Nathan Manning

Republicanincumbent

Judge of the Court of Appeals (9th District) (Unexpired term ending 2-9-2029) · Summit County, Ohio · November 3, 2026

Also on the ballot: Tavia Galonski (Democratic)

Nathan Manning is a Republican state senator whom DeWine appointed to the Ninth District Court of Appeals in August 2026; he must win in November to keep the seat. He broke with his party on transgender-related and abortion-restriction bills, backed an income-tax phaseout, and beat back a ballot-eligibility challenge in September 2026.

What this office decides

Ohio's Ninth District Court of Appeals hears appeals from trial courts in Summit, Medina, Lorain, and Wayne counties, in panels of three judges. It decides most criminal, civil, family, and administrative appeals from those courts, and its rulings stand unless the Ohio Supreme Court takes the case. Judges are elected with party labels to six-year terms. This seat finishes a term that ends in February 2029.

How this race lines up with you

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Dossier

Researched 2026-09-23 · Claude Code research agent with web search

Donald Trump: nothing found. No Trump endorsement or criticism of this candidate was found in searches covering this race.

Who they are

Manning holds this seat by appointment: DeWine named him to the Ninth District Court of Appeals effective August 3, 2026, filling the vacancy from Judge Donna Carr's retirement; he must win in November 2026 to keep it through the rest of her term, ending February 9, 2029 (Court News Ohio). Previously a Republican state senator for District 13 (2019–2026) and Senate Judiciary Committee chair, after Ohio House service (2015–2018) and work as North Ridgeville's assistant city prosecutor (Wikipedia).

Positions

Party politics in courts and agencies: Debated judicial party labels with opponent Galonski in a Cleveland.com interview; his stance wasn't accessible in available sources — no public position found (Cleveland.com via NewsBreak).
Crime & policing, Business & regulation, Voting rules: No public position found.
Personal freedom: Opposed the "Heartbeat Bill" (SB 23) for lacking rape/incest exceptions, and was the only Senate Republican opposing restrictions on gender-affirming care and transgender athletes (Wikipedia).
Taxes & spending: Backed phasing out Ohio's income tax over ten years (Wikipedia).

Record

Opposed House Bill 6, the nuclear/coal subsidy law tied to Ohio's bribery scandal (Wikipedia). Won election to the Ohio House (2014) and Senate (2018, 2022) (Wikipedia). Akron Bar Association rating: "GOOD" (Akron Bar Association).

Money

No itemized 2026 fundraising total found; a Transparency USA page exists but could not be accessed (Transparency USA).

What we couldn't find

His side of the Cleveland.com debate on party labels.
A 2026 campaign finance total.
Judicial rulings (he joined the bench in August 2026).

Sources (7)