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David Esrati
David Esrati (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio's 10th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 19, 2024.
Esrati completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
David Esrati was born in Celina, Ohio. He served in the U.S. Army from 1981 to 1987. He earned a bachelor's degree from Wright State University in 1988. His career experience includes owning an advertising agency, teaching a capstone course at the University of Dayton, and being an alternate mascot for the Dayton Bombers. Esrati has been affiliated with the Disabled American Veterans, Historic South Park Inc., the American Advertising Federation, the Montgomery County Democratic Party, the Artists Guild, and the Modern Policy Institute Reconstructing Dayton.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Ohio's 10th Congressional District election, 2024
Ohio's 10th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Democratic primary)
Ohio's 10th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Ohio District 10
Incumbent Michael Turner defeated Amy Cox and Michael Harbaugh in the general election for U.S. House Ohio District 10 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michael Turner (R) | 57.6 | 213,695 |
 | Amy Cox (D)  | 39.2 | 145,420 | |
 | Michael Harbaugh (Independent) | 3.1 | 11,631 | |
| Total votes: 370,746 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 10
Amy Cox defeated David Esrati, Tony Pombo, and Joseph Kuzniar in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 10 on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Amy Cox | 63.3 | 22,640 |
 | David Esrati | 21.7 | 7,767 | |
 | Tony Pombo | 9.2 | 3,296 | |
 | Joseph Kuzniar | 5.7 | 2,046 | |
| Total votes: 35,749 | |||
| = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kirk Benjamin (D)
- Manuel Foggie (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 10
Incumbent Michael Turner advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 10 on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Turner | 100.0 | 61,941 |
| Total votes: 61,941 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Esrati in this election.
2022
See also: Ohio's 10th Congressional District election, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. House Ohio District 10
Incumbent Michael Turner defeated David Esrati in the general election for U.S. House Ohio District 10 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Turner (R) | 61.7 | 168,327 |
| David Esrati (D) | 38.3 | 104,634 | |
| Total votes: 272,961 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 10
David Esrati defeated Jeff Hardenbrook, Baxter Stapleton, and Kirk Benjamin in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 10 on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Esrati | 31.5 | 10,324 |
| Jeff Hardenbrook | 25.8 | 8,464 | ||
 | Baxter Stapleton | 25.5 | 8,373 | |
| Kirk Benjamin | 17.1 | 5,614 | ||
| Total votes: 32,775 | |||
| = 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 U.S. House Ohio District 10
Incumbent Michael Turner advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 10 on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Turner | 100.0 | 63,336 |
| Total votes: 63,336 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Esrati's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
2012
Esrati ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Ohio's 10th District. He lost to Sharen Swartz Neuhardt in the Democratic primary on March 6, 2012.[2]
Democratic Primary
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
 Sharen Neuhardt |
35.7% | 7,705 |
| Olivia Freeman | 25.6% | 5,530 |
| David Esrati | 13.7% | 2,952 |
| Tom McMasters | 10.3% | 2,212 |
| Ryan Steele | 7.6% | 1,644 |
| Mack VanAllen | 7.1% | 1,530 |
| Total Votes | 21,573 | |
2010
In 2010, Esrati ran for Congress in Ohio's 3rd Congressional District, but lost in the primary, coming in 3rd place with less than 19 percent of the vote.[3]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David Esrati completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Esrati's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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That was the year Mike Turner surprised everyone by beating Richard Clay Dixon by 400 votes. It probably wouldn't have happened, had Esrati not been on the campaign trail- asking the hard questions- like where did the money come from for Dixon's campaign. Turner had Esrati arrested in 1996 for a silent protest. Turner and the city lost in 5 different courts. Since 2005, Esrati has been doing citizen journalism in Dayton on his blog, esrati.com He's exposed the dirty little underside that the FBI called the "Culture of Corruption" in Dayton. He owns The Next Wave Marketing Innovation, an award winning ad agency. His 2 non-profits focus on fixing our broken political system: see reconstructingdayton.org focused on uni-gov and modernpolicy.org focused on open transparent voting via Ranked Choice- and having a true voter information system. He's a US Army Veteran, a bad hockey player and the maker of great buttermilk pancakes (come to a fund raiser). He graduated from WSU with a degree in Marketing, and has taught at the collegiate level at UD. His involvement in Historic South Park over the years has helped his neighborhood become one of the hottest places to live in Dayton. He's rehabbed 5 properties.
- You should have the same health care your congressman has. National Security means you should be safe to go to the doctor, without worrying about bankruptcy. Go fund me is not a substitute for national health care.
- Money in politics has warped the system. Why is it that you don't need a background check to run for Congress (George Santos) and that we have to register to vote- but no one has to register to donate? I want to require all donors to register, with reports in real time of donations, and eliminate the self-reporting by campaigns. It's time to end Citizens United if we ever want Congress to work for us again.
- It's time to put an age limit on public service. At 70, you're done. Supreme Court, the Federal Bench, Congress- all of it. Make room for younger people, and new ideas.
Anything from the clerk of courts, to who's in jail, to when is your trash going to be picked up- or where the school bus is- needs to be improved upon.
Same goes for paying taxes. Why should a small business have to pay for software to pay it's employees taxes? Why? Because the system is too complicated and convoluted. This is effectively a tax on paying taxes.
Besides efficiency in government, we need to figure out what being an American means?
I believe in a mandatory year of public service for all upon graduating high school (and everyone needs to do that). You can go in the military, or serve in child or elder care, or be in a conservation corps, or work for the National Parks- do something that involves giving back to the community and learning what it means to be of service to your nation.
Then- in exchange, your career training is paid for. Be it becoming a doctor- or a plumber- we invest in people, not in corporations.
I appreciate the fortitude of Steve Jobs, who had a vision of the computer as a bicycle for the mind. I love that analogy. I would love to be able to ask him what he thinks of AI, but he was taken from us too soon. He was, as Ross Perot once said, "A monomaniac on a mission." He changed the world with his introduction of the iPhone- and our access to the internet in our pocket.
My father will always be a guidepost for me- he believed that journalism was essential for democracy to work, and he also believed that government could serve the interest of the people- if there were the correct checks and balances in place.
I've already mentioned Eisenhower's farewell address, and you can add Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena" speech.
I think "13th" on Netflix and Youtube in it's examination of the U.S. prison system and how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America was powerful.
But so is Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing"
Both "1984" and "Animal Farm" opened my eyes.
But so did James Baldwin and Dick Gregory.
I read "Animal Farm" in High School. I'm wearing a t-shirt right now that says "Make Orwell Fiction Again."
I do not believe that there is room for "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
We have a system that is now rigged for the 1% - and it's destroying the fabric of our country.
I believe in leveling the playing fields and making sure that basic rights include a right to an education, health care, safe housing, an honest days pay for an honest days work, and help for those who are less fortunate.
I'm a good mediator.
I'm honest to a fault.
I'm not motivated by money.
That the rich aren't entitled to more of the pie- unless they make the pie bigger for everyone.
I was 4 or 5.
I don't tolerate stupidity well.
We have people in office that questioned the validity of the very election that put them there.
We have representatives who refuse to meet with the public.
We have representatives who actively make excuses for a former president who incited a rebellion.
The division between the parties, between rich and poor, between races, between minorities, etc has to stop.
I'd like to move to ranked choice voting, and national same day primaries.
My grandmother told it to me- and, well, it's based on a universal truth about the power balance between men and women.
We can't keep shutting down the government because someone is having a temper tantrum.
It's time to have full transparency in the income of our members of Congress- and stop their insider trading.
We need a donor registration system to make sure you can find out who bought your congressman on every vote.
I've got a lawsuit in it's 3rd year to get the tapes that were played to the Grand Jury of former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley from the "Culture of Corruption" investigation.
The fact that the FBI and the DOJ caught Commissioner Joey D. Williams accepting bribes in office- and not only failed to prosecute him for 3 years, but then allowed him to stand for re-election with an agreement to resign if he won- was criminal.
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.
2022
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 22, 2022 |
David Esrati completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Esrati's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Esrati works for you, not the base.
- Pro choice, pro women, pro doctors, pro children.
- None of the mass shooters were part of a "well regulated militia"- it's time to restrict semi-automatic weapons to the militias.
We have voter registration systems- I believe in donor registration systems that provide verified, real time records of all political donations. American's should be able to see who is buying their leaders.
Health care shouldn't be chosen by your employer. The pandemic proved the government can pay for health care for all- isn't it time to stop victimizing sick people in our country by sticking them with huge bills when they get cancer or the like? Go fund me isn't the answer. Single payer is. If Congress has government health care- so should you.
Invest in public projects, infrastructure, mass transit, lead water pipe elimination, rural internet, high speed rail- not building chip plants for the tech giants. Public money shouldn't subsidize private business.
Income inequality- no one is worth 300x what their median employees pay is- and stock buy backs is theft from the shareholders. Unless you are a founder, and retained ownership, and pay dividends- you didn't get to earn billions by yourself. Time to make sure the US Taxpayers aren't subsidizing your sub-living wages (Walmart - I'm talking to you).
I look up to Phil Jackson, a coach who could get the best out of difficult players. I think of Eisenhower's final speech to the American people- warning them of the dangers of the Military Industrial Complex, of FDR asking the country to work together to make it through the great depression.
I had a 2x Medal of Honor recipient for my CO in Phase 1 of Special Forces School- he believed in leading by example and not having his trainees do anything he wouldn't. Maj Howard had multiple Purple Hearts but could still ruck march 12 miles.
I learned that the biggest problem wasn't selling the equipment, it was getting people to come in and see what we have. This began my journey into advertising.
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.
Note: Esrati submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on August 4, 2022.
Campaign website
Esrati's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
I AM NOT MIKE TURNER. I am running to be your REPRESENTATIVE to the House of Representatives. That means I will meet with you, your groups, be involved in the community and report back to you daily on what I’ve been doing. I’ve been livestreaming daily M-F at 4pm EST as part of the campaign, where you can interact with me. https://tinyurl.com/esratilive I plan to continue the livestreams once in Congress, to tell you what happened each day- and what I did for you, and to get your feedback,
I believe in the right to choose what to do with your body – this isn’t just abortion rights, it also means that your health care isn’t controlled by anyone other than you and your doctor. I believe in health care, not health insurance. Note, this doesn’t apply fully to vaccines. We vaccinate to protect all of us. This is how Mumps and Polio and at least 12 others went away. There are somethings we do for each other as Americans, not for ourselves.
Small businesses create more jobs and a more diverse and stable economy. Anything that the government requires a small business to do- such as managing payroll tax collection to competing for Federal projects, must be on a playing field where size doesn’t give the bigger company an instant advantage. I’m a small businessman, and I know the pains government inflicts on us.
Government should provide open records except in very limited cases related to national security. Government officials—including law enforcement—should not be allowed to lie or keep secrets from citizens.
Privacy is a right and should be treated as such. If a social media or advertising company cannot stay in business without violating the privacy of users, then they should not be in business. If they profit from your information, you should share in their proceeds.
We have voter registration to stop people from voting, but we don’t have donor registration to make sure we know who is buying our leaders.
Your home should never be treated like a share of stock by a bank. An American has the right to own their home, without being taxed out of it, or thrown out of it by the sheriff. We need foreclosure reform in addition to lending reform.
I believe in the first part of the 2nd amendment “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State”. And I’m going to be an “originalist” and say “Constitutional carry” applies to flintlock pistols and muzzle loaders. Anything else- it’s single shot, single action or you better be fighting a war as part of that “Well regulated militia”. Note, I believe legal gun ownership, should only be provided to those who have served in the military, and undergone the extensive training and evaluation that comes with it. Weapons of war are for the military, not for hobbyists or “self-defense.” Safe gun storage is in an armory. Note, these are my personal beliefs, and I doubt they would ever be legislated. My goal is to level the playing field for small business- not waste time trying to pry weapons out of gun nuts hands. However in light of the recent shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, I issued a real proposal for Constitutional Gun Control- and how to implement it using the 14th Amendment. See the link GunControl
Being rich and white will no longer be a get out of jail free card. I can’t believe that our entire prison system is full of poor people and the mentally ill by anything other than our disdain for equality. We jail too many people for trying to survive- instead of for crimes against the community. Former Dayton City Commissioner Joey Williams violated our public trust accepting bribes while in public office- he got 3 months in prison. $130M went missing from Wright State and no one was charged.
There should be a mandatory age of retirement for members of congress. I believe elections should serve as term limits, but if someone good comes along, it should be up to the voters. But, since we are entrusting our future to politicians, they shouldn’t be over 70.
I will not be owned by lobbyists, corporations, defense contractors, or tolerate insurrectionists who don’t believe our elections are valid.
If we are indeed a gig economy, I guarantee that no worker who is told what to do, when to be there, and how to do it, is anything but an employee and should be treated as such.
The government should be open. It should use open-source software solutions so as not to be beholden to the titans of the digital world. This includes everything from electronic medical records systems, to the tools of government (elections software, agenda tools for public bodies) and even accounting tools to help manage small business.
If you are the product, as in your data, the content you generate, the ads you watch on their platform, you should get paid for your creations like Youtube does. Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram etc would be nothing without you- and you should get a share of a majority of the profits (at least 51% and have voting power). Social platforms should be owned by the community, not the censors.
Every American must do a year to 18 months of public service at 18- be it in the military, or in a civilian conservation corps, or caring for our elderly, or providing childcare. Being an American requires time spent in the service of our freedoms. In exchange for a job well done, 2 years of college will be paid for.
College should be affordable and not a debt sentence. We can make sure that a public education is available to all, with the first 2 years paid for in exchange for public service and the 2nd two years with interest free loans, repayable based on your income level after graduation.
No American should have to choose between health care and bankruptcy. Insulin shouldn’t cost 15x more than in any other country. I believe in single payer, and as an interim step, allow small businesses to buy into medicare to balance the playing field as we begin the giant undertaking of retraining the entire medical insurance industry into health care providers instead of deniers and unnecessary overhead.
The environment matters. I believe in clean energy, emission free vehicles, free public transit, recycling, electric high-speed rail, ending sprawl, and locally grown organic food. We have to fight climate change now.
LBGQT+ rights is summed up pretty well except the use of the word “Man” in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” But, I don’t just support LBGQT+ equal rights, we need to make sure that women and minorities are also given protections for equal pay for an equal days work. We’re not there yet.[4] |
” |
| —David Esrati's campaign website (2022)[5] | ||
Campaign finance summary
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House Ohio District 10 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 14, 2022
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Unofficial election results," accessed March 6, 2012
- ↑ Dayton Daily News Roberts wins Democratic special election to face Turner January 4, 2011
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Elect Esrati, “Home,” accessed November 4, 2022
