Mark Schneider is a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 politician who formerly served in the Ohio House of Representatives

Ohio House of Representatives

The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....

. A former Cuyahoga County assistant prosecutor

Prosecutor

The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...

, Schneider opted to enter the race in 2008 to try and defeat one-term incumbent Carol-Ann Schindel

Carol-Ann Schindel

Carol-Ann Schindel is a former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 63rd District from 2007 to 2008.-External links:**...

. A contentious race, it proved to be one of the closest watched of the cycle. Ultimately, aided by a strong showing by Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

, Schneider defeated Schindel soundly.

Schneider was sworn into his seat on January 5, 2009, beginning his two year term. Although an advocate for his district, as a freshman, Schneider ultimately followed closely to the party lines, leaving him vulnerable for reelection. In a tough turn of events, former Representative

Representative

Representative may refer to:*Representation*Legislator, someone who is part of a legislature*House of Representatives*Representative sample in statistics...

 Ron Young

Ron Young (Ohio politician)

Ron Young has been a member of the Ohio House of Representatives since 2011. He served in the same seat from 1997 to 2004.-Career:Young served in the United States Army for three years, and attended Kent State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He taught before...

opted to run for office against Schneider.

Ultimately, in an overwhelmingly Republican year, Young defeated Schneider, taking back his seat. Schneider has since returned to the private sector.