Ohio sets special election to replace retiring Rep. Steve Stivers

The special election to replace retiring Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) will be held in November, Ohio’s governor announced Monday.

Gov. Mike DeWine (R) wrote in a statement shared on Twitter that the 15th Congressional District’s primary elections would be held on Aug. 3, while the general election for the seat will be on Nov. 2.

The dates are the same as another special election, in the state’s 11th Congressional District, where former Rep. Marcia Fudge (D) will be replaced following her successful confirmation as President Biden’s Housing and Urban Development secretary.

Today, Governor DeWine announced special election dates for the 15th Congressional District to fill the District’s upcoming vacancy. pic.twitter.com/IbLIm89LQH

— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) April 26, 2021

Stivers’s district is likely to remain in Republican hands in November, as it has not supported a Democrat for president since 2008. That same year, the district elected its first Democratic House representative since former Rep. Robert Secrest (D) resigned the seat in 1966.

A centrist Republican, Stivers sits on the Republican Study Committee and is a former chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP’s campaign arm. He announced earlier in April that he would retire in order to take a job as CEO of Ohio’s Chamber of Commerce. His last day in Congress will be May 16. His departure will leave Republicans in the House at least temporarily down a seat in a chamber very narrowly controlled by Democrats.

“For the past decade, it has been my honor and privilege to serve the people of Ohio’s 15th Congressional District. Throughout my career, I’ve worked to promote policies that drive our economy forward, get folks to work, and put our fiscal house in order,” Stivers said upon announcing his retirement from Congress.

“I’m excited to announce that I will be taking on a new opportunity that allows me to continue to do that. Effective May 16, I will be leaving Congress in order to accept the position of President and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce,” he added.