Please visit our main website for fun facts, history, and detailed profiles about women running for public office in Ohio.
The BW Center for Women & Politics of Ohio is a nonpartisan public resource dedicated to telling the stories of the remarkable and diverse women who have run for office in Ohio, collecting data on women candidates, and providing undergraduates with the opportunity to engage in original research.
Bobbie Arnold, a transgender woman, ran for Ohio House District 40 as a Democrat. Arnold legally changed her name in 2021 and, as a result, had to navigate a complex legal challenge to her candidacy, due to an obscure Ohio election law that required candidates to list any name changes within the past five years on their election petitions. Despite initial concerns and a review requested by Montgomery County prosecutors, the Montgomery County Board of Elections ultimately affirmed Arnold's candidacy. The board's decision came after its director, Jeff Rezabek, recommended no action be taken against Arnold's petitions. Rezabek noted that the individuals who signed Arnold's petitions were not misled about her identity or the position she was seeking. Arnold herself was unaware of the legal requirement regarding name changes. She explained that, had she known about the law, she would have included her former name on the petition to run. She ultimately lost the election to incumbent Republican Rodney Creech.
Arienne Childrey, a transgender woman and retail worker, ran for the Ohio House District 84 as a Democrat. Her political candidacy was born out of frustration with the legislative efforts targeting transgender individuals, including those by the district's incumbent representative, Angela King. Initially, Childrey's candidacy was challenged by Mercer County Republican Party Chair Robert Hibner, based on the same Ohio election law used to challenge Arnold. However, the Mercer County Board of Elections decided in Childrey’s favor. The board invalidated Hibner's protest because he lacked standing: as a registered Republican, Hibner was not a qualified elector within the Democratic Party and therefore could not challenge a Democratic candidate's petition. When asked about potentially using her old name, Childrey stated, "Having to use your deadname is horrible. It is an attack on who we are. But would I have put it down because the goal to me is more important than my personal pride? Hell yes, I would have … If you're going to talk about us and make laws about us, then you're going to have to compete with us." While she lost to King, Childrey pledged to continue running for public office in the future.
Ari Faber, a 29-year-old Democratic candidate and director of an interfaith nonprofit, ran for Ohio Senate District 30. Faber has lived as a man for 9 years and came out as transgender as a student at Ohio University in 2016. He was actively involved in lobbying the Statehouse on transgender issues, joining 500 others testifying in Columbus against a bill that would restrict transgender healthcare access for minors. He had not legally changed his name, so the Belmont County Board of Elections required him to run under his birth name, Iva Faber. During his campaign, Faber ran print advertisements using "Iva (Ari) Faber" while emphasizing his last name in campaign materials. He was concerned about potential voter confusion, explaining, "Iva is a completely different person than I am now." Similar to other transgender candidates running in 2024 in Ohio, Faber's campaign and the controversy over his name received national media attention, and Republican Governor Mike DeWine suggesting that Ohio’s deadname election law requirements should be amended to prevent transgender candidates from being excluded. While he ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, Faber lost the general election to Republican State Senator Brian Chavez.
BW students Hailey Devney (History) and Hannah Wetmore (Political Science) were selected to participate in NEW Leadership, a week-long residential program, May 19 - 23, 2024, at Ohio State's John Glenn College of Public Affairs, where they met with Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner and members of the Governor's Cabinet, including the Director of the Ohio Department of Development, Lydia Mihalik, and the Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Mary Mertz.
Hailey Devney had the opportunity to talk with Justice Brunner about the importance of public service: "When you leave this earth, all you have is what you have done for others."
Professor Barbara Palmer spoke about the inspiring history of women running for office in Ohio, and explained, "the only thing holding you back is you."
Jasmin Santana, Cleveland's First Latina City Coucil Woman, Says, "Don't Be Afraid to Be First."
"I hate politics ... but we needed someone at the table." Jasmin Santana was honored at the 2024 BW Women's Leadership Luncheon on March 20, 2024. Santana represents Ward 14, which is 48% Latino. She got her first taste of politics when she attended a training at BW on how to organize. A neighbor told her, "If you want to make a difference, you have to run." After being elected to the City Council, the first piece of legislation that she passed was to provide free feminine hygiene products in all city buildings.
Liana Gonzalez ('25), Madelyn Pyles ('23), and Christina Vitakis ('23) co-authored a paper with Professor Barbara Palmer that was presented at the Southern Political Science Association Annual Meeting in January, 2024, in New Orleans. With original data from over 6500 elections, the paper, entitled, "From City Councils to Congress: Where Are Women Elected to Public Office in Ohio," shows that women candidates are still a rarity across the state.
Professor Barbara Palmer Goes to Iceland
Barbara Palmer, Executive Director of the Center for Women and Politics of Ohio, attended the Reykjavik Global Forum in November of 2023, as part of a delegation of American women sponsored by Running Start. She met with women prime ministers, members of parliament, and leaders of non-profits from around the world. "It was an honor to learn from these inspirational leaders. I can't wait to share my experiences with my students."
Liana Gonzalez and Christina Vitakis, 2022-23 CWPO Undergraudate Research Fellows, published op-eds with Professor Barbara Palmer in The Cleveland Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com.
The number of women in the US Senate from Ohio out of 2.
The number of women in the US House from Ohio out of 15.
The number of women in State-Wide Executive Office in Ohio out of 6.
The number of women in the Ohio Statehouse out of 132 members.
The number of women of color in the Ohio Statehouse out of 132 members.
The number of Latinas elected in the entire history of the Ohio Statehouse.
The proportion of women who are County Comissioners.
The proportion of women who are County Recorders.
The proportion of women who are County Sherrifs.
The proportion of women serving on the Ohio State Supreme Court.
The proportion of women serving on the Ohio Courts of Appeals.
The proportion of women serving in the Courts of Common Pleas.
Since 2019, all 14 judges on the Summit County Court of Common Pleas have been women. The photo features the 10 women who serve on the general division.
Photo: © Karen Schiely – USA TODAY NETWORK
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Professor Barbara Palmer, PhD, is the Creator and Executive Director of the BW CWPO and can be reached at bpalmer@bw.edu.
