Antonio attended Lutheran High School West[1] and is an alumna of Cleveland State University, where she earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.
She is a former special education teacher, adjunct professor and non-profit administrator, as well as a former chair of the Cuyahoga Democratic Women's Caucus.
[4] No Republican filed for the seat in the heavily Democratic district so Antonio won the general election unopposed.
Antonio won a landslide victory reelection to a second term in 2012, by obtaining 75,86% of the vote over Republican John Zappalla.
[9] Along with Mike Foley, Antonio introduced a Works Progress Administration-style provision that would allow for $200 million to be appropriated to allow for the creation of 5,000 entry-level jobs across Ohio.
[11] Antonio is the first openly gay person to have served in the Ohio General Assembly, and a long-time advocate of same-sex marriage rights.