(NewsNation) — Voters in Ohio will cast their votes Tuesday in some key races in the 2024 election.
Presidential race in Ohio
Ohio was once considered a battleground state but, in recent election cycles, has leaned more to the right. Trump took Ohio in 2020 with 53% of the votes.
Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance hails from the state which makes chances even higher for the former president to score a hat trick.
US Senate race in Ohio
Three-term Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown will be defending his seat in Republican-leaning Ohio against GOP businessman Bernie Moreno, who had won the Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
The Ohio Senate race is one of the tightest and most closely watched races of the 2024 election, barring only a few other races including the race to the White House.
US House races in Ohio
Voters will also elect 15 candidates to serve in the House from each of the state’s congressional districts.
One of the most hotly contested seats will be in Ohio’s 13th District where Democratic incumbent Emilia Sykes will face GOP contender Kevin Coughlin, a businessman and former state legislator.
Sykes is one of a handful of Black representatives to represent a majority-white district, which was redrawn to focus on Akron instead of its previous anchor in Youngstown, reported Akron Signal. The 13th District is considered the most competitive district in Ohio.
Ohio’s ninth district is also highly competitive as Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur fights to keep her seat against state GOP Rep. Derek Merrin, who hails from rural Lucas County.
Ohio voters will also weigh in on Issue 1, which would change the way the state draws district maps for Congress, the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate.
Ohio statewide ballot measure
On Tuesday, 468 seats in the U.S. Congress (33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats) are up for election. These elections will determine who has control over the two branches of Congress, and ultimately, who sets the agenda for the next president’s term.
Ohio has 17 Electoral College votes contributing to the presidential race. The presidential election winner must earn 270 Electoral College votes to assume office.
Early in person voting in Ohio started on Oct. 8, and timings for polls for in-person voting vary by day but many election offices have extended timings.
