By: Jacob Sarver
Twitter: @Senatorsarver
Email: sarverj@findlay.edu
The upcoming 2018 election is one that could shift the tide of the senate. With a majority of the government republican, this upcoming election is crucial if democrats want the ability to enact policy changes and if they want to work to stop what the opposition is doing under the current executive power.
The races for the senate will be held in the following states: Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
Here in Ohio, Sherrod Brown is up for reelection and his opposition was Josh Mandel. Mandel was the best contender when it came to beating out Brown because of Brown’s extreme likeability and his powerhouse voice that has been favored in the last presidential campaign and in recent senate meetings. Back in 2012, Mandel only lost to Brown by six points.
However, on Jan. 5th, Mandel sent out an email to all his supporters announcing his withdraw from the upcoming senatorial race this year. He announced his wife is fighting a health battle and that his time will be spent caring and looking after her, leaving no time to focus on the campaign. Mandel says he looks forward to a future campaign.
Ohio is a crucial state for republicans to keep their spot. With these elections, democrats could either win out in another state, making the senate dead split, or, if they win out Ohio, the divide would grow allowing more policy changes to be brought forth by the GOP.
Considering the breaking news about Mandel, conservatives are struggling to find a top replacement because campaigning is already underway. With little name recognition for the group compared to that of Brown, they’ll need to work quickly and swiftly to find someone to reach the broad group that Mandel was able to.
Senate races may not seem as significant because they aren’t as flashy as the presidential elections, but the impact brought forth by the senate is as strong in comparison to the president.
The election will be held on Nov. 8, 2018. To find your polling location you can go to the Ohio Secretary of States website. Voting early is always an option as well once the race gets closer.