43
Republican Don Manning is the official winner in the 59th Ohio House race
Ungaro says he has no plans for recount but hasn’t ruled it out
YOUNGSTOWN
Democrat Eric Ungaro made it a little closer in the final tally, but Republican Don Manning is the state representative-elect in the 59th Ohio House District.
Manning, of New Middletown, was certified Tuesday by the Mahoning County Board of Elections as the winner in the race. He takes office Jan. 1.
Manning was ahead by 409 votes, 0.78 of a percent, on Nov. 6, Election Day.
With all votes counted – including provisional and late absentees – Manning won by 375 votes, 0.7 of a percent. The final tally was 26,628 for Manning and 26,253 for Ungaro.
Ungaro, of Poland, said he has no plans to pay for a recount but hasn’t ruled it out entirely.
“A recount is not going to change the results,” he said.
An automatic recount would have taken place if Ungaro’s defeat was 0.5 of a percent or less.
It was the only Democratic-held seat in Ohio to flip Republican. Democrat John Boccieri of Poland serves in the position but gave it up to unsuccessfully run for the open 33rd Ohio Senate District seat. Boccieri lost to Republican Michael Rulli of Salem in the only state Senate race in Ohio to go from Democrat to Republican.
Ungaro said he regretted not fighting back against mail sent by the Ohio Republican Party to voters in the district that called him “an entitled insider” and that “he and his family are tied to the corrupt, rigged system that has failed the Mahoning Valley for decades. Time to reject more of the same.”
Ungaro labeled the campaign mail as “lies” and said, “I got my head kicked in with the negative stuff. I should have at least responded to it.”
Manning said the state party was responsible for the anti-Ungaro mail.
But he added: “Do I believe that [the Democratic] Party has a history of being corrupt and the same old names being recycled? Yes, I agree with that.”
Manning said he’s excited that the results are final and that he’s been busy visiting township trustees and village council members in the 59th District. He was in Columbus on Tuesday for orientation for incoming Ohio House members.
The election certification didn’t change the outcome of any races.
That included a Canfield city charter amendment to lengthen the terms for council members from two years to four years. On Election Day, the proposal was winning by 35 votes, 0.9 of a percent.
With all votes counted, it passed by 44 votes, 1.1 percent.
In Trumbull County, the elections board certified the general election results Tuesday with no change in the outcome of any of the races or issues compared to Election Night.
That included the closest of the issues, a 3.5-mill additional Hubbard Township police and emergency medical service levy.
It failed by 16 votes – 1,127 to 1,111 votes – but that was not close enough for an automatic recount.