Joe Gerard
Joe Gerard (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio's 3rd Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026.[source]
Gerard completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Joe Gerard earned a graduate degree from The Ohio State University in 2023. Gerard's career experience includes working as an engineer.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Ohio's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 3
Incumbent Joyce Beatty (D) and Joe Gerard (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 3 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Joyce Beatty | |
 | Joe Gerard  | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 3
Cleophus Dulaney (R) is running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 3 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Cleophus Dulaney | ||
| ||||
| = 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 is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joe Gerard completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gerard's responses.
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- AFFORDABILITY
Since 2012, Columbus rent and home prices have nearly doubled while wages have remained stagnant. Gerard's affordability platform focuses on three areas: housing, healthcare, and government spending.
On housing, he advocates for policies that increase supply, arguing that even a modest expansion of available housing would curb the ability of landlords to impose steep annual rent increases. On healthcare, he proposes using existing federal programs to create a public option available at cost to Ohioans, a step toward Medicare for All that he says requires no new taxes or legislation. He also supports reversing the current tariff regime and redirecting spending from foreign military operations toward domestic investment. - CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY Gerard believes Congress has abdicated its constitutional role as a check on executive power. He supports formal investigations into associates of Jeffrey Epstein, including Les Wexner and former President Donald Trump, with referrals for criminal prosecution where warranted. He also advocates for congressional oversight of ICE conduct and calls for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be held accountable for what Gerard describes as war crimes. More broadly, Gerard calls for restoring U.S. credibility abroad by rebuilding strategic alliances and reestablishing the country's commitment to due process and the rule of law.
- MAXIMIZING COLUMBUS' SAFE BLUE SEAT Ohio's 3rd Congressional District carries a CookPVI rating of D+21, making it one of just four safely Democratic seats in a state with 15 congressional districts. Gerard argues this creates both an opportunity and an obligation to pursue a more progressive agenda than current representation reflects. He points to the incumbent's reliance on corporate and pro-Israel PAC funding as evidence the seat is not being used to its full potential. Gerard's no-donations model would free the representative to advocate without donor constraints. He frames the race as a generational contrast: an engineer and first-time candidate against an incumbent who began her tenure at retirement age.
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
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from the Federal Election Commission. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 9, 2026
