Four Candidates Vie for Two Ohio Supreme Court Seats
Justice Jennifer Brunner and Judge Marilyn Zayas are among the Democrats seeking seats on the state's highest court in the 2026 election.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Elections
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Should Ohio judicial candidates be listed with party affiliation on ballots?
Four candidates are running for two Ohio Supreme Court seats in the 2026 election. The races pit Justice Jennifer Brunner against former Franklin County judge Colleen O'Donnell, and First District Court of Appeals judge Marilyn Zayas against Justice Dan Hawkins.
Why it matters
Ohio Supreme Court decisions shape taxes, utility fees, insurance and business law, public records, and constitutional amendments. Since party labels were added to judicial races in 2021, Democrats have lost every Ohio supreme court race, making the outcome of these contests a question of partisan balance on the court.
Justices are elected to six-year terms, and the 2026 ballot places two seats on the court in contests where party affiliation now appears next to candidate names. Ohio added party labels to appellate and supreme court races in 2021, and no Democrat has won a supreme court race since.
The players
Jennifer Brunner
Brunner is a Democratic Ohio Supreme Court justice and the only Democrat currently holding statewide elected office in Ohio, and she lost her 2022 bid for chief justice to Sharon Kennedy.
Marilyn Zayas
Zayas is a Democratic judge on Ohio's First District Court of Appeals who lost a 2022 Ohio Supreme Court bid and would be the first Latina on the court if elected.
Dan Hawkins
Hawkins is a Republican Ohio Supreme Court justice whom Zayas is challenging for his seat.
Colleen O'Donnell
O'Donnell is a former Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge and the daughter of retired Ohio justice Terence O'Donnell.
The details
Brunner, the court's only Democrat currently holding statewide elected office in Ohio, faces O'Donnell, the daughter of retired justice Terence O'Donnell. Zayas, a Democrat, lost a 2022 supreme court bid and is now challenging Republican Justice Dan Hawkins; if she wins, she would be the first Latina on the Ohio Supreme Court.
Timeline
2016: Ohio voted for Donald Trump, the first of three presidential wins for him in the state.
2021: Ohio added party affiliation to appellate and supreme court candidate names.
2022: Republican Sharon Kennedy defeated Brunner for chief justice, and Zayas lost her supreme court bid.
November 2023: Ohio voters approved a reproductive rights amendment.
2026: Voters decide two Ohio Supreme Court seats in the November election.
Legal Context
Ohio's 2021 decision to add party affiliation to appellate and supreme court candidate names has been followed by Democratic losses in every supreme court race since. The 2026 contests will show whether that pattern holds as Ohio's Republican-leaning electorate, which voted for Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024, continues to shape court outcomes.
The outcome determines which party holds the majority on Ohio's highest court for the next six years, which in turn shapes rulings on taxes, utility fees, insurance, business law, and public records. Voters who care about those decisions should review each candidate's party label on the ballot.
The takeaway
Judicial races now carry party labels on the ballot, so voters can use those labels to understand how each candidate's party relates to the court's composition. Checking the candidates' records on taxes, insurance and public records before November can help clarify which outcomes matter most to you.
Further reading
Explore more Ohio Elections coverage for context on the state's judicial contests.
Live Poll
Should Ohio judicial candidates be listed with party affiliation on ballots?
