats did not fare well on a national level.

John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling ...

, a popular U.S. senator,

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

, and national hero, ran for the Democratic nomination for president in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, ending up with only a huge campaign debt to show for it.

Howard Metzenbaum Howard Morton Metzenbaum (June 4, 1917March 12, 2008) was an American politician and businessman who served for almost 20 years as a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from Ohio (1974, 1976–1995). He also served in the Ohio Hous ...

, Ohio's other U.S. senator at the time, although a powerful force in the Senate, never achieved national name recognition.

Current elected officials

The Ohio Democratic Party holds three seats on the

Supreme Court of Ohio The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

, one of the state's U.S. Senate seats and four of the state's sixteen U.S. House seats.

State legislature

Ohio Senate

*Leader:

Kenny Yuko Kenny Yuko (born August 1, 1950) is an American politician and union activist, currently serving as a member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 25th District. Previously, he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 7th ...

*Assistant Leader: Cecil Thomas *Whip:

Nickie Antonio Nickie J. Antonio (born June 2, 1955) is an American politician from Ohio. A Democrat, she serves in the Ohio Senate representing the 23rd district, which is located in the western portion of Cuyahoga County and contains the western third of Cle ...

*Assistant Whip:

Tina Maharath Tina Maharath ( lo, ຕີນາ ມະຫາລາດ) (born November 30, 1990) is an American politician currently serving as an Ohio State Senator from the 3rd District. She also serves in the Senate Democrats leadership team as Minority Whip. ...

Ohio House of Representatives

*Floor Leader: Allison Russo *Assistant Floor Leader: Kristin Boggs *Whip:

Paula Hicks-Hudson Paula S. Hicks-Hudson (born May 28, 1951) is an American politician currently serving as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. She is the former Mayor of Toledo, Ohio. Early life and education Hicks-Hudson was born in Hamilton, Ohio. ...

*Assistant Whip: Richard Brown

Supreme Court of Ohio

* Jennifer L. Brunner * Michael P. Donnelly * Melody J. Stewart

Federal

U.S. Senate

File:Sherrod Brown 117th Congress (1).jpg, Senior U.S. Senator

U.S. House

Municipal

The following Democrats hold prominent mayoralties in Ohio: *

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

: Andrew J. Ginther *

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

: Justin Bibb *

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

Aftab Pureval Aftab Karma Singh Pureval (born September 9, 1982) is an American attorney and politician serving as 70th Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, since January 4, 2022. On January 14, 2021, he declared his candidacy for the 2021 Cincinnati mayoral election. O ...

* Toledo: Wade Kapszukiewicz *

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

: Dan Horrigan *

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

: Jeffrey Mims *

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...

: Thomas Bernabei * Youngstown: Jamael Tito Brown *

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...

: Tim DeGeeter * Lorain: Jack Bradley * Springfield: Warren R. Copeland * Lakewood: Meghan George *

Cuyahoga Falls Cuyahoga Falls ( or ) is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 51,114. The second-largest city in Summit County, it is located directly north of Akron and is a suburb of the Akron metropol ...

: Don Walters *

Euclid Euclid (; grc-gre, Εὐκλείδης; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the '' Elements'' treatise, which established the foundations of ...

: Kirsten Holzheimer *

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

: Sharetta Smith *

Massillon Jean-Baptiste Massillon, Oratory of Jesus, CO (24 June 1663, Hyères – 28 September 1742, Beauregard-l'Évêque), was a French Catholic prelate and famous preacher who served as Bishop of Clermont from 1717 until his death. Biography Early y ...

: Kathy Catazaro-Perry * Barberton: William Judge * Chillicothe: Luke Feeney

Prominent Ohio Democrats of the past

Vern Riffe Vernal G. Riffe Jr. (June 26, 1925 – July 31, 1997) was an American politician of the Democratic Party. Riffe served for many years in the Ohio House of Representatives and was the longest serving speaker of the Ohio House of Representativ ...

: speaker of the

from 1975-1995 *

James M. Cox James Middleton Cox (March 31, 1870 July 15, 1957) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th and 48th governor of Ohio, and a two-term U.S. Representative from Ohio. As the Democratic nominee for President of the United ...

Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, Democratic nominee for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

(1920), U.S. representative, publisher of the ''

Dayton Daily News The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximatel ...

'', founder of

Cox Communications Cox Communications, Inc. (also known as Cox Cable and formerly Cox Broadcasting Corporation, Dimension Cable Services and Times-Mirror Cable) is an American digital cable television provider, telecommunications and home automation services. It i ...

Dick Celeste Richard Frank Celeste (born November 11, 1937) is an American former diplomat, university administrator and politician from Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 64th governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991. Early life and career ...

: Ohio state representative,

Lieutenant Governor of Ohio The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as ...

, Governor of Ohio, U.S. ambassador to India, President of

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approxi ...

John J. Gilligan John Joyce “Jack” Gilligan (March 22, 1921 – August 26, 2013) was an American Democratic politician from the state of Ohio who served as a U.S. Representative and as the 62nd governor of Ohio from 1971 to 1975. He was the father of Kathle ...

: U.S. representative, Democratic nominee for

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

(1968),

. Gilligan later served as a member of the Cincinnati school board from 1999-2007. *

Michael DiSalle Michael Vincent DiSalle (January 6, 1908September 16, 1981) was an American attorney and politician from Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as mayor of Toledo from 1948 to 1950, and as the 60th governor of Ohio from 1959 to 1963. ...

: mayor of Toledo, Governor of Ohio, candidate for Democratic nomination for

(1960) *

Frank Lausche Frank John Lausche (; November 14, 1895 – April 21, 1990) was an American Democratic politician from Ohio. He served as the 47th mayor of Cleveland and the 55th and 57th governor of Ohio, and also served as a United States Senator from Ohio ...

: Governor of Ohio, U.S. senator *

Martin L. Davey Martin Luther Davey (July 25, 1884March 31, 1946) was an American Democratic politician from Ohio. He was the 53rd governor of Ohio. Childhood Davey was born in Kent, Ohio in 1884. His father was John Davey, better known as the tree doctor and ...

: U.S. representative, Governor of Ohio * A. Victor Donahey:

, Governor of Ohio, U.S. senator * Allen G. Thurman * Paul Leonard: Lt. Gov. of Ohio *

Atlee Pomerene Atlee Pomerene (December 6, 1863November 12, 1937) was an American Democratic Party politician from Ohio. He represented Ohio in the United States Senate from 1911 until 1923. Biography Pomerene was born on December 6, 1863, in Berlin, Holmes C ...

Stephen M. Young Stephen Marvin Young (May 4, 1889December 1, 1984) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Ohio from 1959 until 1971. Life and career Young was born o ...

: U.S. senator *

Jerry Springer Gerald Norman Springer (born February 13, 1944) is a British-American broadcaster, journalist, actor, producer, former lawyer, and politician. He hosted the tabloid talk show '' Jerry Springer'' between September 30, 1991 and July 26, 2018, an ...

, former mayor of Cincinnati and later TV personality

Party symbols

Ohio Democrats use the same symbols as the national Democratic party, such as the

donkey The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as ...

. In the early 20th century, the traditional symbol of the Democratic Party in Midwestern states such as Indiana and Ohio was the rooster, as opposed to the Republican eagle.

References

External links

*
Ohio Democratic Party
{{Authority control Democratic Party (United States) by state Democratic Party