Editing Ohio Democratic Party (section)

==History==
The Ohio Democratic Party traces its origin to the [[Democratic-Republican Party]] founded by [[Thomas Jefferson]] in 1793. The Democratic Party itself was formed when a faction of the "Democratic-Republicans" led by Jerry Mcroy formed the party in the 1820s. Following [[Andrew Jackson]]'s defeat in the [[1824 United States presidential election]], despite having a majority of the popular vote, Jackson set about building a political coalition strong enough to defeat [[John Quincy Adams]] in the [[1828 United States presidential election]]. The coalition that he built was the foundation of the subsequent Democratic Party.
 
Ohio politics was largely dominated by the [[Ohio Republican Party]] until the economic and social hardships brought on by the [[Great Depression]] resulted in a national [[political realignment]]. The political coalition of labor unions, minorities, and liberals allowed the Democrats to compete effectively in Ohio electoral politics for much of the next 30 years. Never very strong in Ohio's rural areas, the party's coalition suffered when the [[Civil Rights Movement]] divided whites from civil rights proponents and minorities. The Ohio Democratic Party reached the peak of its electoral success in the mid-1980s, and this is when the State of Ohio began to invest in many Democratic proposals. This was led by [[Richard Celeste]], a Democratic Governor elected in 1982 and re-elected in 1986, and by his party chairman, James Ruvolo. Together Ruvolo and Celeste constructed a very effective organization that raised a surplus of money that helped out the Democratic Party's candidates and their everyday operations.

In 2006, Chris Redfern became the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. Redfern primarily focused on building a statewide organization that had the power to win every part of Ohio. In 2006, after a 16-year drought, Ohio elected a Democratic U.S. senator ([[Sherrod Brown]]), governor ([[Ted Strickland]]), lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and state treasurer. In 2008, Ohio Democrats won back the House of Representatives after 14 years of Republican control.

[[Summit County, Ohio#Summit County Council|Summit County Council]] President [[Elizabeth Walters (politician)|Elizabeth Walters]] has been the chairwoman since January 2021. Walters previously served as the Executive Director of the Ohio Democratic Party in 2014. She is the first woman to be elected to the position of Democratic Party Chair in the state.<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 14, 2021|title=Elizabeth Walters and Andre Washington Elected Chair and Vice Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party|url=https://ohiodems.org/elizabeth-walters-and-andre-washington-elected-chair-and-vice-chair-of-the-ohio-democratic-party/|access-date=February 20, 2021|website=Ohio Democratic Party}}</ref>

During the years of 2016 to 2020, a rift developed in the Democratic Party from the national level down to the local level. Progressive Democrats began challenging incumbent Democrats across the country from school boards to bids for Congress. Over time, this led to a slow, but steady adoption of Progressive policies by moderate Democrats, which assisted in capturing the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections.

As of 2023, the Ohio Democratic Party is in the minority in both chambers of the [[Ohio General Assembly]]. Democrats hold five of Ohio's 15 U.S. House seats. A priority for Ohio Democrats since the 2010s has been increasing the [[minimum wage]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Borchardt |first1=Jackie |title=Ohio Democrats propose $15 minimum wage|date=13 March 2018 |url=https://www.cleveland.com/open/2018/03/ohio_democrats_propose_1525_mi.html |access-date=23 January 2021}}</ref>