Tanya Conrath will be on the midterm ballot

Tanya Conrath in 2022, Facebook

Editor’s Note: The story was updated to reflect the correct date early voting starts.

On Tuesday morning, the Ohio Supreme Court granted Tanya Conrath’s writ of mandamus to be on the November midterms ballot. The decision comes on the last day to register to vote for the 2022 General Election and the day before early voting begins in the state of Ohio. 

This decision comes after Secretary of State Frank LaRose first rejected Conrath’s request to replace Rhyan Goodman in the race for representative of the 94th District of Ohio.

Conrath’s campaign released the following statement about the decision: 

“Today is a banner day for democracy, freedom and choice. What a relief to have the Ohio Supreme Court be the parent in the room and put a stop to this partisan bullying. The Court stood up for democracy and will give voters in Athens, Meigs, Morgan and Washington counties a clear choice of candidates in November.”

Conrath is an Ohio U and Ohio State University Moritz College of Law graduate. Locally, she is a stay-at-home mom, former board member for Southeast Ohio Planned Parenthood and former board president for My Sister’s Place. 

Conrath first entered the race after Ohio U student Rhyan Goodman dropped out only days after the Aug. 2 primary. Conrath was later nominated by the Athens County Democratic Committee to be put on the ballot. 

On Aug. 17, the Athens County Board of Elections held a vote deciding whether Conrath should be put on the ballot. The two Democrats voted in favor of Conrath replacing Goodman, while two Republicans voted against the action, resulting in a tie. The decision was then sent to LaRose, who rejected Conraths request in a letter.

The case was filed with the Ohio Supreme Court, which resulted in the court ruling in her favor.

The court wrote the following in its opinion: “The replacement nominee, had a clear legal right to have her name placed on the November 8, 2022 general-election ballot, and respondents, the Ohio secretary of state and boards of elections, had a clear legal duty to place her name on the ballot—Writ granted.” 

“Isn't this the biggest nightmare for Jay Edwards? He has become an extremist voting to deny our freedom to make decisions about our bodies, our books, our classrooms, our children and our community standards. Jay Edwards is the new Big Brother and brother, have you got a wake-up call coming on November 8!,” Conrath’s campaign shared.

Conrath will face-off against incumbent State Rep. Jay Edwards. Edwards has held the seat since 2017.

The New Political reached out to Edwards for comment, but did not receive comment at the time of publication.

The midterm election is on Nov. 8.