Trump wins presidency again

Republican Donald Trump was elected as the 47th U.S. president early Wednesday, with a win in Wisconsin pushing him over the line to secure the needed 270 electoral votes. In state after state, Trump outperformed what he did in the 2020 election while Harris failed to do as well as Joe Biden did in winning the presidency four years ago. Upon taking office again, Trump will work with a Senate that will now be in Republican hands, while control of the House was not clear as of midday Wednesday. While winning a decisive victory in the national election, former President Donald Trump won about 55% of the vote in Ohio, versus about 44% for Kamala Harris. Here's how other federal, state and local races fared: Kaptur secures narrow victory? U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, apparently has won a thrilling re-election victory by a narrow margin, although her opponent isn't conceding yet. If the win holds up, it would be a rare example of good news for Ohio Democrats. Trump carried Ohio by a wide margin, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, lost to Republican Bernie Moreno, and Democrats lost three Ohio Supreme Court races. Kaptur led in the early returns over her Republican opponent, state Rep. Derek Merrin, R-Monclova Township, fell behind Merrin at one point Tuesday night and then edged ahead as more returns came in from Lucas County. Final unofficial results posted on the Ohio Secretary of State's website showed that Kaptur won 176,228 votes, about 48.1%; Merrin got 175,035, 47.8%, while Libertarian Tom Pruss got 14,799, about 4%. On X, Merrin indicated he is waiting for the final official tally. "Our team is working to ensure every vote is properly counted so an accurate tally can be determined," he wrote. "There are thousands of provisional ballots left to be counted & absentee ballots still to be delivered. We are beyond grateful to every supporter as we navigate this process." Merrin's caution seems prudent given the narrowness of his apparent defeat, but Democrats say Kaptur won. The chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (a Washington Democrat who won re-election Tuesday) said, "Congratulations to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, a proven champion for the Midwest who has spent her career standing up to special interests and making sure the government works for working people." Kaptur also released a statement after the results finally came in. "Tonight, the people of Ohio's 9th District have spoken, and I am deeply grateful for the trust they have placed in me to continue fighting for working families, creating good-paying jobs, protecting healthcare for everyone, and securing Social Security and Medicare so Ohioans can retire with dignity," Kaptur said. Here are some other noteworthy results of Tuesday's election, races that mostly weren't as close as Marcy Kaptur's. See the Ohio Secretary of State's website if you want more details. Sherrod Brown loses U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, got about 46% of the vote Tuesday night, so he did better than Kamala Harris. But he still lost to Republican Bernie Moreno, who won a little over 50%. (The Libertarian candidate, Don Kissick, took about 3% of the vote.) Note that Ohio will soon have not just one, but two new Republican U.S. senators. U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance is about to become vice president, so Gov. Mike DeWine will need to appoint a replacement. Democrats lose top judicial races Republicans Megan Shanahan, Joseph Deters and Daniel Hawkins all won their Ohio Supreme Court races. That means that Democrats Michael Donnelly, Melody Stewart and Lisa Forbes all lost, and none of the races were really close. Ohio Republicans have tightened their grip on the Ohio Supreme Court from 4-3 to 6-1 by ousting two incumbent Democratic justices and winning a third, open seat, the Associated Press projects based on unofficial results. Results remain unofficial until they are certified by local county boards of elections and the Ohio Secretary of State. The Ohio Supreme Court will rule on a variety of issues that affect the daily lives of Ohioans ranging from education and environmental issues to gerrymandering and elections to civil and reproductive rights. The state's highest court has been under Republican control since 1986 and Republicans currently have a 4-3 majority that will increase to 6-1 starting in 2025. GOP candidates win legislative races State Rep. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, and state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, both carried Erie County and won re-election. State Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery, also won another term. Republican Kellie Deeter won her Ohio House District 54 race for a district that includes Norwalk and part of Lorain County. She'll replace state Rep. Dick Stein, R-Norwalk, who left because of term limits. GOP conquers Erie County Republican county commissioners Matt Old and Pat Shenigo won re-election by wide margins. Republican Caleb Stidham won re-election as treasurer, and Republicans swept other county offices: Craig Hecht was elected clerk of courts, Eric Dodrill will become the new county engineer and Nic Smith will be the new county recorder. Judge Robert DeLamatre, who presides over juvenile court, kept his seat. The mental health board levy won. Issue 1 loses The latest attempt to overhaul redistricting in Ohio and end gerrymandering got about 46% of the vote and therefore lost. The outcome marked a defeat for the group Citizens Not Politicians, a bipartisan coalition that proposed Issue 1 as an alternative after seven straight sets of legislative and congressional maps produced under the existing setup were found to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor Republicans. Leading GOP officials, including Gov. Mike DeWine, joined forces against Issue 1, arguing the new commission was flawed and unaccountable. DeWine has vowed to pursue his own alternative next year. Editor's note: The Associated Press and Ohio Capital Journal contributed to this story