Many political strategists are weighing in on what this year’s election results mean for Ohio going forward. With the GOP sweeping the statewide executive races, many say Ohio is without question a “red state.”
Gov. John Kasich says, somewhat surprisingly, that’s not the case.
He says Democrats were able to win in Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan. But GOP candidates swept Ohio's statewide offices, from governor-elect Mike DeWine down the ticket.
Republicans also won every congressional race where Republicans were incumbents or the seat was open, and kept a supermajority in the Ohio legislature. Democrats did capture two state Supreme Court seats, though, and held onto the seat of Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Kasich says that’s because Ohioans, regardless of political background, have been happy with state leadership.
“People, whoever they are, felt that the state was headed in the right direction, they felt included and that’s why we did well,” Kasich says. “In these other states there’s too much division and nothing getting done.”
Kasich has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and has suggested the idea of a third-party presidential run.
