Ohio Gov.-elect Amy Acton and U.S. Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown turned blue Cuyahoga County even bluer on Tuesday, winning almost every one of the county’s 59 municipalities.
Acton lost only Independence and Valley View, both just south of Cleveland. Brown fell short in those two cities plus Walton Hills and Cuyahoga Heights. Everywhere else, they won.
While it may not seem notable for Democratic candidates to win big in highly Democratic Cuyahoga County, Tuesday’s results show just how much has changed since 2024. Two years ago, President Donald Trump won Strongsville by 9.2 percentage points. This week, Acton won it by 9.4 percentage points.
At first gloss, those numbers don’t tell us exactly what happened. Maybe Trump voters cast ballots for Acton. Maybe more Democrats decided to show up this year, or more Republicans decided to stay home. Maybe some combination of the three.
Whatever the reason, Democrats down the ballot benefitted, too. Cuyahoga County Council Member Michael Gallagher, a longtime Republican incumbent, lost his seat to challenger Courtney Scheff in the southeast suburbs. GOP state Rep. Mike Dovilla, who represents the same area, fell to Megan Coy.
Swing-state Ohio is swinging again. Statewide, Acton scored a nearly 8-point margin in a state that went for Trump by more than 11 percentage points two years ago. Although, as anyone who saw Gov. Ted Strickland lose to John Kasich in 2010 could tell you, the state can swing the other way, too.
