Legislative candidates endorsed by various Ohio building trades and councils performed well on election night, helping retain a building trades majority coalition in the State Senate.
Overall, most Democrat and Republican candidates endorsed by building and construction trades councils, district councils and local unions won their respective races. Heading into 2019, more than half of the members of the State Senate support the building trades and issues most important to them. Of the 99 seats in the State House, building trades-friendly candidates won 48 races, which are two seats shy of a majority.
The mid-term election results push Ohio closer to having a bi-partisan majority of members who have indicated through promises and previous votes and action that they support the union construction industry in both legislative chambers.
A majority in the General Assembly can help the building trades combat changes to Ohio’s Unemployment Compensation system and attacks against Prevailing Wage, So-Called “Right to Work” and Project Labor Agreements.
Leading up to the Nov. 6 election, there was a mix of endorsements as it related to the statewide candidates, as support from various building and construction trades councils and local unions differed depending on the race.
Overall, Republicans will continue to control a super majority in both legislative chambers. In the General Assembly, Republicans lost four seats in the House, leaving them with a 62-37 majority. In the Senate, Republicans gained one seat to give them a 23-10 advantage.
Overall, the turnout for this midterm election was high in the Buckeye State, as more than 4.3 million ballots were cast (54.3 percent of all registered voters).
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