Evening all. I’m excited to share a new recorded discussion we had today with our friend Kathleen Clyde, Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party. Ohio has become one of the most important battleground states in the 2026 Election, and as we discuss I believe Republicans have made a decision to do “whatever it takes” to win there this November.
Here’s some of what Chair Clyde told us:
Our in-person early voting numbers are looking strong from the reports that we're getting. We're excited to see that.
There is a lot of enthusiasm. And we at the Party have been working closely with all of our Democratic candidates at our coordinated campaign operation. We have field organizers across the state working to mobilize volunteers to do that critical GOTV, door knocking, phone banking. Working on our voter access program to make sure that voters know what they need to make their plan to vote. And we'll have poll observers in place. We have our voter access hotline up and running. So we are just firing away on all cylinders on this coordinated campaign operation to get out the vote, make sure we're protecting the vote, promoting voter access. And the signs that we're seeing with early voting underway are great. We just need to keep that momentum moving forward.
There may be more critical elections to win in Ohio than just about any state in the country this year. The stakes are huge, and so much is possible for us there now in this +11 Trump state:
All of our statewide executive offices are on the ballot, and they are open races, and our Democratic candidates are strong. From attorney general to secretary of state, auditor, and treasurer. We have two Supreme Court races on the ballot. We are protecting our incumbent Justice Jennifer Bruner, and we have a great challenger candidate to take back a seat that we desperately need there to stand up for the rule of law and protect Ohioans’ freedoms.
We are competitive in a number of congressional races. We have three frontline members that are, you know, top competitive races. Marcy Kaptur, Greg Landsman, Emelia Sykes, to hold their seats. We are on offense trying to work to take out Max Miller with Brian Poindexter. And we have two other potential flip opportunities in races against Mike Turner and Mike Carey.
And then not to forget this — there are Republican supermajorities in both the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate. And we are laser focused on taking out those supermajorities so that we can give a legislature to Dr. Amy Acton when she's governor that she can work with and won't be able to just override her decisions. We need six seats in the Ohio House, three in the Ohio Senate to break those super majorities. We have great candidates there. We are working in a coordinated way, us as the Democratic Party, with the top of the ticket and all these Democrats up and down the ballot to get our message out about lowering costs for families in Ohio, getting rid of the corruption in Columbus and Washington. And getting our state and our country turned back around.
Here’s the latest statewide polling. Promising stuff:
I asked the Chair to reflect on the sheer number of competitive elections and down-ballot races in Ohio this cycle. Here’s some of what she said:
I mean, I ran in our last competitive statewide year in 2018 for Secretary of State. We came very close, and we are back at that again where we have all open races, we have recruited great candidates, and they are running alongside Dr. Acton and Sherrod Brown. And these are important offices. The Secretary of State, of course, so important. Ohio, you know, [there is] a lot of talk about how we're a red state. We're really a rigged state, and we have a lot of work to do to protect voting rights and clean up laws that have been put on the books, policies that have been in place to make voting harder. And again, you know how important a Supreme Court is for protecting the work that's done by the governor and the legislature. So a lot at stake.
Friends, I know I am coming to you everyday with new opportunities to invest in our success this November** but I want to make a special plea for Ohio today.** Republicans are spending incredible amounts of money there; it is clear they’ve decided to do whatever it takes; routing the Rs in Vance’s home state will be an important blow to MAGA; defeating arguably the most corrupt state Republican leadership in the country is a righteous act; and finally, the polling shows that we have an opportunity to make extraordinary downballot gains that will fundamentally change the political orientation of what was for many decades the most important battleground state in the country.
If you want to help us win Ohio this November you can do so by contributing to our ** Winning Ohio Fund** which splits your contribution three ways among Sherrod Brown for U.S. Senate, Dr. Amy Acton for Governor, and the Ohio Democratic Party. Can you dig deep one more time peeps? This is an important one.
Enjoy this interview with one of our most important state party chairs in the country, share it with others, hit like so more will see it, consider supporting our Winning Ohio campaign today, and keep working hard all. For we have a country to save, and elections like these in Ohio to win this November, together! - Simon
Kathleen Clyde is a proven leader and lifelong fighter for Ohio Democrats. Before becoming Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, Kathleen served as Senior Director of the RISE Together Innovation Institute, a Columbus-based nonprofit focused on advancing racial and economic justice.
Kathleen served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018, representing a competitive district in Portage County for four terms. She then served as Portage County Commissioner from 2018 to 2020 and ran for Ohio Secretary of State in 2018, raising over $3.15 million and outperforming the top of the Democratic ticket. In 2022, she stepped up to run for a deep-red Statehouse seat and came within 2.4 points of unseating the incumbent in a district Governor DeWine won by 24 points.
From her early days as a staffer on the 2004 Kerry campaign to co-chairing President Biden’s 2020 Ohio campaign—where she was recognized as one of the DNC’s “Rising Stars”—Kathleen has built deep relationships across the state and nationally. She has raised over $4 million across her own campaigns, breaking fundraising records and earning the trust of labor unions, grassroots activists, and major donors.
As an operative, candidate, and elected official, Kathleen has spent her entire career on Ohio’s political frontlines without compromising on the progressive values that center working families and diverse communities. She’s ready to lead with integrity, strategy, and full-time dedication to building a strong, inclusive, and winning Ohio Democratic Party.
