Lew Lainhart
Lew Lainhart (Republican Party) is running for election to the Ohio House of Representatives to represent District 40. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on May 5, 2026.
Lainhart completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Lew Lainhart was born in Ohio. He graduated from Miamisburg High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in 2019. His career experience includes working in the Ohio House of Representatives and for the Buckeye Institute.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 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.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 40
Lew Lainhart and Jeffrey Todd Smith are running in the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 40 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Lew Lainhart  | |
 | Jeffrey Todd Smith | |
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Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lew Lainhart completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lainhart's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I graduated from Miamisburg High School and went on to become the first in my family to attend college, earning a Bachelor's in History from The Ohio State University. I began his career in public service as an intern in the Ohio House of Representatives and later served full-time as a Legislative Aide working for Republicans. In that role, I worked on a broad range of issues including criminal justice reform, mental health, health care policy, and pro-Second Amendment legislation. I helped pass real conservative legislation into law and bring money back to local communities.
I am currently in my final year at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and will graduate just days after the primary election. I helped launch the St. Thomas More Catholic Society and previously served as President of the Christian Legal Society. In 2024, I worked as a Summer Legal Fellow at The Buckeye Institute, contributing to legal work advocating on behalf of Ohio’s farmers against burdensome federal regulations.
Outside of politics and law, I am an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and fishing. I also grew up helping my family raise chickens, goats, pigs, bees, and a backyard garden.- I will fight to keep taxes low and ensure your hard-earned dollars are used wisely. That means pushing back against wasteful spending and focusing government on doing a few things well—not trying to do everything. By supporting small businesses, farmers, and working families, we can grow Ohio’s economy without growing government. Additionally, I will work to reform property taxes, I realizes people need relief not tomorrow, but today.
- Ohio's overdose deaths have declined but remain high, in part due to the massive amounts of drugs crossing the boarder. Illicit fentanyl is involved in 78% of these deaths. We must strengthen laws to hold drug traffickers accountable. Equally important is improving our recovery infrastructure. The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services lacks comprehensive data on addiction recovery in the state, hindering effective policy-making. I will advocate for robust data collection and support comprehensive strategies for prevention, education, and long-term recovery.
- Too many Ohioans—especially youth, farmers, and veterans—are struggling with mental health. In the Ohio House, I helped pass the Coach Mental Health Bill, ensuring K–12 coaches can recognize the signs of mental health struggles and connect students to help. I will continue working to expand access to care, support prevention, and break the stigma—because everyone deserves the chance to thrive.
Voters want someone who they can trust, someone open and honest, who does the right thing even when no one is watching, and who they know is always fighting for them.
This is why electing someone with experience is important because it means that they can hit the ground running and not lose any time in fighting for their district. Having worked in the Ohio House of Representatives for over seven years I got to learn how the budget process works, brought back millions of dollars to local communities, and passed real legislation. Now also with my legal education, I am much more equipped to get to work on day one fighting for our community, without losing any time learning how to do the job.
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 OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Ohio House of Representatives District 40 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 23, 2025
