David Dobos

David Dobos

Republican Party

Prior offices

Ohio House of Representatives District 10

Predecessor: Terrence Upchurch

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Education

High school

West High School

Personal

Birthplace

Columbus, Ohio

Religion

Christian: Protestant

Profession

Business owner and president

David Dobos (Republican Party) was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing District 10. He assumed office on January 1, 2023. He left office on December 31, 2024.

Dobos (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Ohio House of Representatives to represent District 10. Dobos unofficially withdrew from the race but appeared on the primary election ballot on March 19, 2024.

In April 2023, Cleveland.com reported that Dobos had not graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as claimed on his legislative profile and campaign website. Sarah McDonnell, MIT’s deputy director of media relations, said, "Dobos attended MIT as an undergraduate student in economics. ...[but] no MIT degrees were conferred." Click here to learn more.

Biography

David Dobos was born in Columbus, Ohio. Dobos' career experience includes working as a business president and owner.

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 10

Mark Sigrist defeated Brian Garvine in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 10 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Sigrist (D)	51.5	26,752
		Brian Garvine (R)	48.5	25,175

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 51,927
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 10

Mark Sigrist defeated Sarah Pomeroy in the Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 10 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Sigrist	50.2	2,329
		Sarah Pomeroy	49.8	2,309

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,638
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Ahmet Ali (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 10

Brian Garvine defeated Shafi Shafat in the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 10 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Garvine	83.6	3,218
		Shafi Shafat	16.4	633

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,851
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• David Dobos (R) (Unofficially withdrew)

David Dobos unofficially withdrew from the race and still appeared on the ballot. Any votes he received were not reported in the official results.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Dobos in this election.

2022

See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 10

David Dobos defeated Russell Harris in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 10 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Dobos (R)	52.9	17,162
		Russell Harris (D)	47.1	15,286

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,448
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 10

Russell Harris advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 10 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Russell Harris	100.0	1,793

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,793
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 10

David Dobos advanced from the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 10 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		David Dobos	100.0	1,757

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,757
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Laura Lanese (R)

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

David Dobos did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

David Dobos completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dobos' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

A Columbus native, Dave Dobos grew up on the west side of Columbus. He attended

West High School, where he was an honor student, varsity athlete, accomplished musician, and student leader. He attended MIT, where he earned a degree in Economics. Returning to Columbus, he worked in industry for seven years before starting a business. He has remained self-employed for over 30 years. His current company provides college entrance exam preparation for high school students throughout the state.

Long active in the community, Dave has assumed leadership roles in the Greater Hilltop Area Commission, Hilltop Business Association, Hilltop Historical Society, and West High School Alumni Association. As an alumnus, he also has served on two national committees for MIT, including its Alumni Association Board of Directors. Politically, Dave was elected to the Columbus Board of Education in 1993 and re-elected in 1997, serving eight years, including one as its president. During his tenure, he helped the Board enact innovative policies and focus budget dollars that resulted in increasing graduation rates and test scores, ending forced busing, and reducing significantly the number of central office administrators.

Dave has developed a reputation for independent thinking, an analytical, data-driven approach to solving problems, and a collaborative style when working with others to achieve group or organization objectives.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Economic growth---jobs, jobs, jobs! To the extent state government should be involved in economic development, it should enact and implement policies designed to grow the economic pie--especially in these uncertain and highly inflationary times. With the arrival of the Intel computer chip manufacturing facility to Central Ohio, we must do everything we can to attract the resulting ancillary enterprises here to our portion of the county. We need a strong advocate for west, southwest, and south Columbus and Grove City who will promote our communities as locations for these employers. In short, we will push for policies that will grow the economic pie and assure that all of us have a fair shot at sharing in the benefits.
• Education--we must provide our young people with the best possible academic and career education opportunities in a cost-effective manner. Let's help our schools concentrate on academics, not distracting social theories. We must make sure our schools have the resources to do get their work done well. As for adults, let's get innovative by creating programs that can help displaced workers gain new skills for tomorrow's emerging jobs.
• Crime and law enforcement--we must assure that our law enforcement officials have the resources they need to protect and serve all of us. Law and order and justice are not mutually exclusive terms. We can and will accomplish both.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Economic development will be my highest priority. If our friends and neighbors are working at well-paying jobs and building good lives for themselves and their families, then a lot of other issues take care of themselves. In Central Ohio, we have the opportunity to grow the economic pie, not debate how to divide a stagnant or ever-shrinking pie. I will utilize my position to work with my legislative colleagues on all sides of the aisle, the Governor's administration, JobsOhio, the Columbus Partnership, and OneColumbus to emphasize and prioritize our communities for economic development efforts. A generation ago, we boasted large enterprises, like General Motors, Westinghouse, and International Harvester, that employed thousands of workers. Those companies have disappeared and we need to find and grow new employers to take their place. I will be a steadfast advocate for our communities to regain that economic advantage.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

My guiding principles:

1. We treat everyone with respect. Every one of us has intrinsic value.
2. We have much more in common than we have as differences. Let's emphasize how we're alike to work through our differences.

3. Let's concentrate on growing the economic pie and assure that all of us have a fair shot at sharing in the increase.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I would utilize my independent thinking, analytical, data-driven approach to solving problems, and collaborative style when working with others to achieve group objectives. I have closely-held values and beliefs, yet am willing to listen to opposing points of view and am able to modify my position when I learn facts that I previously did not know.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

1. Use my best judgement to help enact useful measures and budget priorities for the citizens of our state.

2. Provide outstanding constituent services.

3. Develop, communicate and, ultimately, implement a vision for our state that will propel us to the top.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I helped bring new and better opportunities to the citizens of my district, Central Ohio, and the state.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the night in November, 1960, when John F. Kennedy was elected president. I was five years old and had just started kindergarten a few months before. My parents were so hopeful about what his presidency might bring.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked at Schulze's IGA throughout high school sacking and carrying out groceries, stocking shelves, and performing custodial duties. I also mowed lawns to pick up extra money and save for college.

Directly after college, I worked two years on the undergraduate admissions staff at MIT. When I returned to Columbus, I worked as a financial analyst and systems engineer for AccuRay Corporation. Then I spent three years at the Micro Center, starting in sales and ascending to a departmental and, ultimately, divisional manager.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The main themes to the Sibelius 2nd Symphony. I am a violinist and classical music enthusiast. I had the good fortune to play a portion of this work in the Columbus Youth Symphony in high school and the entire symphony in college at MIT. It is my favorite piece of music.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have met lots of challenges in my life, two of which I will describe briefly. The first is raising two special needs children, one biological son and one adopted son. Parenting is probably an adult's most important job. Special needs children present an extra and different set of challenges for any parent. Such parenting is simultaneously immensely rewarding and frustrating. We were able to get both of our sons through high school and they now live semi-independently in group homes. The second is running a business. There never is a guarantee of success. I have know both success and failure during my 30-plus years of self-employment. Hard work never guarantees success; it simply maximizes one's chances. I have learned to celebrate the victories and bounce back from the inevitable defeats.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

We should work collaboratively to enact and implement policies and budget priorities that will benefit Ohio's citizens.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Economic vibrancy, quality education, workforce development.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

N/A

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes. Having some type of previous elected experience is quite helpful to a legislator. Such experience helps one realize that he isn't going to get his way all the time, but, by working with his colleagues, he can accomplish a lot more than he can by working alone.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. When I served on the Columbus Board of Education, I helped us accomplish some important objectives for our district that moved graduation rates and test scores. By developing a strong rapport with my colleagues, we were better able to work through our differences, which were many. If you can like the person across the table from you and can develop mutual trust, it becomes easier to listen to his point of view and determine how both of you can obtain at least part of what you want in an outcome. The objective is to advance the common good. It takes the entire legislative body working together to accomplish such a goal.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Following the law in as unbiased and practical manner as possible.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

1. Finance (because it allocates the resources)

2. Technology and Innovation (it can put us into a position to grow the economic pie)
3. Primary and Secondary Education (I have some experience and perspectives here that may be helpful)

4. Higher Education (my experiences with MIT have given me some perspectives that also may prove helpful)

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

N/A

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Joann Davidson, a former Speaker of the Ohio House, was the model for principled leadership, vision, and accomplishment.

Mike Stinziano, Sr., was a legislator in the 1970's and 1980's whose constituent services were exemplary.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

This is a story that Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman has told about meeting Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall when the young man was introduced to the justice as a law student years ago. Justice Marshall snapped, "So, what?" His point was that the position is unimportant unless one accomplishes something that advances the common good in that position.

I see the position of State Representative as an opportunity to do a lot of good for the citizens of my district, Central Ohio, and the state.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

It already does in certain situations.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes. I prefer to get some portion of what I think is best than none at all. I do not know everything. By working with my colleagues, I can learn a lot and help fashion solutions that work well for more of us.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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David Dobos campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Ohio House of Representatives District 10	Withdrew primary	$20,096	$27,742
2022	Ohio House of Representatives District 10	Won general	$296,812	$64,977
Grand total			$316,908	$92,720
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Ohio

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Ohio scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

In 2024, the Ohio State Legislature was in session from January 2 to December 19. A special session on elections commenced on May 28, 2024, and ended on May 31.

• Equality Ohio

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to LGBTQ, civil rights, and racial justice issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].
In 2023, the Ohio State Legislature was in session from January 2 to December 31. Ohio Environmental Council Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

Noteworthy events

Resignation as vice chair of the Higher Education Committee (2023)

See also: Noteworthy professional misconduct in American politics (2023-2024)

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R) accepted Dobos' resignation as vice chair of the Higher Education Committee on April 4, 2023. Dobos had previously claimed to have graduated from MIT in 1977. In April 2023, Cleveland.com reported that Dobos had not graduated from MIT. Sarah McDonnell, MIT’s deputy director of media relations, said, "Dobos attended MIT as an undergraduate student in economics. ...[but] no MIT degrees were conferred." Dobos updated his legislative profile and campaign website to reflect that he had attended MIT but not graduated.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Terrence Upchurch (D)	Ohio House of Representatives District 10 2023-2024	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Ohio House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Jason Stephens

Majority Leader:Marilyn John

Minority Leader:Dani Isaacsohn

Representatives

District 1

Dontavius Jarrells (D)

District 2

Latyna Humphrey (D)

District 3

Ismail Mohamed (D)

District 4

Beryl Piccolantonio (D)

District 5

Meredith Lawson-Rowe (D)

District 6

Christine Cockley (D)

District 7

Allison Russo (D)

District 8

Anita Somani (D)

District 9

Munira Abdullahi (D)

District 10

Mark Sigrist (D)

District 11

Crystal Lett (D)

District 12

Brian Stewart (R)

District 13

Tristan Rader (D)

District 14

Sean Brennan (D)

District 15

Chris Glassburn (D)

District 16

Bride Rose Sweeney (D)

District 17

Mike Dovilla (R)

District 18

Juanita Brent (D)

District 19

Phil Robinson (D)

District 20

Terrence Upchurch (D)

District 21

Eric Synenberg (D)

District 22

Darnell Brewer (D)

District 23

Dan Troy (D)

District 24

Dani Isaacsohn (D)

District 25

Cecil Thomas (D)

District 26

Vacant

District 27

Rachel Baker (D)

District 28

Karen Brownlee (D)

District 29

Cindy Abrams (R)

District 30

Mike Odioso (R)

District 31

Bill Roemer (R)

District 32

Jack Daniels (R)

District 33

Veronica Sims (D)

District 34

Derrick Hall (D)

District 35

Steve Demetriou (R)

District 36

Andrea White (R)

District 37

Tom Young (R)

District 38

Desiree Tims (D)

District 39

Phil Plummer (R)

District 40

Rodney Creech (R)

District 41

Erika White (D)

District 42

Elgin Rogers (D)

District 43

Michele Grim (D)

District 44

Josh Williams (R)

District 45

Jennifer Gross (R)

District 46

Thomas Hall (R)

District 47

Diane Mullins (R)

District 48

Scott Oelslager (R)

District 49

Jim Thomas (R)

District 50

Matthew Kishman (R)

District 51

Jodi Salvo (R)

District 52

Gayle Manning (R)

District 53

Joe Miller (D)

District 54

Kellie Deeter (R)

District 55

Michelle Teska (R)

District 56

Adam Mathews (R)

District 57

Jamie Callender (R)

District 58

Lauren McNally (D)

District 59

Tex Fischer (R)

District 60

Brian Lorenz (R)

District 61

Beth Lear (R)

District 62

Jean Schmidt (R)

District 63

Adam Bird (R)

District 64

Nick Santucci (R)

District 65

David Thomas (R)

District 66

Sharon Ray (R)

District 67

Melanie Miller (R)

District 68

Thaddeus Claggett (R)

District 69

Kevin Miller (R)

District 70

Brian Lampton (R)

District 71

Levi Dean (R)

District 72

Heidi Workman (R)

District 73

Jeff LaRe (R)

District 74

Bernard Willis (R)

District 75

Haraz Ghanbari (R)

District 76

Marilyn John (R)

District 77

Meredith Craig (R)

District 78

Matt Huffman (R)

District 79

Monica Robb Blasdel (R)

District 80

Johnathan Newman (R)

District 81

James Hoops (R)

District 82

Roy Klopfenstein (R)

District 83

Ty Mathews (R)

District 84

Angela King (R)

District 85

Tim Barhorst (R)

District 86

Tracy Richardson (R)

District 87

Riordan McClain (R)

District 88

Gary Click (R)

District 89

D.J. Swearingen (R)

District 90

Justin Pizzulli (R)

District 91

Bob Peterson (R)

District 92

Mark Johnson (R)

District 93

Jason Stephens (R)

District 94

Kevin Ritter (R)

District 95

Ty Moore (R)

District 96

Ron Ferguson (R)

District 97

Adam Holmes (R)

District 98

Mark Hiner (R)

District 99

Sarah Fowler (R)

Republican Party (65)

Democratic Party (33)

Vacancies (1)