TOLEDO, Ohio — Michele Grim took her seat on Toledo City Council in January, but she'll soon be leaving after winning her Ohio State House election Tuesday night.
Grim's council term was set to expire in 2026. Last night, Grim won the State House of Representatives seat in District 43 over Republican Wendi Hendricks.
Grim received 64% of the vote.
She has worked on issues like sexual assault and medical debt during her time on council. So why seek a higher office so early in her council term?
"We had three of our incumbents were rolling off and I wanted to make sure we had strong effective representation down in Columbus," Grim said. "And I'm going to be fighting for the same things there that I did on city council and I'm excited to be fighting for Toledoans."
Those incumbents include Lisa Sobecki, who won her race for Lucas County commissioner, Paula Hicks-Hudson, who was elected to the Ohio Senate, and Michael Sheehy.
This was Grim's first time running. She's going to be a Democrat in a Republican-led legislature, but still feels she can pass laws.
"I think there are some things we can agree on like violence against women, mental health and infrastructure, so I'm looking to get things down in Columbus," she said.
City council will have to appoint someone to fill her seat. Her last day will be Dec. 3,1 then shortly after she will be sworn in as the state representative for District 43.
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