Stephanie Kunze is an American politician who served as a member of the Ohio Senate for the 16th district. 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.
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. 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.
Kunze ran for re-election as a state representative in 2014, facing opposition from Democrat Kathy Hoff and Libertarian Mark M. Noble. In 2016, Kunze opted to run for the Ohio Senate, winning with 58% of the vote.
Personal life She is married with two children.
Electoral history YearRepublicanVotesPctDemocratVotesPct+ Ohio House 24th District2012 Stephanie Kunze 32,630 51.86%Maureen Reedy30,19748.00%+ 2014 Stephanie Kunze 22,866 57.23%Kathy Hoff15,05837.69% YearRepublicanVotesPctDemocratVotesPct+ Ohio Senate 16th District2016 Stephanie Kunze 109,454 58.99%Cathy Johnson76,07741.01%+ 2020 Stephanie Kunze 106,053 50.03%Crystal Lett105,93749.97%
References