By 1808Delaware
Delaware County was mentioned repeatedly Tuesday night during national coverage of the midterms, and with good reason.
For decades, Delaware County was one of Ohio’s most dependable Republican strongholds. Tuesday’s general election offered a striking indication of just how much that political landscape has changed. In a historic political shift, Delaware County voters supported Democrats Amy Acton for governor and Sherrod Brown for the U.S. Senate, helping both candidates secure statewide victories in the November 3 election.
The results marked another milestone in a transformation that has been developing for more than two decades, particularly as the county’s population has grown and its suburban communities have expanded.
The complete unofficial results from the Delaware County Board of Elections can be viewed below.
Acton And Brown Carry Delaware County
Acton, running with lieutenant governor candidate David Pepper, received 62,013 votes in Delaware County, or 52.85% of the total. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and running mate Robert McColley collected 52,351 votes, or 44.61%. Acton’s margin of 9,662 votes represented an 8.24-percentage-point advantage in a county that has historically delivered substantial Republican majorities.
Libertarian candidates Don Kissick and James L. Mills received 2,737 votes, or 2.33%, while write-in candidates accounted for 247 votes.
In the U.S. Senate contest, Brown received 59,368 votes, or 50.57%, defeating Republican incumbent Jon Husted locally by 5,240 votes. Husted collected 54,128 votes, or 46.10%. Other Senate candidates included William B. Redpath, who received 2,421 votes, and Greg Levy, who collected 1,368 votes.
Both Democratic candidates won statewide. Acton became Ohio’s first woman elected governor and the first Democrat to win the office in 20 years. Brown reclaimed the Senate seat he lost in 2024.
A Change Of Course
The results were particularly noteworthy given Delaware County’s political history. The county was one of just five in Ohio that supported Republican Barry Goldwater in his landslide national defeat in 1964. Republican George W. Bush carried Delaware County by approximately 35 percentage points in 2000, while Donald Trump’s advantage had narrowed to roughly seven points in 2024.
With this as a backdrop, Tuesday’s victories for Acton and Brown represented more than a close election. They demonstrated that a county once considered reliably Republican is now capable of delivering Democratic majorities in major statewide contests. The shift has accompanied remarkable population growth. Communities including Delaware, Powell, Lewis Center, and southern Delaware County suburbs have attracted thousands of new residents, gradually reshaping the electorate.
Legislative And Local Races Bring More Decisions
One of the election’s most consequential legislative outcomes came in Ohio’s 60th House District, where Democrat Shelby Kimball defeated Republican incumbent Brian Lorenz. Kimball received approximately 52.1% of the districtwide vote, according to election-night reporting.
In county government, Republican Reneé Vaughan faced Democrat Ryan Grissinger in the race for the county commission seat being vacated by Barb Lewis. The contest was closely watched as another measure of Democratic competitiveness in a county where Republicans have long dominated local government. A final result was not independently confirmed. As of Wednesday morning, this was the final unofficial vote count:
| Ryan Grissinger | 56836 | 49.77% | |
| Reneé Vaughan | 57350 | 50.23% |
Republican George Kaitsa was unopposed for county auditor.
Local voters also considered several ballot questions. In Sunbury, voters approved a charter amendment restricting data centers, with 78.6% supporting the measure.
A New Electoral Reality
Delaware County’s election-night returns tell a story of changing political loyalties in one of central Ohio’s fastest-growing counties. Acton’s 8.24-point margin and Brown’s 4.47-point advantage were especially significant when measured against the county’s Republican voting history. Although individual races continued to produce different outcomes, the results demonstrated that Delaware County can no longer be assumed to favor Republicans in statewide contests.
For Ohio’s political parties, the county’s growing electorate and increasingly competitive voting patterns are likely to make it an important focus in future elections.
