STEVE STIVERS

Two vacant Ohio congressional seats have been filled after Republican Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist from Columbus, and Democrat Shontel Brown, a Democratic Party leader from Cleveland, were sworn into the House.

Republican coal lobbyist Mike Carey has defeated a two-term state lawmaker to win an open U.S. House seat in central Ohio, while Democrat Shontel Brown coasted to victory in a second up-for-grabs congressional district in the Cleveland area.

Election 2021 Ohio House This undated photo provided by Shontel Brown for Congress, shows Democrat Shontel Brown. Brown has defeated progressive Nina Turner in the primary for an open U.S. House seat in northeast Ohio. While centrist County Councilwoman Shontel Brown held off progressive Nina Turner in the race for the other open seat. He’ll take on Democratic state Rep. Allison Russo, a health policy consultant who won the Democratic nomination, in the GOP-leaning Columbus-area district. Bob Peterson and Stephanie Kunze and former state Rep. Ron Hood.

Election 2021 House Ohio FILE - In this June 1, 2021, file photo, Mike Carey, speaks at the kick-off of his 15th Congressional District campaign in Grove City, Ohio. A similarly fierce competition on the left was being fought in a Democratic primary in the Cleveland area. The congressional district has been reliably Republican for a decade, but Russo's prospects against Carey are viewed as promising among Democrats after she did well among voters from her overlapping Ohio House district races twice in a row. All of the candidates in the GOP primary billed themselves as conservatives and many boasted more legislative-branch experience than Carey. State Sen. Stephanie Kunze has spent almost nine years in the Ohio House and Senate, championing legislation to tackle opiate addiction, infant mortality and sexual violence.

One tests the power of former President Trump's endorsement, while the other pits progressive and establishment Democratic factions against each other.

Mike Carey, a Donald Trump-backed coal lobbyist, topped Republicans in central Ohio, while Cuyahoga County Council member Shontel Brown scored a victory for the Democratic establishment in Cleveland, in two primary elections for open House seats Tuesday.

Election 2021 House Ohio FILE - In this June 1, 2021, file photo, Mike Carey, speaks at the kick-off of his 15th Congressional District campaign in Grove City, Ohio. Make America Great Again, a super PAC chaired by Trump's former campaign manager, quietly purchased $300,000 in Ohio television advertising. But a second loss in two weeks could chip away at Trump's self-proclaimed kingmaker status heading into next year's midterm elections. In Texas, Trump had backed Susan Wright, the widow of Republican Rep. Ron Wright, who died in February after being diagnosed with COVID-19. “You know, Trump’s chosen bad people in the past — not his fault, but they flip once they get in there — so I’ve got to look deeper."

The midsummer race for Ohio’s traditionally Republican 15th Congressional District wouldn’t typically get much national attention.

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