MOUNT VERNON — Newcomer Mark Hiner will join incumbent Beth Lear in the Ohio House of Representatives when the new term begins in January.
The two Republicans had decisive victories in their respective house district races.
Hiner won the race for District 98, defeating Democrat Annie Homstad 75% to 25%.
The district comprises Coshocton, Holmes, and the east side of Knox County, including the City of Mount Vernon.
“I want to thank the voters and all of the volunteers who helped me win this race,” Hiner said in a statement. “Whether you put a sign in your yard, talked to a neighbor, or made a donation, every bit of it helped to get me here. No one wins a race by themselves.”
Hiner thanked Homstad for running a clean campaign.
“Now that the election is over, I am eager to get to work moving all three of our counties forward,” he said.
Hiner will take over the seat from State Rep. Darrell Kick, who is term-limited.
Lear wins House District 61 by comfortable margin
Voters returned Lear to a second term as state representative for House District 61. The district covers the western half of Knox County and Delaware County.
Lear defeated Democrat challenger David Hogan 61.8% to 38.2%.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” she said of her win. “It was really exciting to spend part of the evening at Knox County [Republican] headquarters with Mark Hiner and celebrate his victory and celebrate my victory.”
Looking ahead to the new session, Lear said, “I have some very serious education bills I want to try and move, one of which is focusing on real academics and not all that other stuff. My hope is the legislature will agree with me.”
Lear will also focus on property tax relief, which she believes the legislature will not implement this term.
Hiner and Lear will be sworn in as state representatives in January 2025.
Republican Troy Balderson won re-election to Ohio’s 12th Congressional District with 68% of the vote. Democrat challenger Jerrad Christian collected 32%.
Balderson has represented the district since September 2018. Knox Pages was unable to reach him for comment.
All results are unofficial until certified. Boards of Elections must certify the vote by Nov. 20.