By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor
COLUMBUS – Ohio- Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced Thursday in a news release that 21 prospective candidates have met Thursday's deadline in filing petitions to appear on Ohio’s March 19, 2024 statewide primary election ballot, including former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, and Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody Stewart, the first Black and first Black woman elected to the seven-member, largely White, majority Republican court. (See the full list towards the end of this article)
Republicans Chris Christy, Nikki Haley, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Wamaswamy, Trump's primary election key challengers, also filed petitions by Ohio's deadline. Trump remains the front-runner for the Republican nomination as the Iowa Caucuses near.
According to LaRose's news release, nine candidates filed paperwork to seek partisan nominations for president of the United States; five candidates filed to seek partisan nominations for the office of U.S. senator; and, seven candidates filed petitions to run for justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. (Four Democrats and three Republicans).
Republicans have a four-three majority on the Ohio Supreme Court, which is expected to hear hot topics in coming terms such as abortion parameters, redistricting, and gun and property rights.
LaRose's office has until Jan. 9 to certify petitions for the statewide ballot in Ohio, which pundits say is is sure to draw enthusiastic voters to the polls, both Democrats and Republicans alike, particularly because it is a presidential election year.
Trump's prospective candidacy comes as the Colorado Supreme Court earlier this week ruled him off the statewide primary ballot saying he engaged in the Jan 6 insurrection, a closely-watch case now headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. LaRose joined the secretaries of state from Wyoming and Missouri as the trio filed an amicus brief (friend-of-the-court brief) in the case in support of Trump at the state Supreme Court level. LaRose himself is on the statewide ballot in Ohio and is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate with seasoned Sen Sherrod Brown, a popular Cleveland Democrat, seeking reelection as the only Dem to file petitions in that race.
This week Trump endorsed Bernie Moreno for the U.S. Senate seat open in Ohio over LaRose, who had courted his support. Trump won Ohio in 2016 over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and again in 2020 when he lost reelection to President Biden.
As of Thursday's deadline, here are the candidates that have submitted paperwork with the office of Ohio's secretary of state for review:
Presidential - Chris Christie (R)
- Ron DeSantis (R)
- Nikki Haley (R)
- Vivek Ramaswamy (R)
- Donald Trump (R)
- Ryan Binkley (R)
- Joe Biden (D)
- Dean Phillips (D)
- Marianne Williamson (D)
US Senate - Matt Dolan (R)
- Frank LaRose (R)
- Bernie Moreno (R)
- Doug Stuart (R)
- Sherrod Brown (D)
Supreme Court - Joseph Deters (R)
- Dan Hawkins (R)
- Megan Shanahan (R)
- Michael Donnelly (D)
- Lisa Forbes (D)
- Terri Jamison (D)
- Melody Stewart (D)
Upon review, the petitions will then be sent to the relevant county boards of elections to verify the accuracy of the signatures. The boards will then return those results to the secretary of state’s office by Jan 2. That office then has until Jan. 9 to certify the official ballots for the March 19 primary election.
Absentee voting for military and overseas citizens casting a ballot in Ohio’s presidential primary election will begin in a little over six weeks on Feb. 2.
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.
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