John Adams (Ohio state representative)

John Adams

Republican Party

Prior offices

Ohio House of Representatives District 85

---

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 3, 2022

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Personal

Profession

Business owner

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

John Adams (Republican Party) was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing District 85.

Adams (Republican Party) ran for election for Ohio Secretary of State. He lost in the Republican primary on May 3, 2022.

Adams was also a 2016 Republican candidate for District 12 of the Ohio State Senate.

Adams is a former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing District 85 from 2007 to December 31, 2014. While in office, Adams served as Assistant Majority Floor and Majority Whip. Adams was ineligible to run for re-election to the House in 2014 because of term limits.

Biography

Adams earned his diploma from Celina Senior High School. He later attended Mesa Community College and Edison State Community College. His professional experience includes working as the owner and operator of Francis Furniture Store. He served in the United States Navy as a Navy SEAL.

Elections

2022

See also: Ohio Secretary of State election, 2022

General election

General election for Ohio Secretary of State

Incumbent Frank LaRose defeated Chelsea Clark and Terpsehore Maras in the general election for Ohio Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frank LaRose (R)	59.3	2,444,382
		Chelsea Clark (D)	39.7	1,635,824
		Terpsehore Maras (Independent)	1.0	42,753

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,122,959
= 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 Ohio Secretary of State

Chelsea Clark advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chelsea Clark	100.0	434,038

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 434,038
= 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 Secretary of State

Incumbent Frank LaRose defeated John Adams in the Republican primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frank LaRose	64.6	613,378
		John Adams	35.4	335,457

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 948,835
= 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

• Terpsehore Maras (R)

2016

See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Ohio State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 16, 2015. Incumbent Keith Faber (R) did not seek re-election because of term-limits.

Matt Huffman ran unopposed in the Ohio State Senate District 12 general election.

Ohio State Senate, District 12 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Matt Huffman  (unopposed)
Source: Ohio Secretary of State

Matt Huffman defeated John Adams in the Ohio State Senate District 12 Republican primary.

Ohio State Senate District 12, Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Matt Huffman	63.63%	43,367
	Republican	John Adams	36.37%	24,789
Total Votes				68,156

2012

See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2012

Adams won re-election in the 2012 election for Ohio House District 85. Adams defeated Dave Easton in the March 6 Republican primary election and was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.

Ohio House of Representatives, District 85, General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Adams Incumbent	100%	37,336
Total Votes				37,336

Ohio House of Representatives, District 85 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
John Adams Incumbent	72.1%	10,007
Dave Easton	27.9%	3,878
Total Votes		13,885

2010

See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2010

Adams won re-election to District 78 of the Ohio House of Representatives. His opponent was Anthony Ehresmann (D). The election took place on November 2, 2010.

Ohio House of Representatives, District 78
Candidates		Votes	Percent
John Adams (R)		31,358	74.27%
Anthony Ehresmann (D)		10,864	25.73%

2008

See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2008

On November 4, 2008, Adams won re-election to the Ohio House of Representatives. He ran unopposed.

Ohio House of Representatives, District 78
Candidates		Votes
John Adams (R)		44,838

2006

See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2006

On November 7, 2006, Adams won election to the Ohio House of Representatives. His opponent was Adam Ward (D).

Ohio House of Representatives, District 78
Candidates		Votes
John Adams (R)		22,352
Adam Ward (D)		20,329

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John Adams did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Adams' campaign website stated the following:

“	Dedicated Worker and Serviceman Born in Urbana and raised in Celina, Ohio John attended Celina Senior High School. Following graduation in 1978, John attended technical school and secured employment as a technician at Bethlehem Steel. Several years later, John joined the United States Navy and was selected to serve in the Navy SEALs. This special warfare unit includes intelligence training, as well as underwater demolition expertise. He served proudly and was honorably discharged from the Navy SEALs in 1987. A Devoted Family Man and Business Owner After returning home and furthering his education at Edison State Community College, John pursued his life-long dream of starting his own business. He purchased Francis Furniture Store in his hometown of Celina, Ohio in 1995, and two years later, he expanded his business with the construction of a new store in Bellefontaine. Out of all of his accomplishments, John’s proudest is his family. He married his high school sweetheart, Tara, and together raised seven children. His children have been the inspiration behind John’s keen interest in the quality of education in Ohio, which also led him to seek a position on the State Board of Education in 1996. Civic Minded John has always had a strong sense of civic duty. He has served as; - a Board Member of the Shelby County United Way - a Chairperson for the Shelby County United Way Campaign - a Board Member of the American Heart Association of Shelby County - the Vice President of the Shelby County Rotary Club. - the Shelby County Coordinator for Ken Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State, as well as serving on the Shelby County Republican Central Committee. John not only looks to grow and support his own business, but he also serves the entire business community. He served on the leadership council for the National Federation of Independent Business/Ohio (NFIB), a non-profit, non-partisan organization representing small business owners across the country, with 600,000 members nationally. The Perfect Choice for Ohio's Secretary of State John Adams served eight years in the General Assembly of the Ohio House of Representatives, six of which he served as Whip, representing the 85th House District. Now, John is dedicated to winning election for Secretary of State and working to serve the people of Ohio. Throughout his campaigns, John has personally spoken to hundreds of voters, going to thousands of doors to hear from the very people he served. He has had the life experience – as a Navy SEAL, as a small businessman, as a civic leader, as a husband and father – to successfully protect and advance our common values.	”
—John Adams' campaign website (2022)

Campaign advertisements

Have a link to John Adam's campaign ads on YouTube? Email us.

• Facebook

2016

Adams' campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“	It's About Your Paycheck: John Adams is a small business owner who understands what it takes to create jobs in a tough economy. He is committed to protecting Ohio jobs by cutting taxes and making Ohio more competitive. His legislation to phase out the personal income tax for Ohio families and businesses will JUMPSTART OUR ECONOMY while instilling some needed fiscal discipline in state government. Government Should Stop the Reckless Spending: Ohioans are making tough decisions in their family budgets every day. John Adams believes THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD START DOING THE SAME. That's why he voted against the irresponsible state budget that spent BILLIONS of your taxdollars, and that's why he authored a bill to eliminate wasteful state spending and save Ohio taxpayers $1 BILLION a year through streamlining. Protect Life From Conception to Natural Death: John Adams believes that government leaders must uphold their solemn responsibility to protect innocent life STARTING AT CONCEPTION. During his years in the Statehouse, John Adams fought tirelessly against abortions and promoted a culture of life. Our Right to Keep and Bear Arms: While serving on SEAL Team Three, John fostered a deep respect for our Second Amendment rights. He believes that the Second Amendment is inalienable. During his time in the legislature, John received high marks from Buckeye Firearms Association and the NRA for his work to PROTECT OUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS from the overreach of government. Education and Common Core: John firmly believes that parents should have a say over their children's education. As a state legislator, John was a champion in the fight against Common Core. In 2014, when Leadership killed the bill in committee, John put politics aside and worked with Heidi Huber of "Ohioans Against Common Core" to serve the discharge petition that would have forced a vote on the floor of the house.	”
—John Adams

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Adams served on the following committees:

Ohio committee assignments, 2013
• Insurance
• Policy and Legislative Oversight
• Public Utilities
• Rules and Reference

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Adams served on the following committees:

Ohio committee assignments, 2011
• Commerce and Labor
• Insurance
• Rules and Reference
• State Government and Elections

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Adams served on the following committees:

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.

---

John Adams campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Ohio Secretary of State	Lost primary	$66,970	$56,174
2012	Ohio State House, District 85	Won	$254,997	N/A**
2010	Ohio State House, District 78	Won	$232,449	N/A**
2008	Ohio State House, District 78	Won	$79,818	N/A**
2006	Ohio State House, District 78	Won	$177,912	N/A**
2002	Ohio State House, District 78	Lost	$116,683	N/A**
2000	Ohio State House, District 85	Lost	$26,875	N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

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.

2014

In 2014, the 130th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 7 through December 31.

• Innovation Ohio: 130th General Assembly - Women's issues scorecard

Legislators are scored based on their votes on women’s issues.

• The American Conservative Union: 2014 legislative scorecard

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2013

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show].
In 2013, the 130th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 7 to December 31. Innovation Ohio: 130th General Assembly - Women's issues scorecard Legislators are scored based on their votes on women’s issues. The American Conservative Union: 2013 legislative scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2012

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show].

In 2012, the 129th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 3 through December 31. Innovation Ohio: 129th General Assembly - Middle class scorecard Legislators are scored based on their votes on middle class issues. Innovation Ohio: 129th General Assembly - Votes on legislation supported by Gov. Kasich Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills introduced at Gov. Kasich’s urging or which had his support. Innovation Ohio: 129th General Assembly - Women's issues scorecard Legislators are scored based on their votes on women’s issues. Ohio Federation of Teachers: State House 129th General Assembly scorecard Representatives are scored based on how they voted on issues of priority to members of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. Ohio Federation of Teachers: State Senate 129th General Assembly scorecard Senators are scored based on how they voted on issues of priority to members of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. The American Conservative Union: 2012 legislative scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2011

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show].

In 2011, the 129th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 3 through December 31. Innovation Ohio: 129th General Assembly - Middle class scorecard Legislators are scored based on their votes on middle class issues. Innovation Ohio: 129th General Assembly - Votes on legislation supported by Gov. Kasich Legislators are scored based on their votes on bills introduced at Gov. Kasich’s urging or which had his support. Innovation Ohio: 129th General Assembly - Women's issues scorecard Legislators are scored based on their votes on women’s issues. Ohio Federation of Teachers: State House 129th General Assembly scorecard Representatives are scored based on how they voted on issues of priority to members of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. Ohio Federation of Teachers: State Senate 129th General Assembly scorecard Senators are scored based on how they voted on issues of priority to members of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. The American Conservative Union: 2011 legislative scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

Endorsements

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

John Adams (Ohio state representative) endorsed Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential election.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Adams and his wife, Tara, have seven children. They currently reside in Sidney, Ohio.

See also

2022 Elections

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

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Ohio Secretary of State

Website

Facebook

Personal

Facebook

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by '	Ohio House of Representatives - District 85 2013–2014	Succeeded by Nino Vitale (R)
Preceded by '	Ohio House of Representatives - District 78 2007–2013	Succeeded by Ron Hood (R)