August 29, 2022
Can This Teenage Democrat Win in Ohio?
By Lisa Herforth-Hebbert
Sam Lawrence is a college student running for the Ohio House of Representatives, modeling his campaign after Tim Ryan and Pete Buttigieg.
By Zurie Pope
The Democratic Party spent the past decade watching in horror as Ohio, once considered a battleground state, turned reliably red. Donald Trump won the state in both 2016 and 2020, and his influence—along with interest groups like the Center for Christian Virtue—has only pushed the Ohio GOP further right. Since 2011, Republicans have held the governor’s office, the House, and the Senate, and extreme gerrymandering could soon cement conservative control.
Now, the Ohio Dems have turned to an unlikely candidate to unseat a Republican incumbent. Sam Lawrence is a 19-year-old sophomore at Miami University and is running for the Ohio House of Representatives in District 47. After winning an uncontested primary in August, he will face an opponent three times his age in November’s midterm election.
Fortunately for Lawrence, some of the biggest names in the state’s Democratic politics have already endorsed him, including the Ohio House minority whip Jessica Miranda, progressive radio host Thom Hartmann, and House minority leader Allison Russo. Last year, Lawrence worked as an intern on Russo’s congressional campaign for the 15th District’s special election. “Young does not always equal inexperienced,” Lawrence said in an interview with Miami University’s student newspaper in March. “I know Ohio’s politics. I know Ohio’s big players, and I’ve already started making connections.”
