10/25/2026
# # # Tuscarawas County Political Landscape
Political analysis | October 25, 2026 | Nine days before the general election
# # # Executive overview
Tuscarawas County is a predominantly Republican county in statewide and federal elections, but its local political structure is more complicated than presidential voting results suggest.
The evidence points to five important characteristics:
* A substantial Republican electoral base. Republicans have increased their presidential voting margin in Tuscarawas County over the last several election cycles.
* A tradition of split-party county government. Democrats continue to hold certain important administrative offices despite Republican strength in federal and state contests.
* A local political system shaped by incumbency and professional relationships. County offices, party appointments, and experience in public administration remain important elements of local elections.
* Significant economic and governmental challenges. Property taxes, school funding, public services, manufacturing employment, and household affordability are important topics for county government.
* An election involving both continuity and change. The November 3, 2026 ballot includes a contested Auditor's race, a County Commissioner election, and tax questions affecting public services.
These are observations about the political environment, not predictions of election outcomes.
# # # 1\. How Tuscarawas County's politics have changed
Republican and Democratic presidential vote share
Sources: Historical county presidential results and the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections' 2024 official canvass.
Trump, 2024
# # # 30,652
71.2% of presidential votes
Harris, 2024
# # # 12,032
28.0% of presidential votes
The historical change is substantial. In 2008, Barack Obama carried Tuscarawas County narrowly. By 2024, Donald Trump carried the county by approximately 43 percentage points.
The county's political transformation therefore extends beyond a single election or candidate. It reflects a longer-term change in how residents vote in national elections.
An important distinction: A presidential vote is not necessarily a reliable measure of support for every county candidate or local tax proposal. Voters can make different choices depending on the office, qualifications, and issue involved.
# # # 2\. Who holds political power in Tuscarawas County?
The county does not have uniform one-party control of every office.
| Office | Officeholder | Party |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------- | ---------- |
| County Commissioner | Kristin Zemis | Republican |
| County Commissioner | Mitch Pace | Republican |
| County Commissioner | Greg Ress | Republican |
| County Auditor | Larry Lindberg | Democrat |
| Clerk of Courts | Wendy Clarke Jones | Democrat |
| County Treasurer | Matt Judy, appointed October 2026 | Democrat |
| County Recorder | Lori Gardner | Republican |
| Prosecuting Attorney | Scott Deedrick | Republican |
# # # The political significance
Republicans currently control all three County Commissioner seats. That places responsibility for the county's executive budgeting and many countywide administrative decisions with Republican officeholders.
Democrats, however, retain a presence in financial administration, court records, and other positions.
On October 23, 2026, local news reported that the Democratic Party had appointed Matt Judy to replace Jeff Mamarella as County Treasurer. Democrats also appointed Rachel Rothacher as Dover City Treasurer.
These developments demonstrate why local political control should be examined office by office rather than inferred entirely from national voting patterns.
# # # The political parties themselves
The Tuscarawas County Democratic Party reorganized in May 2026, electing Martha Campbell as Central Committee chair and Genaro DeMonte as Executive Committee chair. DeMonte described a goal of rebuilding the party through community relationships and local elections.
The Republican Party publicly emphasizes its central committee, volunteers, local candidates, and grassroots organization.
Both parties therefore identify local organization as important, although publicly available materials do not establish which currently has more volunteers, financial resources, or active precinct representatives.
# # # 3\. The November 3, 2026 election
The principal local and legislative contests include:
| Office | Democratic candidate | Republican candidate |
| ----------------------- | -------------------- | -------------------- |
| County Auditor | Joe Rinehart | Lisa Contini |
| County Commissioner | Kent Watson | Kristin Zemis |
| Ohio House District 51 | Amanda Fontana | Jodi Salvo |
| Ohio Senate District 31 | Laura Sirot | Al Landis |
| U.S. House District 6 | Elizabeth Kirtley | Michael Rulli |
Sources: County election filings, Ballotpedia, Ideastream Public Media and WOSU. District assignments depend on each voter's address.
Other elections include judicial contests and statewide offices such as governor, U.S. senator, and Ohio auditor of state.
# # # A closer examination of the Auditor's race
The Auditor's contest is distinctive because Democrat Larry Lindberg is the sitting officeholder, but neither general-election candidate is the incumbent.
Republican Lisa Contini is the office's chief deputy auditor and has an accounting background. Joe Rinehart, the Democratic candidate, has experience in information technology administration and business operations.
Official May 5, 2026 primary results
| Lisa Contini (R) | 4,191 |
| --------------------------- | ----- |
| Brett Hillyer (R) | 3,488 |
| Joe Rinehart (D), unopposed | 3,864 |
Certified May 11 canvass. The Democratic and Republican results come from separate primaries and should not be treated as a head-to-head comparison.
One useful correction: the certified canvass records 3,864 votes for Rinehart, rather than the earlier unofficial figure of 3,853.
In evaluating this office, there are several concrete questions voters can consider: how candidates would administer property valuations, ensure accurate financial records, maintain accessible public information, and handle the office's technology and statutory responsibilities.
Another distinction matters: Ohio's county auditors administer important parts of the property-tax system, but they do not independently enact school funding laws or establish all the levies that appear on property-tax bills.
# # # 4\. The issues shaping local politics
# # # Property taxes, school funding, and public services
Tuscarawas County voters have demonstrated that tax proposals are decided on their specific merits, rather than uniformly approved or rejected.
Consider two measures from the May 2026 primary:
| Proposal | For | Against | Result |
| ----------------------------------- | ----- | ------- | -------- |
| New Philadelphia Schools income tax | 2,106 | 3,317 | Rejected |
| Dover Public Library renewal | 1,902 | 671 | Approved |
The difference is noteworthy. Voters approved continuing funding for an established library service while rejecting a proposed school income tax. This does not establish exactly why individuals voted as they did, but it illustrates the importance of distinguishing renewal proposals from new taxation and examining the services involved.
Two significant November proposals are:
Countywide Issue 8 — Developmental Disabilities
An additional 1.2-mill, 10-year property tax to fund developmental disability services and facilities.
Estimated $4.21 million annually
# # # $42
Annual cost per $100,000 market value
New Philadelphia Issue 9 — Parks and Recreation
An additional 2.4-mill, five-year property tax for parks maintenance and improvements.
Estimated $1.34 million annually
# # # $84
Annual cost per $100,000 market value
Official county levy estimates. Issue 9 applies only to eligible New Philadelphia properties, not countywide.
Other communities are voting on police, fire, ambulance, and operating levies.
The broader public-policy question is how to maintain schools and essential local services while addressing residents' concerns about property-tax burdens.
# # # Jobs, wages, and economic development
Tuscarawas County remains significantly dependent on manufacturing.
Manufacturing employment, 2024
# # # 9,690
About 23% of employed residents
Median household income, 2024
# # # $65K
Approximately, based on Data USA figures
Source: Data USA, 2024 county economic profile.
The county's economic discussions involve established industries alongside tourism, redevelopment, infrastructure, and emerging technology.
For example, on October 9, local economic-development organizations announced that an environmental assessment was underway at Dover's 17-acre Joy Redevelopment site, supported by a $300,000 state brownfield grant.
# # # Data centers and land use
Data centers have entered local civic discussions, even without a confirmed major hyperscale project in the county.
The regional Farm Bureau organized an informational meeting in May, and another public forum was announced for July at Kent State Tuscarawas. Topics included land use, electricity, water, infrastructure, and economic effects.
Supporters of data-center development cite capital investment and employment. Critics emphasize utility capacity, farmland conversion, environmental burdens, and public subsidies.
This is an emerging policy debate worth separating from unsupported claims about projects that have not been formally announced.
# # # Government accountability and consumer protection
Ohio Senate Bill 80 is particularly relevant to the county Auditor's responsibilities.
The bill would permit counties to establish motor-fuel quality testing programs. The official legislative record shows referral to the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in February 2025, without reported Senate passage as of October 25, 2026.
This illustrates a division of authority: state legislators determine whether counties receive new powers, while county officials would decide how to implement an authorized program.
# # # 5\. Voter registration and turnout
Registered voters, May 2026
# # # 56,350
May 2026 primary turnout
# # # 24.63%
According to the official May primary canvass, 13,880 ballots were cast, including 8,200 Republican primary ballots and 4,860 Democratic primary ballots. Those figures describe participation in separate primaries, not the November electorate or current candidate preferences.
The Board of Elections recorded 40,429 registrants as nonpartisan at that time. That classification should not be mistaken for a measure of how those individuals will vote.
As of October 6, approximately 4,500 mail-in ballots had been requested locally. County election officials also expanded their early-voting facilities in anticipation of demand.
What remains unknown: I did not locate a sufficiently current, verified October 24 countywide early-vote total or reliable county-specific polling for the local contests. Neither voter registrations nor primary ballot totals can establish who is leading.
# # # 6\. What the November election can tell us
Several observations will be especially useful once official results become available.
| Question | Evidence to examine |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Has national partisanship carried over into local races? | Compare county candidate margins with federal and statewide margins |
| Does incumbency matter in county government? | Compare the Commissioner race with the open Auditor race |
| How do residents approach local taxes? | Compare results of new levies with renewals |
| Is voter participation changing? | Compare total turnout with earlier midterm elections |
| Are local fiscal priorities shifting? | Review levy results, county budgets, and future service plans |
These comparisons would be more informative than assuming that a particular candidate's performance represents the entire political outlook of the county.
# # # 7\. Election administration and remaining dates
Tuscarawas County's Board of Elections has a bipartisan structure, with two Republican and two Democratic board members, a Democratic director, and a Republican deputy director.
Important dates
# # # Oct 27
Tuesday
Deadline for absentee ballot applications to be received, 8:30 p.m.
# # # Nov 1
Sunday
Final day of early in-person voting, 1–5 p.m.
# # # Nov 3
Tuesday
Election Day, polls open 6:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.
Source: Ohio Secretary of State.
Official county information: [Tuscarawas County Board of Elections](https://www.boe.ohio.gov/tuscarawas/).
# # # Overall assessment
Tuscarawas County's political landscape in October 2026 is defined by the intersection of three developments:
First, national partisan voting has changed substantially. Presidential results demonstrate a pronounced long-term Republican shift.
Second, local government retains a more mixed political character. Democratic and Republican officeholders both have established roles in county administration, even though Republicans hold all three Commissioner seats.
Third, practical government questions are central to the 2026 election. Property taxation, financial administration, public services, infrastructure, economic development, and accountability all have direct consequences for residents.
The distinction between county government and national politics is particularly important. Decisions about the local budget, property records, public contracts, roads, and services require evaluation of statutory authority and actual administrative performance—not simply party identification.
The most informative post-election analysis will compare the results of individual county races with broader voting patterns and examine what voters decided on specific public-service levies.
The central question is not simply whether Tuscarawas County is Republican or Democratic. It is how its changing political preferences translate into decisions about the government and services residents depend on.
