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Tina Maharath
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 3rd district
In office
January 7, 2019 – January 3, 2023
Preceded by Kevin Bacon
Succeeded by Michele Reynolds
Personal details
Born (1990-11-30) November 30, 1990 (age 33)
Whitehall, Ohio, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Children2
Residence Canal Winchester, Ohio
Alma mater Ohio University ( B.A., L.L.M.)

Tina Maharath ( Lao: ຕີນາ ມະຫາລາດ) (born November 30, 1990) is an American politician who served as an Ohio State Senator from the 3rd District from 2019 until 2023. She also served in the Senate Democrats leadership team as Minority Whip.

As a Democrat, Maharath won election to the Senate in a highly close race with Republican opponent Anne Gonzales, flipping the 3rd Senate District from the Republicans. [1] Maharath's victory represented the first time Ohio Democrats had won a Republican held State Senate seat since 2006. [2] Maharath is also notable for being the first Asian-American woman in the Ohio Senate and the first Laotian-American elected into public office. [3] [4]

Maharath is from Whitehall, Ohio, the daughter of Laotian refugees. Her father served the U.S. Army under the Laos Army while her mother worked as a nurse in the Laos Army. [5] Maharath is a third-generation politician, and the first woman to hold office in her family. [6] Maharath has a Bachelor's degree in political science and a Master's degree in Law, Justice and Culture from Ohio University. [6]

Ohio State Senate

In 2018, Maharath was elected to the Ohio State Senate. During her time in the Senate she sponsored legislation that would prohibit conversion therapy for minors, create an Asian-American and Pacific Islander Affairs Commission, and designate Maternal Mortality Awareness Month.

During her time in the Senate, she had been elected by her fellow Democratic colleagues to their leadership team as Assistant Minority Whip then Minority Whip. [7] In the 2022 election, Maharath lost to Republican Michele Reynolds. [8]

Committee assignments [9]

  • Committee on Financial Institutions and Technology (Ranking Member)
  • Local Government and Elections (Ranking Member)
  • Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Insurance
  • Rules and Reference
  • Transportation

Committees served under the 133rd General Assembly:

  • Local Government, Veterans Affair, Public Safety (Ranking Member)
  • Higher Education
  • Transportation, Commerce and Workforce
  • Health, Human Services and Medicaid
  • Education
  • Agriculture and Natural Resources

Electoral history

Election results
Year Office Election Votes for Maharath % Opponent Party Votes %
2018 Ohio State Senate Primary 11,462 71.81 Katherine Chipps Democratic 4,500 28.19
General 66,438 50.27 Anne Gonzales Republican 65,733 49.73
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
Ohio Senate 3rd District
2022 Tina Maharath 56,023 47.58% Michele Reynolds 61,723 52.42%

References

  1. ^ Pelzer, Jeremy (2018-11-27). "Democratic underdog Tina Maharath wins Ohio Senate seat". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  2. ^ Siegel, Jim. "Democrat Tina Maharath completes unlikely victory in Ohio Senate race". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  3. ^ Holmes, Debbie. "Tina Maharath Won A Seat In Ohio's Legislature With No Help From Democrats". radio.wosu.org. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  4. ^ Samson·Politics·December 3, Carl; Read, 2018·2 Min (2018-12-03). "Ohio Elects Their First Laotian American State Senator". NextShark. Retrieved 2019-11-25.{{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ( link)
  5. ^ "Senator Tina Maharath - Bio | The Ohio Senate". www.ohiosenate.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  6. ^ a b Thompson, Erica. "Cover: Tina Maharath, The Unexpected Senator". Columbus Alive. Retrieved 2019-11-25.
  7. ^ "Senator Tina Maharath | The Ohio Senate". ohiosenate.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  8. ^ Kasler, Karen (2022-11-09). "Ohio Democrats win five of 15 Congressional seats, but have a tough night in Statehouse races". The Statehouse News Bureau. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  9. ^ "Committees | The Ohio Senate". ohiosenate.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-12.


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