The three Republican candidates for Ohio Supreme Court are headed toward victory.
With 94% of precincts reporting, Megan Shanahan, Joseph Deters and Daniel Hawkins are leading their races.
Six candidates were running for three open seats on the court, which has had a Republican majority since 1986.
The Ohio Supreme Court is the highest court in the state system. The court’s seven justices consider cases that raise constitutional questions and appeals from lower courts about everything from abortion access to redistricting, the death penalty and the advertising of boneless chicken wings.
The race is partisan, meaning the candidates are identified as Republicans and Democrats. As of midnight, with Republican candidates leading in all three races, that would leave the court with a single Democrat, Justice Jennifer Brunner. Brunner was elected to a six-year term in 2020.
The seat opened up when Justice Joe Deters decided to run for a full six-year term instead of staying in the seat he was appointed to after Sharon Kennedy’s election to the position of chief justice in 2022.
