Jay Edwards (politician)

Jay Edwards
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 94th district
In office
January 3, 2017 – January 6, 2025
Preceded byDebbie Phillips
Succeeded byKevin Ritter
Personal details
BornNelsonville, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationOhio University (BS)

Jay Edwards is an American politician who served as a state representative in the Ohio House of Representatives for the 94th District from 2017-2025. He is a Republican. Edwards additionally served as the Majority Whip of the Ohio House.

Life and career

Edwards was born and raised in Nelsonville, Ohio, where he graduated from Nelsonville-York High School. After high school he attended nearby Ohio University on a football scholarship, where he studied mathematics. Edwards is a licensed realtor, and recently begun work in medical sales within the drug treatment market.[1]

Ohio House of Representatives

In 2016, Representative Debbie Phillips was term-limited and ineligible to run for a fifth term.[2] A Democrat, Phillips had only faced one serious election in her four terms, in 2014, where she won by just over 100 votes. However, despite Athens County, the largest in the district, being considered reliably Democratic, Republicans had historically seen success in winning the district prior to Phillips' taking the seat.[3] Democrats nonetheless fielded Sarah Grace, a small-business owner from Athens who was a newcomer to politics and a liberal. Despite being considered the favorite, Edwards raised considerable money, albeit not without controversy.[4] In the end, in what was a very good year for Republicans, Edwards defeated Grace by a 58% to 42% margin, taking the seat.[5]

Edwards is the first Republican to hold the seat since Jimmy Stewart held the seat from 2003 to 2008.[6]

In 2018, Edwards defeated Democrat Taylor Sappington to retain the seat.[7]

In the 2020 general election, Edwards faced Democrat Katie O'Neill.[8]

Electoral history

Election results
Year Office Election Votes for Edwards % Opponent Party Votes %
2016 Ohio House of Representatives General 28,649 57.80% Sarah Grace Democratic 20,897 42.20%
2018 General 23,562 58.29% Taylor Sappington Democratic 16,855 41.71%
2020 General 31,584 60.4% Katie O’Neil Democratic 20,719 39.6%
2022 General 22,190 61.2% Tanya Conrath Democratic 14,084 38.8%

References

  1. ^ "Jay Edwards biography". Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  2. ^ "Sarah Grace outraises Jay Edwards after trailing him prior to primary". Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  3. ^ "Political parties contributed big-time in Ohio House race". 21 December 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  4. ^ DeWitt, David (14 December 2016). "House Dems drop election complaint against Jay Edwards". Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  5. ^ "Jay Edwards wins Ohio's 94th district". Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  6. ^ "Edwards takes Ohio's 94th District seat - The New Political". The New Political. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  7. ^ "Rep. Edwards re-elected to Ohio Statehouse". Athens Messenger. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Meet the Candidate: State Rep. 94th District". The Daily Sentinel. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.