Derrick Hall defeats Dina Edwards, Nathan Jarosz in 34th House District Democratic primary

Democratic voters in Ohio's 34th House District on Tuesday selected former Akron School Board President Derrick Hall as the candidate they want to compete in the general election against Republican Adam Bozic, who ran unopposed in the primary.

It's now up to Hall to keep the district blue following the exit of Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson. Weinstein is running for Vernon Sykes' state Senate seat. Due to term limits, Sykes can't run again.

"We are super appreciative of the faith and trust shown by the Democratic electorate in our ability to win the general election in (November) as we continue to fight to prioritize and protect women's rights, public education and small businesses while caring for our environment," Hall said.

Hall said he has the highest respect and appreciation for At-Large Munroe Falls City Councilwoman Dina Edwards and nonprofit business leader Nathan Jarosz, his opponents-turned-colleagues, and values the ways in which they made him a better general election candidate.

"We're excited for the opportunity to work on behalf of the residents of the 34th House District to keep this district blue, while also thinking forward to how we collaborate with our respected Republican colleagues," Hall said.

Hall won the primary with 38.42% of the vote, though the results are unofficial until the official canvas is completed, roughly three weeks from the end of the election.

The district includes Hudson, Cuyahoga Falls, Tallmadge, Silver Lake, Munroe Falls, Stow, Akron's North Hill and northwest Akron.

Who is Derrick Hall?

For four years, Derrick Hall, 47, served on the Akron Public Schools Board of Education. Two of those years were spent as vice president, and one year as president.

His upbringing motivated his jumping into the race. Hall grew up poor, living in public housing with parents with addiction issues. It's important to have a representative who understands the struggle facing needy families and can help those people, he said.

Hall said his broad education and professional background sets him apart from the pack. He's worked for some Fortune 100 companies and small- and large-sized nonprofits.

He also serves in the Army as a JAG officer and on a number of boards, including the Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio Board since 2018 and the Better Kenmore Community Development Corporation's board.

That multifaceted leadership experience will make him an effective legislator, he said.

Hall said he believes health care, education, business development and the environment are the biggest issues facing the electorate. He also wants to address gerrymandering.

To tackle those issues, Hall would form a House District 34 Leadership Council comprised of other elected officials in the district and voters interested in getting involved. It will also take building a bipartisan coalition, something that he said he thinks isn't as hard to do now as it has been.

"Well, I think issue one was a shot across the bow to the Republican Party," he said. "I think Republicans in the State House are seeing really for the first time in years, that that there is a broad swath of voters in Ohio that want to see more centrist approach to how we address things in our community."

Early results tell the tale

At 8:30 p.m., preliminary unofficial results showed that Hall and Jarosz were neck and neck with 37.35% and 37.09% of the vote respectively. Edwards trailed the pack with 25.57% of the vote.

At 9:20 p.m., 61% of the precincts in Ohio's 34th House District were reporting results. Hall extended his lead to 36.23% of the vote. Jarosz was coming in second with 34.44% while Edwards continued to trail with 29.33% of the vote.

Forty minutes later, 88% of the district's precincts were reporting, and Hall had secured 37.78% of the vote, Jarosz 31.90% and Edwards 30.31%.

By 10:30, it was clear that Hall had secured the nomination with nearly 40% of the vote.

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Derrick Hall wins Democratic primary for 34th House District