Longtime Republican lawmaker Chabot upset in Ohio

Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot (R), who was first elected to the state’s 1st Congressional District in 1994, has conceded his race to Democrat Greg Landsman.

WLWT in Cincinnati reported that Chabot said he conceded, declaring the Democrat “won fair and square.”

Chabot lost a bid in 2008, but voters returned him to Congress in 2010. His loss in a toss-up district comes despite what had been expected to be a good night for Republicans, particularly in a red state such as Ohio. No incumbent Republicans lost their races in 2020.

However, redistricting gave Democrats a slight advantage in the state’s 1st Congressional District.

The race between Chabot and Landsman was hard-fought, with more than $1 million spent on both sides of the aisle. Landsman continuously hit Chabot over his stance on abortion access and his vote against certifying the 2020 presidential election results in Pennsylvania.

Landsman was elected to the Cincinnati City Council in 2017 and during his campaign pledged to codify abortion rights into federal law, reduce inflation and raise the minimum wage. Landsman is a former public school teacher.