Age in the 2025 Ohio General Assembly
The State of Ohio held its elections for a new Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio State Senate on November 4th, 2024. In January 2025, the currently active 2025 legislative session of the Ohio General Assembly. Among the members elected, nine were aged 35 or younger on the day of the 2024 election. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly.
Ohio Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18–29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote nationwide, including over 8 million who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms.
According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials surpassed Baby Boomers in 2020 to become the largest generation in the U.S., making up 31% of the population, followed closely by Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X accounts for 28%, while the Silent Generation makes up just 9.9%.
Ohio featured many competitive statewide elections, including a heated Senate race. According to the Youth Electoral Significance Index (YESI), the Ohio Senate race ranked 2nd most impacted by youth political participation. House races in Ohio also ranked high on YESI, especially the contentious race in Ohio’s 13th district, which ranked 9th nationwide.
The Ohio House of Representatives 2025 Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected members of the Ohio House of Representatives
- The average age among Ohio House members was 49.49 years
- The youngest Representative, Christine Cockley, was born in 1996
- The oldest Representative, Daniel P. Troy, was born in 1948
- 15 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the Ohio House of Representatives, most representatives come from the Millennial, Generation X, or the Baby Boomer generations. Notably, several members of the current Ohio House of Representatives belong to Generation Z. Scroll below to view the generations represented in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Partisanship in the Ohio House of Representatives
The chart below provides a further breakdown of the current partisan composition of the 2025 Ohio House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan differences in the Ohio House extend beyond ideology to include notable generational contrasts. As shown in the visual below, Republican legislators have a higher average age than their Democratic counterparts—51.36 years compared to 45.91 years—a gap of 5.45 years. These disparities may reflect broader patterns in political recruitment, generational turnover, and the types of candidates emerging in recent election cycles.
Young Elected Representatives – Ohio House of Representatives
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Ohio, eight members aged 35 or under were elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. Below are all nine members, ordered from youngest to oldest, along with information about their local districts and party affiliations.
Young Elected Representatives — Ohio House of Representatives (Age ≤ 35)
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age) | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Christine Cockley (D) | District 6 —
Hilltop, OH |
1996 (Age 28) | 2024 |
 |
Tex Fischer (R) | District 59 —
Boardman, OH |
1996 (Age 28) | 2024 |
 |
Munira Abdullahi (D) | District 9 —
Columbus, OH |
1995 (Age 29) | 2022 |
 |
Ty Mathews (R) | District 83 —
Findlay, OH |
1995 (Age 29) | 2024 |
 |
Levi P. Dean (R) | District 71 —
Kenia, OH |
1995 (Age 29) | 2024 |
 |
Ismail Mohamed (D) | District 3 —
Columbus, OH |
1993 (Age 31) | 2022 |
 |
Latyna M. Humphrey (D) | District 2 —
Columbus, OH |
1992 (Age 32) | 2021 |
 |
Bride Rose Sweeney (D) | District 16 —
Cleveland, OH |
1992 (Age 32) | 2018 |
 |
Justin David Pizzulli (R) | District 90 —
Columbus, OH |
1991 (Age 33) | 2023 |
 |
Nick Santucci (R) | District 35 —
Howland Township, OH |
1991 (Age 33) | 2022 |
 |
Steve Demetriou (R) | District 35 —
Chagrin Falls, OH |
1989 (Age 35) | 2022 |
Photos Courtesy of The Ohio House member roster
Gender in the Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. In Ohio, men make up a larger share of the chamber than women. Across all members, 63.64% are men, while men make up 36.36%. For female representatives, the average age was 49.68 at the time of the election, and for men, it was 49.38. Of the 15 Young Elected Leaders, five are female, and ten are male.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional age differences emerge within the Ohio House of Representatives. Republican men and women have a higher average age when compared to Democrats. These patterns show that age representation in the Ohio House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
Race and Ethnicity in the Ohio House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the Ohio House of Representatives varies across generations. In 2024, younger cohorts exhibit greater diversity, although the chamber as a whole remains predominantly White. The table below shows the distribution of each generation.
| Ethnicity | Millennial Generation 1981–1996 |
Generation X 1965–1980 |
Boomer Generation 1946–1964 |
Full Chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian / Pacific American | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (4.55%) | 1 (1.01%) |
| Black / African American | 9 (25%) | 5 (12.2%) | 2 (9.09%) | 16 (16.16%) |
| Other | 1 (2.78%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.01%) |
| White / Caucasian | 26 (72.22%) | 36 (87.8%) | 19 (86.36%) | 81 (81.82%) |
| Total (Percent of Chamber) | 36 (36.36%) | 41 (41.41%) | 22 (22.22%) | 99 (100%) |
The full Ohio House of Representatives is comprised of 99 seats.
The Ohio Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Ohio Senate
- The average age of Ohio State Senate members is 58.23 years
- The youngest Senator is Willis E. Blackshear Jr, born in 1992
- The oldest Senator is Hearcel F. Craig, born in 1949
- 2 members of the Ohio State Senate are Young Elected Leaders, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the Ohio State Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Ohio, three members aged 35 or under were elected to (and currently serve in) the Ohio State Senate.
Young Elected Representatives — Ohio Senate (Age ≤ 35)
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age) | First Elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Willis E. Blackshear Jr. (D) | District 6 —
Dayton, OH |
1992 (Age 32) | 2024 |
 |
Al Cutrona (R) | District 35 —
Canfield, OH |
1990 (Age 34) | 2024 |
Photos courtesy of the Ohio Senate Member Roster.
Partisanship in the Ohio State Senate
In the Ohio State Senate, 65 senators belong to the Republican Party, and 34 senators are Democrats. The mean age of Republican state senators after the 2024 election was 57.89, while the mean age of Democratic state senators was 59.13. Each generation had a different partisan makeup; overall, the Ohio Senate is overwhelmingly comprised of Baby Boomer Republicans. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the Ohio State Senate.
Gender in the Ohio Senate
The generational makeup of the Ohio Senate reveals notable gender dynamics. Overall, men are overrepresented across all age groups, especially among older generations. These patterns indicate that gender representation varies across generations, with women being represented in every generational cohort.
Race and Ethnicity in the Ohio Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the Ohio Senate shows generational variation. The table below presents the distribution by generation.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Ohio Senate
| Ethnicity | Millennial Generation 1981–1996 |
Generation X 1965–1980 |
Boomer Generation 1946–1964 |
Full Chamber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black / African American | 1 (16.67%) | 1 (9.09%) | 3 (18.75%) | 5 (15.15%) |
| Two or More Ethnicities | 1 (16.67%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (3.03%) |
| White / Caucasian | 4 (66.67%) | 10 (90.91%) | 13 (81.25%) | 27 (81.82%) |
| Total (Percent of Chamber) | 6 (18.18%) | 11 (33.33%) | 16 (48.48%) | 33 (100%) |
The full Ohio State Senate is comprised of 33 seats.
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Ohio which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 2025 Ohio General Assembly