There’s a four-way primary for the Ohio Supreme Court on Republican ballots on Tuesday. The candidate who wins that contest goes on to the fall race against the state’s lone Democrat in elected office.
Vying for the Republican nomination for Supreme Court are three appeals court judges and a former Franklin County judge: Fifth District Court of Appeals judge Andrew King, Ninth District Court of Appeals judge Jill Flagg Lanzinger, Second District Court of Appeals judge Ronald Lewis and former Franklin County Common Pleas judge and former immigration judge Colleen O’Donnell.
The Ohio Republican Party didn’t endorse a candidate. King had asked last year that his name be removed from consideration for an endorsement because of concerns about party unity.
King's website does tout endorsements from the Buckeye Firearms Association and several Republican officials. He wasn't officially endorsed by President Trump, though his ad describes him as "the pro-Trump constitutional conservative for Supreme Court judge.”
Lewis’ ad touts his endorsement from Gov. Mike DeWine, who said in it: “Ron Lewis is a constitutional concern of a no nonsense judge."
Lanzinger is endorsed by Ohio Right to Life’s political action committee, as are the other three candidates in the race. And also like the other candidates, she pushes herself as a constitutional conservative, saying, “I believe in preserving and protecting our Constitution."
Lanzinger is also endorsed by Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski, who drew national attention with a social media post in 2024, calling for addresses of supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign so undocumented immigrants could be sent to stay at their houses. O’Donnell is also endorsed by a sheriff with controversial views on immigration and his partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE: Richard Jones of Butler County. He said in the ad: "Colleen O'Donnell was an immigration judge. She never granted asylum one time."
This is the third statewide election where Ohio Supreme Court candidates will be listed by party affiliation. Before the law that required partisan labeling passed in 2021, Ohio was the only state where candidates for the highest court ran in partisan primaries but without party labels in the general election, though they were typically featured on Republican or Democratic slate cards.
One of those who spoke out against that change was Republican former Supreme Court justice Paul Pfeifer, who said in a committee hearing in 2021 that he had suspicions about the timing of the change.
“In the last two go rounds on Supreme Court races, Democrats prevailed and three out of the four and the Republicans run the state headquarters are embarrassed by that," Pfeifer said.
But one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. DJ Swearingen (R-Huron) said changing the law only made sense.
“Given the fact that they've already been receiving endorsements from parties, a number of resources from parties, and are still able to act in a manner that's impartial and fair, we don't believe that adding an R or a D on the ballot to inform the voter of the reality of the circumstances is going to change all that much," Swearingen said.
In this Republican primary, half of the field already has a connection to the Ohio Supreme Court. Lanzinger is related through marriage to Republican former Justice Judith Lanzinger, and O’Donell is the daughter of Republican former justice Terrence O’Donnell.
The winner will go on to the general election to face Justice Jennifer Brunner, the only Democrat in elected statewide office in Ohio. Republican Justice Pat Fischer had said he’d run for the opportunity to face his colleague Brunner, because he’ll be 70 when his own seat come up again for re-election in 2028 and legally banned from running again, but dropped out in August.