American politician
Stephanie Kunze is an American politician serving as a member of the Ohio Senate for the 16th district.[1] She formerly served in the Ohio House of Representatives for the 24th district. Prior to her election, she was a member of Hilliard City Council and a secretary at Norwich Elementary School.[2]
Career
In her 2009 race for Hilliard City Council, Kunze faced controversy over an apparent violation of Ohio law that prohibits classified public employees from participating in partisan primary elections.[3] She resigned her position with the school district after winning the Republican primary.
She was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2012, defeating Democrat Maureen Reedy with 52% of the vote. Kunze's 2012 campaign was aided by school privatization and charter school advocacy group StudentsFirst, who sent mailers and distributed literature on her behalf.[4]
Kunze ran for re-election as a state representative in 2014, facing opposition from Democrat Kathy Hoff and Libertarian Mark M. Noble.[5] In 2016, Kunze opted to run for the Ohio Senate, winning with 58% of the vote.
Personal life
She is married with two children.[6]
Electoral history
Year
|
Republican
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
Democrat
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
Ohio House 24th District
2012
|
Stephanie Kunze
|
32,630
|
51.86%
|
Maureen Reedy
|
30,197
|
48.00%
|
2014
|
Stephanie Kunze
|
22,866
|
57.23%
|
Kathy Hoff
|
15,058
|
37.69%
|
Year
|
Republican
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
Democrat
|
Votes
|
Pct
|
Ohio Senate 16th District
2016
|
Stephanie Kunze
|
109,454
|
58.99%
|
Cathy Johnson
|
76,077
|
41.01%
|
2020
|
Stephanie Kunze
|
106,053
|
50.03%
|
Crystal Lett
|
105,937
|
49.97%
|
References