Local, state house elections take shape for 2026 for Lorain County voters

The 2026 local, state and national election slate in Lorain County is starting to take shape, as several veteran Democratic lawmakers have announced they will seek seats in the Ohio House and Senate and on the county Board of Commissioners. Among the familiar names are former state representative and Democratic county commissioner Matt Lundy, who is running for the 53rd Ohio House District seat currently held by state Rep. Joe Miller, D-Amherst, who can't run again due to term limits. Miller himself is launching a bid for the Ohio Senate, to replace incumbent state Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, who is running for the Ohio House seat his mother currently holds. Brian Baker, a Brownhelm Township Democrat, is running for county commissioner for the seat held by Republican Jeff Riddell. Meanwhile, Lorain County Republicans will field a challenger, Elaine Seguin to county Auditor Craig Snodgrass, a Democrat. The complete field of candidates won't be known for another three months. Feb. 4 is the deadline for candidates to file petitions to run in the May 5 primary election, according to the Ohio secretary of state. Ohio 53rd House District An Avon Lake resident, Lundy served four two-year terms as a state representative from 2006 to 2014. He went on to serve two four-year terms as Lorain County commissioner from 2014 to 2022, when he was defeated by Riddell. "We're living in a chaotic world right now, and I believe residents want moderate and responsible leadership," Lundy said. "And I believe I've demonstrated that as commissioner. I tried to be the voice of reason during sometimes dramatic times in the county." He said he has missed public service, and Columbus politicians "have been cutting funds for education, our libraries and communities for too long." "And I'll continue to stand up to them and fight for our families in Lorain County," Lundy said. Lundy said he will leave his current job as outreach coordinator for the Grafton Midview Public Library ahead of next year's election campaign. He said he was a "big advocate for libraries" when he was a legislator. "I enjoy where I work and appreciate the people here," he said. "You couldn't ask for a more professional group of people." Lundy also was a safety service director for Elyria under former mayor Frank Whitfield, an Avon Lake City councilman and a longtime TV news journalist. His primary challenger is expected to be Dan Nutt, a Democrat who is 4th Ward representative on Lorain City Council who announced his candidacy last month. The district includes Amherst, Avon Lake, Lorain, Sheffield Lake, Sheffield and part of Sheffield Township. Ohio Senate District 13 Miller is term-limited out of his Ohio House seat, and is running instead for the seat currently held by Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville. (Nathan Manning has announced plans to run for the state House seat occupied by his mother, Gayle Manning, R-Avon. Both cannot run again for their respective seats due to term limits.) Miller declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday night other than to say he'd make an official campaign announcement on Monday. Miller and Baker are inviting supporters to a campaign kickoff from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at Bricklayers Hall, 8497 Leavitt Road in South Amherst. Donations are welcome but not required. Make reservations by emailing Rachel@RedfernRossi.com or calling (614) 284-9126. Special guests for the evening are expected to include Democratic former U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan and former Ohio House Minority Leader and Allison Russo, current Democratic candidate for secretary of state. "This event is about unity, community and our shared vision for the future of Ohio," said a statement from Miller accompanying the event announcement. "We're building momentum to bring real results for working families." County commissioner Baker is running his second campaign for commissioner. Riddell, who was elected in 2022, has said he will not run for a second four-year term when his current term ends next year. A message seeking comment was left for Baker on Thursday. "Lorain County deserves leaders who will listen, act and deliver," Baker said in the news release accompanying his campaign kickoff event. "This campaign is about doing what's right for our residents and communities." Baker ran for commissioner in 2024 but was defeated by incumbent Commissioner David Moore, a Republican. County auditor Republican Elaine Seguin, currently the president of the Elyria Board of Education, is running for the seat occupied by longtime county Auditor Craig Snodgrass, a Democrat, for that post. An Elyria Township resident, Seguin is a certified public accountant, small-business owner and married mother of two, according to her campaign website. She currently is in her second term on the Elyria Board of Education. Her campaign website is SeguinForAuditor.com. Appointed to the job in 2013, Snodgrass has been elected to the job three times since then. He also is a certified public accountant. Snodgrass said Thursday he "absolutely" intends to run again for a fourth full term."I love what I do and look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of our county," he said. The county auditor appraises property values, assesses property taxes, manages county finances, pays the county's bills, manages payroll and maintains financial records. Ohio 52nd House District Graig Bansek, superintendent of the Columbia Schools, announced Monday he is running as a Democrat for Ohio House District 52, a seat currently held by Gayle Manning.He will face Mike Baker in the Democratic primary. Mike Baker announced his campaign for the seat in March. District 52 includes Elyria as well as Avon, North Ridgeville and Amherst and Elyria townships. Save for Nathan Manning, no other Republican candidates have officially announced in the race. Ohio's 5th U.S. Congressional District Democrat Daniel Burket, a Democrat from Findlay in Hancock County, is running for the seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green. Burket filed a statement of candidacy on Tuesday, according to the Federal Elections Commission. Latta's expected Republican primary challenger is Erica Kelley, a nurse. Her campaign website is Erica4Congress.org. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.