Kevin DeWine

The maps of Ohio’s 2018 election results for governor, attorney general, auditor, secretary of state and treasurer look a lot like the 2016 Ohio results map for president. And there are a lot of theories about why that is, and whether Ohio keeps its status as a “swing state” or if it’s now simply red.

This week marked the second in a row without a voting session in the Ohio House. All sessions were canceled because majority Republicans cannot decide on a leader to replace former House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger. He resigned in April and is embroiled in an FBI investigation involving his associations with payday lending lobbyists. 

Things are not always as they seem, and in the past couple of years that’s been the case for both Republican and Democratic nominees. Sometimes a candidate doesn’t live up to his or her potential or misleads the party in some way. Former party leaders say that could come down to the vetting process or the lack of one. 

This election has emboldened supporters of Donald Trump, and left Hillary Clinton’s backers devastated. But it’s also brought up big questions for those who align themselves with the major political parties. Two former party chairs took time recently to talk about what the results of this election mean for the future.