CINCINNATI — While there were few surprises during election night in Ohio, one race caught the attention of many after a longtime Republican representative lost his seat in southwest Ohio on Tuesday night. 


What You Need To Know

  • Rep. Steve Chabot has represented Ohio's 1st Congressional District since 1994 with the exception of a loss in 2008

  • On Tuesday night, he fell to Democrat Greg Landsman

  • Chabot said once his term ends in January, that will be the end of his run in Congress

Republican Rep. Steve Chabot, who was first elected to the state’s 1st Congressional District in 1994, conceded to Democrat Greg Landsman

And he doesn't plan to try to run again. 

“Thank you for being one of my loyal blog readers. This will be my last one,” Chabot wrote in a statement Wednesday. “I’ll turn 70 in January when my current term in Congress expires. It’s been a good run.”

Chabot won the 1st District every 13 of the previous 14 times he’d run, the lone exception being a loss in 2008 to State Rep. Steve Driehaus, 52% to 48%.

The last few years of elections had been different with most political experts pointing to the issue of redistricting. A major change happened in the district in 2018 when Ohio voters approved sweeping redistricting reforms with the goal of reducing gerrymandering and creating more competitive elections in congressional races.

The newly-drawn lines made the race even closer this year, but ultimately, Chabot said Landsman "won fair and square."

With 97% of precincts reporting as of Wednesday, Landsman garnered 52.5% of the votes compared to Chabot's 47.5%.

Prior to his move into Congress, Chabot served as a Cincinnati City Councilman and Hamilton County Commissioner for five years each. When he ran for Cincinnati City Council, he was 26 years old. 

Digital Reporter Casey Weldon contributed to this report.

 

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