Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Ohio’s U.S. Senate race is one of the most consequential in the country as the two candidates vie for a relatively rare open seat in an evenly divided Senate.
“This is a critical election for both parties. The U.S. Senate is currently split 50-50, which means Vice President (Kamala) Harris breaks any ties, so Democrats have the smallest possible majority in the chamber,” said Mark Caleb Smith, director of the Cedarville University Center for Political Studies. “Each competitive Senate seat could make the difference between a majority or minority for each party. There are a few competitive seats this cycle, including the one in Ohio.”
The race pits Democrat U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland Twp. in Trumbull County against Republican businessman J.D. Vance of Cincinnati.
“The big question is, how many of those are legitimately competitive and how many could be flipped from one party to the other?” said Lee Hannah, associate professor of political science at Wright State University. “Democrats are fairly confident that they can hold most of the states where their incumbents are up for re-election — with the toughest contest being in Georgia followed by Nevada.”
If Democratic Party incumbents win, and they can flip a Republican seat in the tight Pennsylvania race, Hannah said the 51-49 advantage would make it easier for them to pass President Joe Biden’s agenda and approve his appointments.
Under that scenario Democrats could hold the chamber without winning in Ohio, but if Ryan wins on Nov. 8, Hannah said it might be a sign of a very good night for Democrats that could include flipping Republican-held seats in Wisconsin and North Carolina.
