For the past few years, Chris Redfern has operated his winery in Rocky Point and his namesake inn in Marblehead, but now he’s talking about diving back into the political world he left behind.
Redfern is the only Ohio Democratic Party chairman who was at the helm when Democrats won the statewide gubernatorial, senatorial and presidential elections in 2008. Redfern resigned as party chairman in 2014 after scandal-plagued Ed FitzGerald lost to Republican Gov. John Kasich and Democrats suffered further losses on the ballot. He was among those who lost when he was defeated in the race for his seat in the Ohio House of Representatives.
He served three terms in the House of Representatives and was minority leader starting in 2003. He left the House in 2008 due to term limits, just as Democrats were taking control of that chamber. Republicans regained control in 2010 in Kasich’s first election victory. Redfern remained as party leader when President Obama won Ohio for a second time in 2012.
Redfern attended the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago as a delegate. He said he sensed an energy that prompted him to consider returning to Ohio politics.
“I think Democrats should dip their toes in the water and prepare for 2026,” Redfern said. “And the honest answer for me or for any other Democrat who has traveled through the state is that I’m thinking about it and maybe I’ll do it.”
Redfern has not said which office he has his eye on, but all state-level offices will be up for grabs in 2026. Governor Mike DeWine, Attorney General Dave Yost, Comptroller Keith Faber, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Treasurer Robert Sprague, all of whom are Republicans, also face term limits.
Redfern believes the Republican wave is losing steam in Ohio because Democrats are ahead on statewide issues. He points to last year’s successes in defeating a Republican-backed amendment to make it harder for citizens to change the Constitution, as well as the passage of the Reproductive Rights Amendment in November.
“And when gerrymandering reform goes into effect in November of this year, there will be a new generation of leadership running for Congress and the Legislature in 2026,” Redfern said. “And that energy will impact state candidacy. And many, many people should be thinking about whether or not they’re running in 2026.”
So far, no Democrat has come forward to run for any of the five executive offices, although former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton said she is considering running for governor. Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted and Yost have already begun fundraising for the 2026 Republican primary for governor.
Copyright 2024 The Statehouse News Bureau
