Democrat Shontel Brown Wins Ohio’s 11th Congressional District: Projections

Democratic candidate Shontel Brown waves to voters at the Bedford community Center, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Bedford Heights, Ohio. Brown is running for Ohio's 11th Congressional District. AP Photo/Tony Dejak

Shontel Brown won a seat in Congress, according to projections from a special election in Ohio.

Former coal executive Mike Carey, a Republican, appeared on track to win a race to fill the vacancy created when former Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) retired from representing Ohio’s 15th Congressional District. Brown, the chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, was projected by race trackers to win the race for a seat left vacant when former Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) joined President Joe Biden’s administration.

Fudge is the secretary of housing and urban development.

Brown, also a Cuyahoga County Council member, was projected to win the race to represent Ohio’s 11th Congressional District.

Brown trumped Republican candidate Laverne Gore, according to the projections. She previously beat former state Sen. Nina Turner in the Democratic primary race.

Both Carey and Brown will hold their seats for about 13 months unless they win reelection in the 2022 midterms. The separate wins mean Democrats won’t see their slim majority in the House of Representatives weakened.

Brown reacted to the apparent win on Twitter, posting a photograph that says, “Thank you, OH-11!”

Laverne Gore, Republican candidate for the Ohio 11th District U.S. congressional seat, smiles during a campaign stop at a Summit County Republican Party get-together in Stow, Ohio, on Oct. 27, 2021. Phil Long/AP Photo

Gore conceded late Tuesday, thanking supporters.

“We have problems in #OH11 & I will not be the leader to bring solutions as your Congresswoman,” she wrote on social media.

Brown received support from Biden and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the third-ranking Democrat in the House.

Brown ran on raising wages, helping bring more jobs to the district, and bolstering the public education system.

She also promised to try to combat shootings, with plans including requiring universal background checks for all gun sales and banning sales to anyone convicted of a hate crime or domestic violence.