TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Democratic state Rep. Rep. Emilia Sykes won a competitive U.S. House seat in Ohio on Tuesday, topping a conservative commentator endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Sykes, a former Ohio House Democratic leader and the daughter of a powerful political family in northeast Ohio, defeated Madison Gesiotto Gilbert in a newly redrawn district considered a toss-up.
Both parties put a priority on winning the district, which slightly favored President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Sykes, from Akron, positioned herself for the run when she stepped down last year after three years as leader of the Ohio House Democratic caucus. During her Statehouse tenure, Sykes was often mentioned as a possible candidate for higher office. Both of her parents served in the state legislature.
Gilbert is a conservative commentator and a former Miss Ohio USA who worked on Trump’s 2016 inauguration committee and helped lead Women for Trump during his reelection bid.
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The story has been updated to correct that Gibbs decided to retire this year.
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John Seewer, The Associated Press
