Democrat Emilia Sykes wins reelection for Ohio’s 13th District

Incumbent Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH) is projected to win reelection against Republican challenger Kevin Coughlin in the state’s competitive 13th Congressional District. The Associated Press called the race in favor of Kaptur at 2:53 p.m. EST.

FiveThirtyEight gave Sykes a relatively modest 80% chance of winning. The freshman lawmaker won former Rep. Tim Ryan’s (D) seat after his failed Senate run in 2022 in an area that has frequently hosted competitive elections. Unlike her predecessor, she has been more proactively supportive of reproductive rights.

Coughlin has made numerous gaffes and missteps in his fight for the congressional seat. He said during a February forum that “anyone with eyes” wants to cut Social Security and Medicare, accepted thousands from lobbyists opposed to railroad safety and environmental regulations and called abortion “yesterday’s news” during a college Republican visit. Business Insider reporting also revealed that he called himself a “homophobe” over 30 years ago, and Heartland Signal reporting showed that he exclusively lobbied for staunch anti-abortion politicians in 2022.