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Greg Betts
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Greg Betts (Democratic Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio's 15th Congressional District. He lost in the special Democratic primary on August 3, 2021.
Betts completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Greg Betts was born in Youngstown, Ohio. He served in the United States Army from 1990 to 2020. Betts received a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in 1992 and a graduate degree from the United States Army War College in 2014. He retired from the U.S. Army as a Colonel, effective January 1, 2021, after specializing in logistics and human resources management and serving as the director of human resources for the Ohio National Guard. Betts has been affiliated with the U.S. Army War College Alumni Association and the Ohio State University Alumni Association.[1]
Elections
2021
See also: Ohio's 15th Congressional District special election, 2021
Ohio's 15th Congressional District special election, 2021 (August 3 Republican primary)
Ohio's 15th Congressional District special election, 2021 (August 3 Democratic primary)
General election
Special general election for U.S. House Ohio District 15
Mike Carey defeated Allison Russo in the special general election for U.S. House Ohio District 15 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mike Carey (R)  | 58.3 | 94,501 |
 | Allison Russo (D) | 41.7 | 67,588 | |
| Total votes: 162,089 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 15
Allison Russo defeated Greg Betts in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 15 on August 3, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Allison Russo | 84.2 | 13,704 |
 | Greg Betts | 15.8 | 2,576 | |
| Total votes: 16,280 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Special Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 15
The following candidates ran in the special Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 15 on August 3, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Carey | 37.0 | 18,805 |
 | Jeff LaRe | 13.3 | 6,776 | |
 | Ron Hood | 13.1 | 6,676 | |
 | Bob Peterson | 12.6 | 6,407 | |
 | Ruth Edmonds | 10.0 | 5,090 | |
 | Tom Hwang | 4.9 | 2,499 | |
 | Stephanie Kunze | 4.6 | 2,363 | |
| Thad Cooperrider | 2.1 | 1,076 | ||
 | Omar Tarazi | 1.8 | 907 | |
 | John Adams | 0.3 | 173 | |
| Eric M. Clark | 0.2 | 83 | ||
| Total votes: 50,855 | |||
| = 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
- Brian Stewart (R) (Unofficially withdrew)
- Jeffrey Fix (R)
Campaign themes
2021
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Greg Betts completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Betts' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I'm a life-long Ohioan and was raised in the small, steel-mill town of McDonald, near Youngstown, Ohio. I graduated from Ohio State, then started a long career in the U.S. Army. I recently retired as a Colonel, in January, with 30 years of service and government experience. As a combat veteran, I fully understand what it means to serve and to answer a call to duty. Now that my military service is over, I’m answering another call to duty: to serve the people of Ohio’s 15th Congressional district in Congress. Like so many of my fellow citizens, I’m incredibly frustrated with the lack of action in Congress. I’ve been trained, over the last 30 years, that when you see a problem, you take action to fix it. I'm running for Congress to take action on behalf of the people of this district and state. If elected, I’ll fight relentlessly to ensure ALL Ohioans have a fighting chance to achieve the American Dream. My wife Kristin and I have been married for nearly 35 years and have lived in Hilliard, Ohio for nearly 25 years. Our two grown children both serve in the Air Force, and we have three wonderful grandsons.
- As a recently retired Army Colonel and combat veteran, with 30 years of military service, I have decades of leadership experience and know how to build teams and gain consensus, to solve extremely complex problems.
- Although I have never run for, let alone held, elected office, I have actually been part of the government for the last 30 years. Consequently, I know how to navigate complex government systems to achieve objectives and get things done.
- I genuinely love the ideals embodied in our Constitution (which I swore an oath to defend with my life, if needed) and I passionately believe that government exists to act on the People’s behalf; not just some of the People, but ALL of the People.
- Voting rights: "In our system, the first and most vital of all our rights is the right to vote... It is from the exercise of this right that all our other rights flow." When President Lyndon B. Johnson said that to Congress, he may have captured best the importance of this sacred right. The barrage of voter restriction laws being passed in State Houses across the country is an existential threat to our democracy. Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of any democracy. Without them, democracy doesn't exist. It's that simple. When elections are fair, and every willing voter casts a ballot (that is counted) America Wins!
- Economic Equity & a Fighting Chance for all Americans: Every American deserves a fighting chance to achieve the American Dream. We need to raise the minimum wage to $15/hr., ensure affordable healthcare and education for all, and we need to enact tax reform that shifts the tax burden BACK to Corporations and Billionaires, so that working-class Americans, who kept us afloat during the pandemic, have a fighting chance to achieve financial stability.
John Lewis: The late, great Civil Rights icon and U.S. Congressional Representative from Georgia.
John Lewis embodied the concept of Servant Leadership. When I think of all the great leaders of our time, John Lewis rises to the top; particularly when I think of the type of leader required to move America forward from its current state. America is mired in political quicksand. We are seeing assaults on our democracy like nothing seen since the 1950s and 1960s: i.e., the era in which John Lewis and so many other brave Americans made their courageous stand against hatred, bigotry, and the on-going assaults on basic civil rights—particularly, the right vote in free and fair elections.John Lewis was the epitome of a Servant Leader, which is what I have always aspired to be. Although I could never hope to achieve the incredibly high bar that he set, his example will always serve as the pole star to guide me and countless others in the right direction. For these reasons, the example of John Lewis is the one I would most like to follow.
John Lewis was a civil-rights leader, who literally—on a myriad of occasions—BLED to secure basic civil rights for his fellow citizens, who had been brutally and relentlessly oppressed for not just decades, but for—quite literally—centuries.
He devoted his life to serving others; and when he ran for Congress, he did so to continue his life’s work: i.e., to serve the people of his district, his state, and his Nation. He didn’t run for Congress to seek power or privilege or notoriety or fame. He ran because he believed in the ideals embedded in our Constitution; moreover, he believed that, as a legislator, he could best ensure the rights within that document for all Americans.
I have spent the last 30 years of my life (the vast majority of my adult life) living by a set of values, a code, and an ethos for which service is the center of gravity: service to the Nation and to the American people. I swore the same oath taken by members of Congress and, therefore, understand fully what it means to uphold and live by that oath.
My life of service has instilled in me the qualities of honor, integrity, selflessness, dedication to duty, and personal courage in the face of danger and adversity. Being a part of the Army profession for 30 years has honed my critical-thinking skills, my ability to adapt rapidly to changing environments, and my overall mental agility.If elected, these are the same qualities I will leverage to serve the people of my district in the U.S. Congress
My decades of leadership experience have made me a skilled team builder and have refined my ability to gain consensus among people and groups who often have very different backgrounds and points of view.
My experiences in the Army have made me someone who does not scare or become discouraged or disheartened easily. My service has enhanced my already optimistic nature. I do not quit or accept defeat in the face of even overwhelming odds. I always do whatever I can to help anyone in need.
These are the qualities that military service inspires and fosters in those who serve; not just in me, but in ALL who serve. I feel extremely fortunate to have had the honor and privilege of serving, because my service has made who I am today. That will not change.
These are the qualities that I believe are required for anyone who serves the American people, in any capacity: e.g., in the military, as an educator, and as a member of Congress.
First and foremost, all elected office holders are responsible to their constituents — regardless of party and regardless of whether or not those constituents voted for or against them. Office holders are responsible to not just hear their constituents, but to LISTEN to them; so that they may understand what their constituents need and desire.
Office holders must never forget that the most important position in a democracy is the position of “Citizen.” Therefore, they must always remember that the citizens they represent and serve are their bosses and that they are, consequently, accountable to them and them alone: i.e., NOT to special interests or to mega-rich donors.Finally, elected officials are responsible to ACT on behalf of their fellow citizens who have entrusted them with their well-being. They must always strive to take action that benefits the people they represent and to always have the people’s best interest in mind, when carrying out the duties of the offices they hold.
Elected officials must never forget that they are themselves citizens, who just happen to have been elected by their fellow citizens to represent and serve them. They are no better than their fellow citizens and should, therefore, have no special privileges or power conferred upon them, by virtue of the elected offices they hold. They must NEVER forget that the leadership position they hold imposes responsibility upon them; and if they do not want that responsibility, they should not seek the position in the first place.
Sula, by Toni Morrison.
It's a story of people who are faced with perpetual hardship and adversity, including poverty, racism, bigotry, and prejudice. More important, however, it is a story of togetherness, family and community bonds, and unrelenting optimism. It's a story of triumph and an undying hope for a better tomorrow.
Every time I read it, it reminds me that hope truly does spring eternal; and that, although we may lose everything, hope for a better day always remains.
Additionally, the late, great Toni Morrison was arguably one of the greatest story tellers of all time. To me, her prose had nearly the quality of poetry or even music. To my mind, she arranged words and sentences the way a musical composer arranges notes in a song.
While experience in either of these arenas is not necessarily required to be successful, I do believe that experience can certainly be beneficial. Both arenas are complex, and each have certain pitfalls that experience can help to avoid.
I do, however, believe that experience in government is more beneficial than experience in politics. The federal government is particularly complex. It is, after all, the nation’s largest employer. Effectively navigating its myriad of complex programs, systems, and processes is an acquired skill. Having experience in doing so, therefore, is critical for success as a key government leader, like a legislator (e.g., a Congressional Representative).Politics can also be a very complex and somewhat tricky arena; however, I believe direct experience within it is less necessary than it is for direct experience within the arena of government. I believe that someone with good interpersonal tact skills, good intuition, and good political advisors requires less direct experience in politics to be successful in that arena. Navigating the bureaucracy of the expansive federal government, however, is an extremely daunting task for someone who has little to no experience in doing so.
- Climate change: It presents an imminent threat to America and the entire world. We have a rapidly closing window to address the root cause: i.e., carbon emissions. If we pass the Biden infrastructure plan, we can go a long way toward saving our planet for future generations. We MUST transform our infrastructure now. We must transition to clean energy (wind, solar, high-speed rail, electric cars, and the infrastructure to support it) with all deliberate speed. If we do not, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will suffer the consequences of our inaction.
- Domestic Terrorism & the Threat from Within: The January 6 insurrection was the most dangerous and imminent threat to our Constitution and Nation, since the American Civil War. It was the first time, since 1814—during the War of 1812—that our National Capitol had been breached. We are facing a terrorist threat from within our own borders and from among our fellow citizens. According to Christopher Wray, the U.S. FBI Director, Domestic Terrorism is a threat to the rule of law; moreover, the majority of the domestic terrorism threats involve some form of White Supremacy. These terror groups target our fellow citizens because of the color of their skin and will stop at nothing to bring Jim Crow back. They will do everything in their power to prevent our non-white fellow citizens from exercising their most fundamental rights. The For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act must be passed to prevent relentless attacks against the rights of people of color and all citizens to engage in their most basic of right: the right to vote. As John Lewis reminded us, just before his death, “The vote is the most powerful non-violent change agent you have in a democracy. You must use because it is not guaranteed. You CAN lose it.” If we do not address this with the urgency that it deserves, white supremacy, and attacks on the right to vote will continue to pose an existential threat to our democracy.
- Domestic Terrorism & the Threat from Within: The January 6 insurrection was the most dangerous and imminent threat to our Constitution and Nation, since the American Civil War. It was the first time, since 1814—during the War of 1812—that our National Capitol had been breached. We are facing a terrorist threat from within our own borders and from among our fellow citizens. According to Christopher Wray, the U.S. FBI Director, Domestic Terrorism is a threat to the rule of law; moreover, the majority of the domestic terrorism threats involve some form of White Supremacy. These terror groups target our fellow citizens because of the color of their skin and will stop at nothing to bring Jim Crow back. They will do everything in their power to prevent our non-white fellow citizens from exercising their most fundamental rights. The For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act must be passed to prevent relentless attacks against the rights of people of color and all citizens to engage in their most basic of right: the right to vote. As John Lewis reminded us, just before his death, “The vote is the most powerful non-violent change agent you have in a democracy. You must use because it is not guaranteed. You CAN lose it.” If we do not address this with the urgency that it deserves, white supremacy, and attacks on the right to vote will continue to pose an existential threat to our democracy.
Compromise, during the process of policymaking, is always desirable; however, it is not always necessary — particularly when the opposing party refuses to negotiate in good faith. Our framers designed our Constitution to encourage and facilitate debate, negotiation, and compromise. They also designed it, however, to favor the majority opinion: i.e., the party, with the most votes, wins. As long as elections are free and fair (i.e., no Gerrymandering, no voter suppression, etc.), the American people decides who represents them in our government. When voting is fair, then the majority in Congress represents the will of the American people. Therefore, if compromise is not achievable (again, if one side refuses to negotiate in good faith), then the majority party — which theoretically represents the will of the majority of Americans — should not be held captive by the minority party.
In Federalist No. 22, Alexander Hamilton (one of our key founders), made it very clear that giving the minority party in Congress a “negative upon the majority [party]…,” would “…subject the sense of the greater number to that of the lesser.” He went on to describe how the endless pursuit of compromise, when the minority has no intention of compromising, would be extremely harmful to the public good, since it would lead to never-ending stalemate and inaction. I happen to agree with Mr. Hamilton. For these reasons, that is why I believe that the filibuster must be eliminated if we ever want to move America forward; however, that is for another debate….
In Federalist No. 22, Alexander Hamilton (one of our key founders), made it very clear that giving the minority party in Congress a “negative upon the majority [party]…,” would “…subject the sense of the greater number to that of the lesser.” He went on to describe how the endless pursuit of compromise, when the minority has no intention of compromising, would be extremely harmful to the public good, since it would lead to never-ending stalemate and inaction. I happen to agree with Mr. Hamilton. For these reasons, that is why I believe that the filibuster must be eliminated if we ever want to move America forward; however, that is for another debate….
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.
See also
2021 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 4, 2021
Senators
Jon Husted (R)
Bernie Moreno (R)
Representatives
District 1
Greg Landsman (D)
District 2
David Taylor (R)
District 3
Joyce Beatty (D)
District 4
Jim Jordan (R)
District 5
Bob Latta (R)
District 6
Michael Rulli (R)
District 7
Max Miller (R)
District 8
Warren Davidson (R)
District 9
Marcy Kaptur (D)
District 10
Michael Turner (R)
District 11
Shontel Brown (D)
District 12
Troy Balderson (R)
District 13
Emilia Sykes (D)
District 14
David Joyce (R)
District 15
Mike Carey (R)
Republican Party (12)
Democratic Party (5)
