LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — Democratic challenger Carolyn White defeated Republican incumbent Jeff Riddell by more than 10 points in the race for a Lorain County commissioner seat on Tuesday night.
It was a victory some believe was bolstered by debate over high-tech development, labor and finances.
On Wednesday afternoon, many Lorain County voters said kitchen table issues were top of mind heading into the election.
"The most important thing to me this election was definitely the schools," Lorain County voter Grace Thomas said.
Fellow voter Aidan Wood said, "Local transportation is a big thing I'm passionate about, especially ViaLC.”
"Everything affects the way that I vote," added Lorain County voter Marqray Hill.
White said she believes voters wanted change.
"They didn't feel heard, they didn't feel valued," she told News 5 Wednesday.
Unofficial election results show voters favored White 54% to Riddell’s 43%. Write-in candidate independent Andrew Lipian earned about 2.6% of the vote.
RELATED: 3 candidates vying for Lorain County Commission seat
With the victory, White will become the first African American woman to hold the position. She said it was an honor to make history in that way, but it was not a motivating factor.
White believes several things resonated with voters, including her conversations in rural corners of the county, where she said voters felt their lifestyles were under threat.
"[They told me], ‘They're trying to take that away from us and we don't want these data centers out here,’" she said.
In New Russia Township, voters chose White 57% to Riddell's 37%. On the campaign trail, she pledged to dig into plans for a controversial mega site there.
RELATED: Opposition grows for Lorain County mega site
Leaders have previously said they don't plan to put a data center at the location, but some neighbors have worried it could open the door to a high-tech boom.
"Where they're building these data centers, people live there. I've heard the noise. Noise pollution is a big concern," said Lorain County voter Ryan Bell.
White hopes to create a task force to study the implications of high-tech development, such as data centers.
Another prominent flashpoint this election cycle has been an ongoing labor dispute between the county and Lorain County Job and Family Services (JFS) workers.
RELATED: Lorain County JFS workers mark 6 months on strike
"I promised them, as commissioner, I would do my best to at least get them back to the table," White said.
News 5 also spoke with Riddell by phone. He believes JFS union support of White likely influenced the election outcome.
He said he was encouraged to receive about the same number of votes as he did in his 2022 victory. At least 13,000 more Lorain County voters cast ballots this midterm.
Riddell will finish out his term and complete planning for the 2027 budget, and then he said he's willing to help with the transition.
Voters said they hope whoever holds the office has their best interests in mind.
"I just wanted my vote to count," Bell said.
Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
