The Blue Wave Runs Through Ohio
“I was born and raised in Dublin, Ohio, so I have lived in this District for the majority of my life,” says Ryan Jones, a Progressive Turnout Project Field Representative in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District (OH-12). “I was aware that it was a traditionally Republican District, but I also knew about the great opportunity we had to flip it this year, so I was eager to help in those efforts.”
As of early October, the Progressive Turnout Team in OH-12 had “knocked on more than 55,000 doors and made over 50,000 phone calls to likely Democratic voters.” The result? District voters have signed thousands – literally, thousands – of Commitment to Vote cards.
“Many [voters] can feel the momentum that we all feel this year – that it is possible to make a change and make history as a result,” says Ryan. “My interactions have been overwhelmingly positive, and I’m extremely uplifted by how motivated many of the voters in our District are.”
While canvassing the District, Ryan and his colleague, Brett Meeder, also a Progressive Turnout Project Field Representative in OH-12, have found that the current political climate is a popular topic of discussion among voters, as is the need for campaign finance reform.
“Many voters are yearning for a time when the country was not so divided,” says Brett. “Many find the nature of politicians at all levels to serve special interests and large donors to no longer be tolerable.” 
“The Democratic nominee for the Congressional race in OH-12, Danny O’Connor, has pledged to take no corporate-PAC money, and he has kept that promise to this point,” Brett says, adding, “It is absolutely imperative that candidates at all levels, on all sides of the political spectrum move in this direction.”
OH-12 is located in central Ohio, and it includes some Columbus suburbs as well as Zanesville, Mansfield, and Dublin. Since the early 1980s, it has been represented exclusively by Republican Congressmen, but 2018 is looking like the year Democrats – specifically Democratic candidate Danny O’Connor – break the spell.
O’Connor, the current Franklin County Recorder, is campaigning on promises to protect Social Security and Medicare, create economic opportunity and jobs in Ohio, and invest in public education. He’s earned endorsements from former Governor of Ohio Ted Strickland and Mayor of Columbus Andrew Ginther, among others.
The District made national news earlier this year when its Representative of 17 years, Republican Pat Tiberi, resigned on January 15th, leaving the seat vacant. It remained vacant through early August when Republican Troy Balderson defeated O’Connor in an extremely close Special Election to finish out Tiberi’s term.
“While it took the entire Republican establishment to drag Troy Balderson across the finish line, Progressive Turnout Project is proud of Danny O’Connor and his campaign for taking this District that voted for Donald Trump by 11% and bringing it to within 1% of a Democratic victory,” said Progressive Turnout Project Executive Director Alex Morgan in a press release after the race was called.
The August Special Election was decided by just over 1,500 votes. This time around, there’s reason to believe that the Blue Wave washing over the country will tip critical votes in O’Connor’s direction and produce a win for the Democrats.
In mid-October, The Cook Political Report updated its rating of the race for this former Republican stronghold from Lean Republican to Toss Up.
