Ohioans didn't go to bed Tuesday night in a red state and wake up Wednesday in a blue one. Anyone who thinks so is politically delusional.
What we woke up to was Ohio acting like the adults in the room.
And one has to wonder: How many Ohioans voted for the people and policies they wanted, how many voted against the personalities and political overreach they'd had enough of, and how many simply sat this one out?
Let's look at the box score.
On Tuesday, Ohio voters elected Amy Acton governor and sent Sherrod Brown back to the U.S. Senate. As of late Wednesday morning, Acton had 52.3% of the vote to Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's 44.4%. Brown had 50% to Republican Jon Husted's 45.2%. Yet on the same ballot, 65.3% of Ohioans voted to put photo ID requirements into the state Constitution. Two years ago, President Trump carried Ohio by 11 points.
There's a message in those results, and neither party nor their consultants should miss it.
Acton talked about household costs, schools and health care. Brown focused on electric bills and data centers. Best we can tell, this wasn't a national ideological brawl. They talked about things people actually worry about long after the campaign signs land in the recycling bin.
Republicans might want to study the game film before installing a new offense. Issue 3 passed easily, so voters clearly weren't rejecting everything Republicans supported. But voters chose Acton over Ramaswamy. Republicans really need to examine the "why" before deciding the "what" comes next.
As for the other side, Tuesday's results weren't a box of blank checks for Democrats, either.
Acton won the governor's race. That doesn't mean Ohioans signed up for everything on the Democratic wish list. The same voters who elected her also backed Issue 3 by a wide margin.
The Dems would be wise to remember that before mistaking Tuesday's results for a political conversion.
On election night, Acton promised to be "a governor for all Ohioans."
It's only Thursday, two days after the election. For now, we'll take her at her word. But after a year of focus group-endorsed campaign ads, we know the difference between clever soundbites and sound policy.
We swear we'll be watching, even though most of us need a break.
Winning an election tells you who got the votes. It doesn't necessarily tell you why.
Ohio has not changed teams. It has reminded both teams who they work for. And it's not a political party.
This editorial reflects the views of The Pennant Editorial Board. Questions or comments are welcome at [email protected].