Democrats break Ohio GOP house supermajority, giving incoming Gov. Amy Acton new leverage

Democrats did not win control of the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday, but they took away one of Republicans' biggest advantages.

Gains in the Ohio House and Senate ended the Ohio GOP's legislative supermajority, mainly in the state House, changing what Republicans can do without Democratic support. That shift could give incoming Gov. Amy Acton more leverage at the Statehouse.

WATCH: what this means for the balance of power and passing legislation

Ohio Democrats break GOP supermajority, boosting Gov.-elect Amy Acton's leverage

For years, Republicans at the Ohio Statehouse have had something more powerful than a majority a supermajority, with enough votes to override a governor's veto without any Democratic support. But after Tuesday night, that political math is changing.

Results show Democrats may have won possibly as many as 12 Ohio House seats. Democrats only needed six to break the Republican supermajority. They also made gains in the state Senate, a shift that could fundamentally change the relationship between the legislature and incoming Democratic Gov. Amy Acton.

"It was a really big night for Democrats. At this point, I think they've won, looked to have won every statewide, except for one," Miami University Political Science Professor Kevin Reuning said.

A Democratic leader celebrated the wins, pointing to the candidates who ran.

"American heroes stepped up to win these seats, oncology nurses stepped up to win these seats, teachers stepped up to win these seats," the Democratic leader said.

I asked Reuning what the end of the supermajority could mean going forward.

"Some of it's a wait-and-see. More importantly, it means that Republicans will have to, in the state House and state Senate, negotiate more with Acton, with Democrats as well, to try to actually pass things," Reuning said.

The power of the supermajority has been used before. In 2024, Republican lawmakers overruled Gov. Mike DeWine after he vetoed House Bill 68, which restricted gender-affirming care for minors and transgender participation in girls' and women's sports. The House voted 65 to 28 to override DeWine, and the Senate followed, allowing the bill to become law despite the governor's objections.

Republicans are still expected to control the Statehouse. Reuning said the new balance could mean more negotiating and possibly more gridlock.

"A lot more time spent negotiating, which sometimes is what people talk about as gridlock. Right? It's going to take more time for things to happen, and that can be good in some ways, but also can be really frustrating," Reuning said.

But before that new balance of power takes effect, there's still a lame-duck session and one last window for the current legislature to use the numbers it has now.

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