TIFFIN, Ohio — The Seneca County Democratic Party says higher primary turnout, a competitive Republican incumbent fight in Ohio House District 88 and a Fostoria Democrat’s nomination for Congress are evidence of building momentum heading into the November 3 general election.

In a May 7 statement, party Chairwoman Gina Grandillo said Democratic ballot requests in Seneca County climbed 43% over the 2022 midterm primary, compared with a 3% increase among Republicans. The party reported that overall Democratic turnout in the county reached 148% of registered Democrats — a figure that reflects voters who chose a Democratic ballot regardless of prior party affiliation — while Republican turnout declined by roughly 300 voters. The party said it gained approximately 700 Democratic voters on net in Seneca County.

The party reported similar trends in neighboring Sandusky County, where it said Democratic turnout reached 146% with more than 1,100 additional Democratic voters participating in the primary.

The Seneca County figures land alongside one of the closest Republican incumbent primaries in northwest Ohio. State Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery) survived his Republican primary by 599 votes, finishing with 6,859 votes (52.28%) to challenger Eric Watson’s 6,260 (47.72%), according to unofficial returns from the Sandusky and Seneca county boards of elections. Click held the seat only on the strength of his home county of Sandusky, which he carried by 15.4 percentage points. In Seneca County, Watson — a first-time candidate and Tiffin small-business owner — defeated Click by 8.5 points.

OH-88 race set for November

Click will face Democratic nominee Aaron Jones in the general election. Jones, a Tiffin City Councilman, U.S. Army veteran and production supervisor at Toledo Molding & Die in Tiffin, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. He was elected to Tiffin City Council’s 1st Ward in 2024 and is a 1991 graduate of Clyde High School. Libertarian Ben Machoukas is also competing in the race.

Jones lives in Seneca County — the same county Click lost on Tuesday.

Shaver wins OH-5 Democratic primary

The primary also produced a Seneca County native at the top of a congressional ticket. Brian A. Shaver, president of Fostoria City Council, won a four-way Democratic primary in Ohio’s 5th Congressional District with 28.68% of the vote, defeating Martin M. Heberling III (25.80%), Daniel John Burket (24.42%) and Scott E. Tabor (21.10%), according to unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State.

Shaver, an educator and longtime local elected official, will face 10-term Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Latta in the November general election. The Cook Political Report rates the district R+14, meaning its 2020 and 2024 presidential results trended 14 points more Republican than the national average. Latta defeated Democrat Keith Mundy by roughly 35 points in 2024. Independent candidate Dalton Franklin will also appear on the November ballot.

The Seneca County Democratic Party said Shaver is the first Seneca County native in recent memory to appear on a congressional general-election ballot in the district.

Statewide context

The party also pointed to statewide Democratic primary outcomes. Former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton, running with former Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper, was unopposed for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, the 2024 presidential candidate and Trump ally, won the GOP nomination with roughly 82% of the vote against Casey Putsch, according to unofficial returns. A third Republican ticket, Heather Hill and Stuart Moats, was disqualified by the Ohio Secretary of State after Moats withdrew. The Seneca County Democratic Party said Acton and Pepper collectively received nearly 90,000 more primary votes than Ramaswamy — a comparison the party made between Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primary turnout. TiffinOhio.net was unable to independently verify that figure.

In the Democratic primary for Ohio attorney general, Upper Arlington attorney and city council member John Kulewicz defeated former state Rep. Elliot Forhan and will face Republican Auditor Keith Faber in November. State Rep. Allison Russo defeated Cincinnati oncologist Bryan Hambley roughly 67% to 33% in the Democratic primary for Ohio secretary of state and will face Republican Treasurer Robert Sprague in the fall.

Grandillo wins State Central Committee seat

Grandillo, who chairs the Seneca County Democratic Party and serves as solicitor for the Village of Republic, won a seat on the Ohio Democratic State Central Committee. The party said she carried Sandusky, Seneca, Union and Wyandot counties and defeated Brandi R. Downs by 4 percentage points overall. TiffinOhio.net was unable to independently verify the district-wide margin from publicly available county returns.

Grandillo credited the turnout to local organizing.

“This level of participation is not accidental,” she said. “It reflects months of grassroots organizing, community engagement, and a growing sense among voters that their voices matter. Seneca County has always had a strong independent streak, and when people are given a real choice, this community shows up for democracy.”

Grandillo also said the party intends to keep building.

“There is real energy here, and it did not happen overnight,” she said. “We have been putting in the work, and we intend to build on it. Onward.”

She cautioned against complacency.

“These results are encouraging, but nobody is taking November for granted,” Grandillo said. “The stakes are too high, and there is still a tremendous amount of work ahead.”

The general election is November 3.