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Mark Fogel
Mark Fogel (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Ohio State Senate to represent District 6. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Fogel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Fogel was born in Peoria, Illinois. He grew up in Dayton, Ohio.[1] He earned his B.S. in behavioral sciences from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2002 and his master's in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2016. His career experience includes working as a flight instructor and as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Dayton. He served in the United States Air Force from 1998 to 2014. He has served in the Air National Guard since 2014.[2]
Organizations
As of his 2020 campaign, Fogel was affiliated with the following organizations:[2]
- Truman National Security Project--National Security Fellow
- Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America--Member
- US Air Force Academy--Admissions Officer
- Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce--Business and Economic Development Committee Member
Elections
2020
See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Ohio State Senate District 6
Niraj Antani defeated Mark Fogel in the general election for Ohio State Senate District 6 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Niraj Antani (R) | 53.2 | 99,096 |
 | Mark Fogel (D)  | 46.8 | 87,280 | |
| Total votes: 186,376 | |||
| = 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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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 6
Mark Fogel defeated Albert Griggs Jr. in the Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 6 on April 28, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Fogel | 82.2 | 16,867 |
| Albert Griggs Jr. | 17.8 | 3,643 | ||
| Total votes: 20,510 | |||
| = 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 State Senate District 6
Niraj Antani defeated Rachel Selby and Gregory Alan Robinson in the Republican primary for Ohio State Senate District 6 on April 28, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Niraj Antani | 64.4 | 14,866 |
 | Rachel Selby | 23.0 | 5,317 | |
| Gregory Alan Robinson | 12.5 | 2,885 | ||
| Total votes: 23,068 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To see a list of endorsements for Mark Fogel, click here.
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mark Fogel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Fogel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Achieving my dream of being an Air Force fighter pilot, I saw duty throughout Europe and the Middle East, and served a combat tour in Afghanistan flying intelligence and reconnaissance missions in support of friendly forces.
Being a son of Dayton, I knew I needed to give back to the community that gave me so much. So after leaving active duty, I earned a master's in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government where I studied economic policy, leadership, lawmaking, finance, and other topics, all while flying fighters with the Air National Guard...and becoming a new dad to twin boys!
As soon as I could, I returned home with my wife-herself born and raised in Dayton, and expecting our third-and kids, where we settled in the same town we grew up in.
Today, I work at one of Ohio's largest manufacturers where I run a leadership development program for military veterans to become business leaders. I also teach graduate students as a faculty member at the University of Dayton, and continue to serve as a Squadron Commander in the rank of Lt Col in the Ohio Air National Guard.- I'm fighting for our economic security.
- All Ohioans have a right to quality, affordable healthcare.
- We must pass common-sense, reasonable gun safety laws in order to save lives and protect gun-owner's rights.
First and foremost is our economic security. We need to ensure our local workforce is prepared and trained for high-wage 21st century jobs, protect their rights, and support businesses who invest in their people. I want to reduce burdensome regulations on small businesses, simplify the red-tape around taxation and reporting, and expand Dayton's growing private-public partnerships.
Healthcare!
Ohio trails most states in overall health, especially for women, infants, and children. Prescription medication costs for critical drugs like insulin are so high it has become an immediate threat. Many in Ohio's statehouse want to cut your access to affordable healthcare and resist lowering prescription drug prices. Not me. Affordable, quality healthcare is essential, and I want to make sure everyone in Ohio has this.
Gun Safety!
After our community suffered its' own tragedy, we demanded our lawmakers in Columbus do something-but they haven't! I want to mandate Universal Background Checks, keep guns out of the hands of violent offenders, help protect our men and women in law enforcement, and keep weapons of war off our streets. The vast majority of Ohioans support these policies, and so do I.
It wasn't until years later, when I was flying, that I learned more about who he was as a person and why he entered politics. It isn't simply that I find in Senator Glenn a career path to emulate. In fact, our careers in the military, business, and politics diverge substantially. Instead it's about striving to place service and leadership at the core of my pursuits.
Shortly after becoming the first American to orbit the earth, he was ticker-tape parade famous. Lucrative business opportunities and a life-altering future were laid before him. Instead, he entered business with a firm devotion to work hard and earn his keep. Politics was about making a difference for Ohio and America, rather than fame (he was already more famous than any living politician!).
Through it all he remained hopelessly devoted to his wife and kids.
I discuss this earlier in the context of a legislator's professional background, but I want to reinforce it here: we must elect dedicated public servants of good character. To know a person's internal moral compass is hard, but do they have a proven track record of service and leadership? Do they build successful teams? Are they trustworthy, or are they modern day hucksters?
In terms of characteristics, I'll consider personal traits and behaviors here when I list the following:
1) Critical thinking
2) Bravery
3) Empathy
4) Intelligence
5) Long-term thinking
The aren't all-encompassing, certainly, but I'll dive deeper.
Critical Thinking, because basic analysis of information (perhaps the one trait most lacking in many of today's public servants - certainly at the national level) is a necessary pre-condition for creating good policy.
Bravery, to do what is right, even when unpopular or to personal risk.
Empathy, to consider the inherent dignity and value of each person, and to recognize how hard life can be for so many.
Intelligence, to understand complex phenomena - and to explain the path to progress in a way that makes sense.
As a military officer, businessman in the aviation industry - and father and husband - I believe in doing the right thing, always, even when it is unpopular or to my personal risk. The trust of the people I lead and serve (including, sometimes, their very lives) depends on that integrity.
Service is about placing the needs of those I lead, either on my teams, in my community, or at work, before my own needs. I have found great personal success, not through self-promotion, but from team performance. This has been the case as a fighter pilot, HR leader, businessman, and community member.
Commitment involves the resolute desire to see things through. Not to be confused with a blatant disregard for changing course when necessary, it's really about maintaining the long-term ability to make a difference, improve a situation, and assist those who need it. It's about honor and fulfilling promises, whether explicitly said or not.
Beyond core personal values, I approach elected office with a deep well of personal resilience, confidence, and ability. Like many veterans, I've overcome challenges and found success in the toughest of circumstances. On top of that, I don't have to prove myself to anyone, a pleasant side-effect of having spent quality time in the cockpit of a jet fighter. My skin is thick to public disagreement - even ridicule - and this means that I'll always have the grace to admit my mistakes and move forward. I certainly have to earn the public's trust, but I'm not campaigning in order to prove my self-worth.
Regarding ability, I'm speaking of my strengths surrounding being a quick learner, critical thinker, situational awareness, patience, and long-term planner.
Like all of you, I've seen historical footage of the tragedy many dozens of times. Later, I even studied the event from an organizational behavior and decision sciences perspective, but I don't remember seeing it happen live.
Through high school I worked as a baseball umpire, a book-shelver at Woodbourne Library, and most prominently, a restaurant busboy and dishwasher. That job I had for nearly a year before I entered military service as an officer candidate at the US Air Force Academy.
I mention my childhood jobs because they had a real impact on me. We often overlook the fact that adults, sometimes supporting whole families, have those same jobs. They tend to work those jobs for long hours, perhaps while working other jobs, too, and still remain in deep poverty.
Fundamentally, this is the most important difference.
As Senator, I have to represent farmers, city-dwellers, and suburbanites. Young and old. The spectrum of income, race, sex, religion and more. My District is really more like a mini-Ohio.
On issues: Economic Development, Criminal Justice, Transportation, Education, Veterans Affairs, Healthcare...any issue of public policy is something a Senator needs to have either a background in, or a demonstrated capacity to quickly learn and understand.
Let me be frank: there are politicians across this country with vast government and political experience who are wholly and completely unfit for the job.
Rather than political experience, it's important we look to those with deep experiences around service, leadership, high-stakes decision-making, information analysis, and other key traits and behaviors we'd want in those who we trust to craft public policy and advocate for us.
It's also critical to know an officeholder's character, but this is hard to do. Are they trustworthy? Do they lie? Are they serving special interests at the expense of the public? In the end, are they moral people who believe in the fundamental bedrock principles of what makes a representative democracy strong?
Because voters rarely know a candidate personally, we look for clues, and admittedly often in the wrong places.
Many run for office because they aspire to "higher" positions. They consider city councils, school boards, even state legislative offices as mere stepping stones.
I find that repugnant.
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
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
