The 2024 election season has been marked by controversy and marred by ever-fluctuating polls. Here in Ohio, there are several important races, including a citizen ballot measure, Issue 1, that would end gerrymandering in the state.
Two Jewish candidates are running for reelection right here in Cincinnati. Congressman Greg Landsman (D) is seeking a second term in the House of Representatives, and State Rep Dani Isaacsohn (D) is seeking a second term in the Ohio State House. And one Jewish candidate, Stacy Lefton(R), is running for Judge in the Ohio First District House of Appeals.
Check with Cincy Jewfolk for updates on these three races. Overall results for Ohio can be found at the Ohio Secretary of State’s election dashboard, though results likely won’t be final for several days. You can also see early voting data here.
Ohio 1st District Race U.S. Congress
Landsman is running against Republican Orlando Sonza, whose campaign was marred by controversy earlier this summer when Jinsider broke the story that Sonza’s campaign had accepted and touted the endorsement of a Holocaust denier.
Over the past year, Landsman has been targeted in several antisemitic protests over his support for Israel.
District 24 Ohio State House
Isaacsohn, the current State House minority whip, is running for reelection against John Sess (R). Sess was a member of the Cincinnati PD for 31 years. In 1999, a court of appeals case documented that a Cincinnati police officer named John Sess once admitted to planting drugs on a suspect in the 1980s; however, the admissions were thrown out by the courts.
Ohio First District House of Appeals
Stacy Lefton(R) is a prosecutor running against incumbent Judge Marilyn Zayas (D).
Issue 1
Issue 1 proposes a shift in who draws congressional and legislative district lines, moving this task from politicians to a citizen-led commission made up of five Democrats, five Republicans, and five independents. The goal is to limit gerrymandering and give Ohioans a fairer, more balanced say in the redistricting process.
