MOUNT VERNON — Republican Mark Hiner will head back to the Ohio House for another term representing the 98th District.
Republican Shawn Stevens will join him at the statehouse representing House District 61.
District 98 includes the eastern part of Knox County and Holmes and Coshocton counties.
District 61 covers the western half of Knox County and the eastern part of Delaware County.
Hiner defeated Democrat challenger Scott Grund by a 42-point margin, collecting 25,155 votes (71%) to Grund’s 10,283 (29%), according to final unofficial results.
Hiner thanked the voters of the 98th district.
“I appreciate the trust they’ve put in me, and I look forward to continuing to work on everyone’s behalf and trying to make things better in the district,” he said.
Grund feels his candidacy made a difference.
“Though the final ballot count did not give us a win, I feel we made a difference in citizens’ expectations of how a representative to the Ohio General Assembly should serve all the people in the district by listening to their concerns,” he said.
“I also want to thank the many volunteers and supporters in all three counties of Knox, Holmes and Coshocton that made my campaign an effort to be proud of.”
District 61 race tightened throughout the evening
Stevens’ win was closer than Hiner’s margin of victory. Stevens won 56% to 44% (34,554 and 27,585, respectively) over Democrat Vince McGrail.
McGrail held an early lead, but as the results poured in throughout the evening, the lead faded.
“While I am disappointed that we did not earn enough votes to win this seat, I congratulate Shawn Stevens on this win,” McGrail said.
“I will pay close attention in the next two years to push Stevens to follow through with votes that will help families in this district make ends meet, give community members power regarding data centers and other planned developments in the area, and support strong education for our young people.
“The working families in this district deserve nothing less.”
Stevens could not be reached for comment.
Ohio’s 12th Congressional District
As of 12:53 a.m. on Wednesday, NBC News is projecting incumbent Republican Troy Balderson a winner over Democrat Jerrad Christian.
With 98.1% of the votes in, NBC reports Balderson holds a 59.4% to 40.65 lead over Christian.
The network estimates about 6,500 votes remain outstanding.
District 12 includes eight whole counties — Coshocton, Fairfield, Guernsey, Knox, Licking, Monroe, Muskingum and Noble — and portions of Delaware, Holmes and Perry counties.
