Edna Brown - Ohio Senate

Ohio Senate

In 2009, Brown stated that she would be a candidate for the Ohio Senate in 2010, to replace the term limited Teresa Fedor. She was expected to face Peter Ujvagi in the primary election, but he was hired as Lucas County Administrator.

The appointment of Ujvagi set up what many thought was going to be a legislative shuffle, where Fedor was appointed to Ujvagi's seat, and Brown then appointed to Fedor's seat. However, Toledo City Councilman Joe McNamara also sought the appointment to the Senate. As a result, Fedor kept her seat, Brown hers, and Joe Walter was appointed to a nine-month term in Ujvagi's seat.

McNamara's entrance into the campaign reinvigorated a primary battle. Brown defeated McNamara by about 2,300 votes. She defeated Republican Tom Waniewski by 18,000 votes in the general election.

Brown was sworn into office on January 3, 2011, and is the first African-American to represent the city of Toledo] in the state Senate. For the 129th General Assembly, Senate colleagues elected Brown as Senate minority whip. She is a member of the Senate Rules Committee; Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee; Financial Institutions Committee; Health, Human Services and Aging Committee (as ranking member); Insurance, Commerce and Labor; and State and Local Government and Veterans Affairs. She also serves on the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund Board, the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee and the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.