Ohio Supreme Court’s Pat Fischer launches 2026 bid to oust court’s lone Democrat, Jennifer Brunner

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Voters will again see two sitting Ohio Supreme Court justices pitted against each other in 2026, after Justice Pat Fischer announced a bid Wednesday to unseat Justice Jennifer Brunner with two years left on his current term.

The seven-member high court holds final sway over the fate of many state laws and constitutional issues, dealing with everything from abortion, religion and LGBTQ+ matters to schools, election administration and redistricting.

At 67, Fischer, a Republican, would be ineligible due to constitutional age limits from running by the time his six-term term expires in 2028. He said he’ll instead face off against the 68-year-old Brunner, the only justice up for reelection next year and Ohio’s only Democratic statewide officeholder.

The formula worked last year for Republican Justice Joe Deters, who was initially appointed to the court. Rather than run for the remainder of his existing term, he chose to run against incumbent Democratic Justice Melody Stewart and won. His decision created an open seat on the high court, one of two also won by Republicans — leaving Brunner as the court’s lone Democrat.

In his written announcement, Fischer described himself as “a reliable Christian Conservative.” He was first elected to the court in 2016 and was reelected in 2022.

“Ohioans deserve a Justice who will fight for Conservative values, respect the Constitution and not legislate from the bench,” he said. “I have a record of this and look forward to once again earning the support of the Ohio Republican Party and all Ohioans.”

Brunner, a former Ohio secretary of state who’s served on the court since 2021, filed suit in 2023 against a new Republican-backed state law that requires certain judicial candidates to declare their party affiliation on ballots. The law was passed as the state was tilting increasingly Republican but as Ohio Democrats were having some success in high court races.

“In a Brunner vs. Fischer race the differences will be stark and obvious,” she said in a texted statement. “Party affiliation should be our last concern as judges. It’s clear this is the primary aim in my colleague’s approach — and that’s unfortunate.”