Ohio Senate District 27
Mike Roberto (D) vs. Steve Demetriou (R) — the most competitive Senate seat in the state, and one that can flip.
The race
District 27 covers all of Portage County plus portions of Summit and Geauga. It is an open seat: Sen. Kristina Roegner is term-limited, and Rep. Steve Demetriou, R-Bainbridge Township, is leaving the Ohio House to run for it. Signal Ohio calls it the state’s most competitive Senate district, State Affairs rates it a toss-up, and the Ohio Society of CPAs’ July race roundup ranks it the most competitive Senate race of the cycle.
The candidates
The two come at the job from opposite directions, and the clearest place to see it is public education.
Roberto spent 34 years as a teacher, coach, and school administrator, the last five as superintendent of the Aurora City Schools. He has said his central concern is what state funding decisions are doing to local districts, and he campaigns on affordability for working families.
Demetriou has built his record on tax reduction, school choice and parental empowerment, and market-driven energy policy. He is endorsed by Americans for Prosperity, which cites his support for the flat income tax. He was re-elected to the Ohio House in 2024 by 52.6 percent to 47.4 percent — under 4,000 votes in a district he had carried by more than 10,000 two years earlier.
Why it matters
Flipping five seats would break the Senate supermajority (see the math), and this is the most competitive seat on the map. It is also a clear choice between two views of how Ohio should fund education — strengthening traditional public schools, or expanding school choice. In a midterm, a district like this turns on a few thousand votes.
Sources for this page
Last checked: September 2026
How competitive the race is. Signal Ohio, March 26, 2026; State Affairs, July 31, 2026 (free account required); Ohio Society of CPAs, “Twenty legislative races to watch,” July 10, 2026.
Demetriou’s House results. Combined official results from Summit, Portage and Geauga counties, House District 35. 2024: Demetriou 36,961 (52.6%), Mark Curtis 33,375 (47.4%), a 3,586-vote margin. 2022: Demetriou 29,260, Lori O’Neill 19,237, a 10,023-vote margin.
Roberto. Campaign biography (career history, including superintendent of Aurora City Schools, 2020–25); Signal Ohio interview (school funding concerns).
Demetriou. AFP-Ohio endorsement announcement, January 21, 2026; AFP-Ohio endorsement profile (flat income tax, school choice).
Supermajority math. See The math on six seats.