The Ohio delegation
congressional officials …
Ohio is a diverse and electorally stable congressional delegation.
Of the 17 2022-2023 class members, four are female, and 13 are male. Three are minority representation through the end of the year. Seven are lawyers, one has a medical degree, one holds a doctorate, one is a pharmacist, and ten have received Master’s degrees.
Ohio State University has conferred five degrees—the highest received by any delegation member. At least one served combat duty, and one member was from within the state.
Five members of the Ohio congressional delegation are military, at least one of whom served combat duty. One member is a New York Times best-selling author.
The average tenure for the delegation currently is 5.6 terms, assuming everyone completes their service by the end of 2024. The longest-serving member has been in Congress for 21 terms and is the longest-serving woman in congressional history.
Four members of the Ohio delegation are freshmen in the House, while one Senator is facing tight re-election in 2024.
When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)
If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.
Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of pushback on former President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are essential to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. For example, two current 17 Ohio delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results the same evening as Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol. A third member, a freshman, is a former Trump aide who continues to say the 2020 election was stolen.
Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on critical matters because they control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.
Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire and obstructionist to good government in the 21st century is unacceptable.
We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2024 elections today. The overwhelming majority of House members were re-elected in 2022.
Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:
Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. However, we reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.
It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.
Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!
So, would you like to meet these fascinating Ohioans? If so, keep reading on!
what is thomas looking for?
There are five vulnerable races Thomas is watching in Ohio for 2024:
OHS1 - Sherrod Brown’s seat (Incumbent D)
OH01 - Greg Landsman’s seat (Incumbent D)
OH09 - Marcy Kaptur’s seat (Incumbent D)
OH11 - Shontel Brown’s seat (Incumbent D)
OH13 - Emilia Sykes seat (Incumbent D)
the senators
Credit: US Sen. Sherrod Brown
United States Senator sherrod brown (D)
The senior senator from Ohio, Sherrod Brown, is completing his third term in the Senate and is the current chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. A graduate of Yale University with two Master’s degrees from Ohio State University, Brown also serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; the Finance Committee; and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Married and the father of three, Brown previously served in the U.S. House from 1993 to 2007.
Thomas Take: It’s A Race
Thomas Rank: A
Credit: US Sen. J.D. Vance
United states senator J.D. Vance (R)
Ohio’s junior senator was elected in 2022 and is a best-selling author who has been known to be a very close ally of Donald Trump and now is his vice presidential running mate in 2024. A venture capitalist before his election, Vance has a law degree from Yale University and is a graduate of Ohio State University. He serves on the Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Aging Committee. He is married and the father of three.
Thomas Take: Not Up For Re-Election in 2024
Thomas Rank: F
the representatives
Credit: US Rep. Greg Landsman
district 1 - u.s. rep. Greg landsman (d)
Congressman Greg Landsman represents a district located in Cincinnati. A freshman member elected in 2022, Congressman Landsman has an undergraduate degree from Ohio University and a graduate degree from Harvard University. He is a member of the Small Business Committee and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Landsman is married and the father of two.
Thomas Take: Safe Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
district 2 - U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrip (r)
Congressman Brad Wenstrip represents southern Ohio and is a member of the Ways and Means Committee and the Intelligence Committee. Congressman Winstrip has announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2024. An Army veteran who rose to the rank of Colonel in the Army Reserve, Wenstrip served in combat duty in Iraq. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati and also has his doctorate in podiatric medicine and another undergraduate degree from Rosalind Franklin University. The six-term Congressman is married and the father of two.
Thomas Take: Not Running for Re-Election in 2024 (Open Seat) - Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Brad Wenstrip
Credit: U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty
District 3 - U.S. Rep. joyce beatty (d)
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty represents the Columbus area in the House where she has served six terms. A member of the Financial Services and Joint Economic committees, and a chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congresswoman graduated from Central State University and has a Master’s degree from Wright State University. She is widowed and the mother of two.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
District 4 - U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R)
A loyal ally of President Donald J. Trump who awarded fourth district Congressman Jim Jordan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, has represented central Ohio in the House for nine terms. The chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Jordan has been accused of permitting abuse of wrestling team members under his watch as coach of the team while at Ohio State University. The Congressman is a two-time NCAA national champion wrestler. Jordan has a Master’s degree from Ohio State as well as a law degree from Capital University. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Wisconsin. In addition to his controversial chairmanship, Jordan also serves on the Oversight and Accountability Committee. He is married and the father of four.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: F
Credit: US Rep. Jim Jordan
Credit: US Rep. Bob Latta
district 5 - U.S. rep. Bob latta (R)
Congressman Bob Latta is a nine-term member of the House who represents the northwestern and north-central parts of Ohio. A graduate of Bowling Green University with a law degree from the University of Toledo, Latta serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee, is married, and the father of two.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: B
district 6 - u.s. representative michael rulli (r)
The sixth district runs through eastern Ohio and adjoins the West Virginia border. The district is represented by freshman Michael Rulli who won in a special election from the resignation of seven-term Congressman Bill Johnson (R) on January 21st. A former Ohio State Senator, Rulli is a musician and owner of a family-run grocery store chain. Married and the father of two, Rulli graduated from Emerson College. He serves on the Education and the Workforce Committee and the Committee on the Judiciary.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: N/A
Credit: U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli
Credit: US Rep. Max Miller
district 7 - U.S. rep. Max Miller (R)
U.S. Representative Max Miller is a former Trump aide who still advocates that 2020 was a stolen election but now he is in Congress. His district is in northeastern Ohio and he is a freshman member who serves on the Agriculture and Science, Space, and Technology committees. A graduate of Cleveland State University, the married Miller was a corporal in the Marine Corps.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: F
district 8 - U.S. Rep. Warren davidson (r)
Four-term Congressman Warren Davidson represents the western Ohio district that was once former House Speaker John Boehner’s seat. A U.S. Army special operations officer, Davidson is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and has a graduate and law degree from the University of Notre Dame. He is married and the father of two. Davidson serves on the House Financial Services Committee.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: D
Credit: US Rep. Warren Davidson
Credit: US Rep. Marcy Kaptur
district 9 - U.S. rep. marcy kaptur (D)
Representing northwest Ohio in a district that borders Indiana and Michigan, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur is the longest-serving woman in congressional history now serving in her 21st term. A member of the Appropriations Committee, Kaptur graduated from the University of Wisconsin and has a graduate degree from the University of Michigan.
Thomas Take: Nudging Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
district 10 - u.s. rep. mike turner (r)
Eleven-term member of Congress Mike Turner serves a district in southwest Ohio and is chair of the House Intelligence Committee. He also serves on the Armed Services Committee. Congressman Turner is a former mayor of Dayton and graduated from Ohio Northern University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Dayton, a law degree from Case Western University, and a doctorate from Georgetown University. He is the father of two.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Mike Turner
Credit: US Rep. Shontel Brown
district 11 - U.S. Rep. shontel brown (d)
Congresswoman Shontel Brown is a freshman member of Congress representing Cleveland. She is a graduate of Wilberforce University and serves on the Agriculture Committee; the Oversight and Reform Committee; and the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party Committee.
Thomas Take: Nudging Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
district 12 - U.S. Rep. troy balderson (r)
Congressman Troy Balderson is a former businessman who represents central Ohio in the U.S. House. He attended Ohio State University and served in both the Ohio General Assembly as well as the Ohio Senate. A three-term member, Congressman Balderson serves on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the Committee on Small Business. He is the father of one.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Troy Baldlerson
Credit: US Rep. Emilia Sykes
district 13 - U.S. Rep. emilia sykes (d)
A graduate of the University of Florida with both a Master’s degree and a law degree after graduating from Kent State University, freshman member Congresswoman Emilia Sykes represents the Akron and Youngstown areas.
Thomas Take: Nudging Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
district 14 - U.S. Rep. dave joyce (r)
Congressman Dave Joyce represents the Lake Erie-Pennsylvania border area in northeast Ohio. The six-term member of the House serves on the Appropriations Committee and the Committee on Ethics. He is married, the father of three, and graduated from the University of Dayton where he also earned his law degree.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: C
Credit: US Rep. Dave Joyce
Credit: US Rep. Mike Carey
district 15 - U.S. Rep. mike carey (r)
Representing all of Franklin County in the House, which includes the capital city of Columbus, two-term Congressman Mike Carey serves on the House Administration Committee; the Ways and Means Committee; and the Joint Committee on the Library. The married father of three graduated from Ohio State University. He is an Army veteran who also served in the Army National Guard.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: B