DAYTON — UPDATE @ 11:45 p.m. (April 28): Willis Blackshear Jr. has won the race to replace former House Minority Leader Fred Strahorn for the House 39th District seat.
[ Ohio Primary election results ]
Blackshear, an outreach specialist with the Montgomery County Auditor’s office and son of former County Recorder Willis Blackshear Sr., won easily Tuesday in the Ohio Primary.
He won 69% of the vote (5,292) over Jo'el Jones (20% of the vote with 1,574 ballots cast) and Walter Hickman Jr., who captured just 10% of the vote (779).
Late Tuesday night, Blackshear issued the following statement:
“The people of Dayton and Jefferson Township have decided to pass the torch to the next generation of leadership -- and I’m so honored that they’ve chosen me to carry the torch for them as their Democratic nominee.
"From the very beginning, I said I want to be the kind of leader who listens and responds to the concerns of those I represent. Someone who works hard to find solutions to problems that will help Dayton residents have a better quality of life.
"Following last year’s tornadoes, the mass shooting, and now the current health crisis - our community has been confronted with its share of difficult challenges. I am ready to face those challenges. I am ready to lead.
"As we move onto the general election, here’s my pitch: I am ready to fight for the people of the 39th District, and I will be a strong voice for our community in Columbus.
This year’s election is too important to sit out - so I will work to earn every vote in the 39th District, and I will work alongside my fellow candidates and activists to ensure a Democratic victory this November.”
Strahorn stepped down in January 2019, following a vote for House speaker in which more than two-thirds of his caucus went against his advice and backed Rep. Larry Householder.
The move ends a four-year run as leader for Strahorn, D-Dayton, who oversaw a difficult 2016 election but rebounded in 2018 to net five seats for his caucus, now mired in a 61-38 minority. Democrats in late November re-elected Strahorn as leader, but that was before the caucus was pushed into the forefront of the Republican speaker’s fight.