Delaware County goes blue as Dems notch historic wins in Ohio
A once-reliable Republican stronghold in central Ohio turned blue in the 2026 election. Delaware County has long been a mainstay for Ohio Republicans . But margins of victory for statewide and national candidates have been slipping in recent years – and both top-ticket Democrats in the Nov. 3 election carried Delaware County on their way to statewide victory. Unofficial results show voters also elected the first Democrat to countywide office in more than 50 years, according to Delaware County Democratic Party chair Peg Watkins. Emma Mirles-Jones , running in a non-partisan race for Common Pleas Court judge, is leading with a 2.3-point margin. Governor-elect Amy Acton is only the second statewide Democratic candidate in more than 100 years to win in Delaware County , following the 2006 win of Democrat Ted Strickland. Acton bested Republican Vivek Ramaswamy by nearly 10,000 votes. But unlike the election 20 years ago when Strickland swept most of Ohio, Acton mostly only won majority votes in urban and suburban counties in the Buckeye State. Sherrod Brown also won his U.S. Senate race in Ohio by carrying predominantly urban and suburban areas. In Delaware County, he got about 5,000 more votes than incumbent Republican Sen. Jon
