CLEVELAND — Besides the presidential race, control of Congress is also up for grabs across American during Tuesday's election. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans currently hold a narrow edge, while Democrats are hoping to wrestle back power after two years in the minority.
One of the tightest battles in the country is taking place right here in Northeast Ohio, where incumbent Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes is facing off against former Republican state Sen. Kevin Coughlin in the state's 13th Congressional District. The area includes all of Summit County, a large chunk of Stark County (including Canton), and a small sliver of Portage County.
Who is the winner? Election results are still pending as the polls recently closed throughout Ohio at 7:30 p.m. We will update this article as soon as we have the final outcome from voters.
Although the GOP won an overall majority during the 2022 midterm elections, it was Sykes who emerged victorious in the newly redrawn 13th District, besting the Donald Trump-endorsed Madison Gesiotto Gilbert by five points. Since entering Congress, the Akron native helped introduce a bill calling stricter railroad safety regulations after the East Palestine disaster, and voted for the appropriations bill that her office says brought millions in funding to projects in the Akron-Canton community. She has focused her second campaign on issues like local job creation, public safety, abortion rights, and the environment.
A Woodridge High School graduate, Coughlin served 14 years in the Ohio General Assembly from 1997-2010, and during his time as a state senator he sponsored legislation establishing Ohio's Amber Alert system and coauthored a measure to set nutritional and physical activity standards in schools. He defeated Hudson City Councilman Chris Banweg (who had the endorsement of U.S. Sen. JD Vance) in the Republican primary, and his focused his platform on crime prevention, curbing government spending, lower taxes, and tougher border restrictions, among other things.
The editorial board for 3News media partner Cleveland.com endorsed Sykes for reelection, calling her a "pragmatic voice amid the cacophony of Washington’s divided politics." The Akron Beacon Journal did the same, albeit in a "split vote" that still lauded Coughlin for his track record as a legislator.
Republicans presently hold a 220-212 edge in the House. With three current vacancies heading into the 2024 elections, Democrats will have to flip at least three additional seats in order to retake control.
