Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner, who splits her time between homes in Powell and Columbiana County, won a second term on the state's highest court on Nov. 3.
Brunner defeated Republican challenger Colleen O'Donnell, a former federal immigration judge. Democrats swept both contested Supreme Court races, narrowing Republicans’ majority from 6–1 to 5–2 in Republicans' favor, according to NBC4.
Unofficial results
Unofficial results with 100% of precincts reporting showed Brunner winning and Democrat Marilyn Zayas leading their respective races, according to cleveland.com. More than 102,000 absentee and provisional ballots were still outstanding as of the morning of Nov. 4.
Justice seat (term commencing Jan. 2)
Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
Jennifer Brunner (I) | Democratic | 2,324,212 | 51.37% |
Colleen O'Donnell | Republican | 2,200,021 | 48.63% |
Justice seat (term commencing Jan. 1)
Candidate | Party | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
Marilyn Zayas | Democratic | 2,307,346 | 51.01% |
Daniel Hawkins (I) | Republican | 2,215,728 | 48.99% |
Source: Unofficial results via NBC4 WCMH-TV, 98% reporting at time of last update. Cleveland.com reported 100% of precincts reporting with matching totals.
What the results mean
Zayas, a Hamilton County First District Court of Appeals judge, leads Republican incumbent Dan Hawkins. Both margins sat at about two to three percentage points, NBC4 reported.
Before the Nov. 3 election, Republicans had won every Ohio Supreme Court race since a state law change required party labels on judicial ballots, cleveland.com reported. Brunner had been the court's lone Democrat.
About the candidates
Brunner, a Democrat first elected to the court in 2020, previously served as a judge on the Tenth District Court of Appeals in Franklin County and as a Franklin County Common Pleas judge. She also served as Ohio's secretary of state from 2007 to 2011, becoming the first woman to hold that office, according to cleveland.com. In 2008, she received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for her public service in that role, according to the Ohio Supreme Court's biography of Brunner.
As the court's sole Democrat, Brunner has been a regular dissenting voice. In an October interview with Signal Ohio, she said, "I feel like I owe it to the public to present a point of view that I truly believe needs to be heard."
O'Donnell is the daughter of retired Ohio Supreme Court Justice Terrence O'Donnell, a Republican who served on the court from 2003 to 2018, Signal Ohio reported. She received her law degree from Case Western Reserve University and worked as a federal immigration judge in Texas and in private practice, according to NBC4.
What comes next
The results carry implications for 2028. Two seats held by Republicans will be on the ballot that year, with at least one open due to Ohio's mandatory judicial retirement age, according to the State Court Report. Control of the court could be at stake.
Brunner herself turns 70 in February, Signal Ohio reported. Ohio law bars judges from taking office at age 70 or older, meaning this six-year term would be her last elected judicial term under current law.
