Statewide candidates aren’t expected to go door-to-door asking for votes — voters will see those pitches in mailboxes and on television — but expect to hear the knocks of Statehouse candidates on your front door. Political signs will start populating yards around the region about 30 days before the Nov. 6 election. But candidate events, like coffees with the candidate and open houses, are likely to happen this summer.
This is especially the case since all six candidates running for the three Statehouse seats in Butler County need face time with voters. The two incumbents running are relatively new to the positions, and the other four candidates are running the first time.
51st Ohio House District
Democrat Susan Vaughn, of Hamilton, will face Republican Sara Carruthers, of Hamilton, for the 51st Ohio House District seat. This seat has never been held by a Democrat since the districts were drawn in the late 1960s.
Carruthers beat out incumbent Ohio Rep. Wes Retherford on May 8 for the Republican nomination.
RELATED: Sara Carruthers ran ‘for the right reasons,’ and 51st Ohio House District Republicans agreed
Vaughn and Carruthers are political rookies. Vaughn will retire in July as Miami University's director of the Office of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution. Carruthers is a philanthropist whose family has donated to several projects around the county.
The 51st Ohio House District includes the cities of Hamilton and Fairfield, Ross Township, and portions of Fairfield, Hanover and St. Clair townships.
52nd Ohio House District
Both Ohio Rep. George Lang, R-West Chester Twp., and Democratic Party candidate Kathy Wyenandt, of Liberty Twp., were unopposed in their respective primary elections.
Lang, who was elected to the West Chester Twp. Board of Trustees four times, was appointed to the Statehouse seat in September following the resignation of former state lawmaker Margy Conditt.
RELATED: This Butler County lawmaker received the most donations among all 243 Statehouse campaigns
Wyenandt was a Butler County Board of Elections board member and the central committee chair for the Butler County Democratic Party.
The 52nd Ohio House District includes West Chester, Liberty, and Fairfield townships, and a part of Sharonville that is in Butler County.
53rd Ohio House District
Both Ohio Rep. Candice Keller, R-Middletown, and Democratic Party candidate Rebecca Howard, of Reily Twp., were uncontested in their respective primary elections.
Howard has out-raised Keller so far this election cycle, according to campaign finance reports filed in April. She raised more than $10,000 while Keller raised $900.
Like Carruthers and Vaughn, this is Howard’s first time running for office. This will be Keller’s second election after winning in 2016.
The 53rd Ohio House District includes the northernmost portions of Butler County, including Monroe, Trenton, Oxford, most of Middletown and the surrounding townships.
About the Author
