Rep. Dave Taylor wins Ohio's 2nd District with 64% of vote

Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor won a second term in Ohio's 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday, Nov. 3, the Associated Press projected.

Taylor defeated Democrat Jen Mazzuckelli in a district that stretches from Cincinnati's suburbs to the West Virginia border. With 726 of 738 precincts reporting district-wide, according to the Scioto Valley Guardian, Taylor held a wide lead.

NBC News, using Associated Press data, reported 273,049 total votes counted with Taylor at 64.2% and Mazzuckelli at 35.8%. Earlier unofficial totals reported by WOWK had Taylor at 61.18% and Mazzuckelli at 38.82% when the AP called the race.

Unofficial results

Source: NBC News / Associated Press data. Results are unofficial until certified by the Ohio Secretary of State.

The win bucked a statewide trend. Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Jon Husted in Ohio's U.S. Senate special election, as we reported Nov. 3. Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for governor, according to The 19th. NBC News also projected that Democrats captured full control of Congress, flipping seats in Ohio and several other states.

Taylor's district is considered one of the most conservative in Ohio, according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index as cited by WVXU. Taylor retained the strongly Republican district while Democrats made gains elsewhere in the state. NBC News noted the district still shifted 14 points toward Democrats compared with the 2024 presidential election.

Taylor, of Amelia, first won the 2nd District seat in 2024. He replaced former Rep. Brad Wenstrup, who had held the seat since 2013 before deciding not to seek reelection, WLWT reported.

Both candidates won contested primaries earlier in 2026. Mazzuckelli beat fellow first-time candidate Todd Wilson in the Democratic primary. Taylor defeated challenger Bob Carr on the Republican side, according to WVXU's reporting as cited by Hoodline.

Taylor serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where he is vice chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. He also sits on the House Agriculture Committee and co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Rural Broadband Caucus.

His stated priorities for a second term include expanding broadband access, supporting data center development and giving families more educational options, according to WOWK's reporting.

No certified vote count or final turnout figure from the Ohio Secretary of State was available as of Nov. 4.