Republican Mike Carey wins special election for Ohio House seat

Republican Mike Carey is projected to win a special election to replace former Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) in Congress, holding on to Ohio’s 15th Congressional District for the GOP. 

The Associated Press said Carey, a coal industry lobbyist, had bested Democratic state Rep. Allison Russo on Tuesday. The race largely favored the GOP from the outset, given the district’s Republican tilt. Stivers, the district’s former representative, stepped down from Congress earlier this year to take a job as the president and CEO of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

But Democrats had hoped to pull off an upset victory, banking on strong support from suburban voters who have drifted toward Democrats in recent years. 

While Carey was largely expected to win the Tuesday special election, Republicans are likely to tout the win as a sign of momentum heading into the 2022 midterm elections, when Democrats’ razor-thin congressional majorities will be on the line.

Carey emerged from a crowded GOP primary field in August after securing the support of former President Trump, who remains an influential endorser in the Republican Party. 

President Biden waited until Monday to weigh in on the race, when he offered a last-minute endorsement to Russo.