Incumbent Republican Representative Kevin Miller will maintain his seat in Ohio House District 69 – which encompasses parts of Licking, Fairfield and Perry counties – according to preliminary results from the Ohio Board of Elections.
Early results from the Associated Press show Miller earned 76.8% of the vote in Licking, Perry and Fairfield Counties. Miller ran against Democrat and political newcomer Jamie Hough, who received 23.2% of the vote. Miller did not respond to The Reporting Project’s request for comment immediately following the release of election results.
Miller initially took office in the 72nd District in June 2021, replacing Rep. Larry Householder, the former House Speaker ousted following a bribery and corruption scandal as well as federal RICO charges. The Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted new maps for house districts after the 2022 election, and Miller became the representative for the 69th district in January 2023.
Throughout his tenure, Miller said he has prioritized legislation that supports and protects law enforcement. Miller also co-sponsored myriad legislation, from a bill requiring schools to have sports teams for both boys and girls, as well as a bill that eliminates the spousal exception for sex crimes.
Hough described himself as “pro-family, pro-choice, pro-equality,” and said he ran to provide a voice for all Licking Countians. Hough said his priorities, had he won the race, would have been to invest money back into the county’s public schools, while ensuring quality health care, access to affordable housing and environmental protections.
Hough, who watched the election results from a Licking County Democratic Party event at West Church Social in Newark, shared he was excited to see democracy at work. Hough was pleased with the amount of young voters.
“I know we’ve tried everything we can. I wish we could’ve hit a few more houses in the rural areas. This is my first race. You have to be optimistic,” Hough said.
Yet after the preliminary election results were released Hough was disappointed, despite his original optimistic mindset.
“I’m disappointed and discouraged in Ohio. I fear for our future but we are gonna continue to fight,” Hough told The Reporting Project after preliminary election results were released.
Hough felt confident in his campaign and said it is likely he will run again.
“I wouldn’t do anything differently, maybe show up to a few more football games, maybe show up to a few more city council meetings. Honestly, I don’t know if that would have helped me that much,” Hough said.
To his supporters, Hough is appreciative.
“This whole campaign has been about them, it’s never been about me. We aren’t done fighting,” Hough said.
Noah Fishman and Ella Diehl write for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.