About an hour after polls closed Tuesday evening, the New York Times called incumbent Democrat Emilia Sykes the winner of Ohio’s 13th Congressional District race.
Sykes delivered her victory speech in her hometown.
“This is a new experience, me coming out on the stage before midnight,” she said with a laugh from the Knight Stage at the Akron Civic Theatre shortly after 8:30 p.m. Sykes had just defeated Republican challenger Carey Coleman, a Northfield resident, radio host and meteorologist, according to unofficial results.
Sykes mentioned that the race was called by national media outlets within 25 minutes of the polls closing. “That was incredible, and that was a testament to all of the work that you all have done to make sure that they would not mess with a kid from Akron.”
In a room packed with supporters, civic leaders and fellow candidates on the day’s ballot, Sykes’ speech continued her campaign pledge to address an ongoing affordability crisis and highlighted her party’s excitement at early projections for a Democratic majority in the House.
“This is a sign of what is going to come all across the country, and I’m so excited that we get to celebrate, and we’re going to celebrate because we deserve it,” she said from downtown Akron. “You deserve so much better than what you receive with this current administration.”
Sykes’ acceptance speech segued into a performance of Tina Turner’s “Rolling on the River” by Ivy Johnson.
A ‘blue wave’ could shift control in Congress
Tuesday night’s early results may be the first of many new experiences for Sykes’ third term in Congress, as Democrats were projected to take the majority in the House and Senate.
By 10:15 p.m. Tuesday evening, Democrats had flipped the U.S. Senate seats in North and South Carolina, and their incumbents held on to seats from Virginia to Colorado, giving them an early lead according to unofficial results.
In the House, Democrats flipped seats in New Jersey, North Carolina, Kentucky and Pennsylvania and incumbents won key races in Florida and South Carolina to swing the chamber closer to the 218 seats needed for Democratic control.
A Democratic majority in the House would mean bills introduced by Sykes, and others in her party, could gain traction in the 120th Congress, rather than languishing as they have in prior cycles.
During her victory speech, Sykes referenced House races won in Florida and Virginia, alongside her home state, and predicted her party’s majority in 2027 and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York’s appointment to Speaker.
“That is the thing that I’m most excited for, because you deserve a government that works for you, the American people who get up every day, work hard, drive, care about their neighbors and just want a fair shot at life,” she said.
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Sykes previously served in the Ohio House of Representatives before being elected to the state’s 13th congressional district in 2022. Ohio’s 13th District includes portions of Portage and Stark counties and all of Summit County. The seat has been held by a Democrat since the mid-1970s.
A midcycle redistricting last year made the area more favorable toward Democrats. Sykes’ 2024 Republican challenger, Kevin Coughlin, withdrew from his party’s primary for the 2026 race after the maps were redrawn.
Last month, both Sykes and Coleman appeared at forums held by the Akron Press Club highlighting key campaign issues.
Sykes’ reelection focused on her work as part of the minority party in Congress, including introducing bills to mitigate harm to Medicaid and supplemental food benefits by President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. She also worked to address public corruption and place guardrails on artificial intelligence.
Sykes is currently part of a national effort to address housing needs announced by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York. The housing work group focuses on policy and legislative proposals to address housing shortages, curb rent hikes and homelessness and expand paths to homeownership.
Jeffries has already secured support from Sykes and other Democrats to become House speaker if Democrats sweep midterm elections, as some polls predict.
Coleman, as a political newcomer, focused his campaign on issues such as spurring employment opportunities in the Rubber City and local communities’ rights to oppose data centers. He, like Sykes, recognized a need for safeguards on artificial intelligence.
Coleman did not return requests for comment on Nov. 3.
