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Ohio's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Republican primary)

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← 2024
Ohio's 1st Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: February 4, 2026
Primary: May 5, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Voting in Ohio

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Toss-up
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Ohio's 1st Congressional District
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th • 15th
Ohio elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A Republican Party primary takes place on May 5, 2026, in Ohio's 1st Congressional District to determine which Republican candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
February 4, 2026
May 5, 2026
November 3, 2026



A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Ohio law provides for closed primaries, meaning a voter must be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary. However, a voter of any affiliation can choose the ballot they would like to vote on the day of the primary, and their choice may be regarded as registration with that party.[1][2]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Ohio's 1st Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 1

Eric Conroy, Steven Erbeck, and Rosemary Oglesby-Henry are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 1 on May 5, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Eric Conroy
Eric Conroy
Image of Steven Erbeck
Steven Erbeck Candidate Connection
Image of Rosemary Oglesby-Henry
Rosemary Oglesby-Henry Candidate Connection

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = 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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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Steven Erbeck

Image of Steven Erbeck

WebsiteFacebookX

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Born and raised in Mason, Ohio, Steven Erbeck has the experience and values necessary to lead our community in Southwest Ohio to a more promising future. Growing up on a farm, Steven learned the importance of hard work at an early age. Steven’s attended The Ohio State University, where he studied Business and Biology. Inspired by his family’s legacy in dentistry, he later enrolled at New York University’s College of Dentistry. Driven by gratitude and a strong sense of legacy, Steven made his way back to Cincinnati to take the reins of the family business. As a fourth-generation dentist (his great-grandfather was Mason’s first dentist), Steven expanded his family’s century-old business, The Cincinnati Dental Group, into a state-of-the-art, multi-doctor practice with offices in both Mason and Montgomery. Steven is dedicated to his family, his faith, and his community. He resides in Madeira with his wife, Sydney, their six-month-old daughter, Georgia, and their golden retriever, Winston. Steven is a parishioner of St. Gertrude’s Church, and is active in his community . As a small business owner and a passionate healthcare advocate, Steven has regularly attended lobbying sessions on Capitol Hill to push for greater healthcare access and combat the opioid epidemic. Rooted in a passion for the great state of Ohio’s families, freedom, and the future, Steven proudly represents his community with integrity and is dedicated to creating a stronger, brighter Ohio for the next generation."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Reviving the American Dream starts with making life affordable again for everyday Americans. Steven believes the federal government’s imprudent spending has driven inflation to historic highs, making it harder for families to pay for groceries, gas, housing, and basic necessities. To fix this, Steven supports responsible budgeting proposals in Washington and policies that stabilize the economy and strengthen the dollar. Steven also supports bringing back pro-growth economic policies that create real job opportunities. By creating a low-tax, business-friendly environment, we can bring jobs back to Southwest Ohio, rebuild the middle class, and make sure every American has a real chance to succeed.

Steven believes that every American deserves to live in a safe and secure community, free from violence, fear, and lawlessness. He supports fully funding law enforcement and giving police the tools, training, and resources they need to do their jobs effectively and safely. Steven also believes in restoring respect for the rule of law by holding repeat offenders accountable and ending soft-on-crime policies that put criminals back on the streets. He is deeply concerned about the troubling gun violence and violent crime across the city. He supports tougher penalties for violent offenders and repeat criminals, and he will work to reverse soft-on-crime policies that keep dangerous individuals off the streets ensuring our families remain safe.

Housing affordability is a growing challenge for too many families in our community. Steven believes that everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to call home. Not long ago homeownership was seen as the foundation of the American Dream, a dream that feels increasingly out of reach for many. To tackle this crisis, Steven supports free market policies that encourage responsible development, reduce unnecessary regulations, and expand the housing supply, especially for first-time buyers and working families. He will work to increase access to affordable housing by promoting public-private partnerships and streamlining the permitting process so new homes can be built faster and more efficiently.

Rosemary Oglesby-Henry

Image of Rosemary Oglesby-Henry

WebsiteFacebookX

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Rosemary Oglesby-Henry, affectionately known as Ms. Rosemary, is a dynamic leader and community advocate with a track record of impactful service in Southwest Ohio. Raised in Avondale, she turned her personal challenges—becoming a teen mother—into a driving force to empower others. She founded Rosemary’s Babies Co., a 501c3 nonprofit that supports young parents aged 9-19, helping over 3,000 families achieve self-sufficiency. A conservative leader, Ms. Rosemary graduated from Withrow High School then obtained her Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies, a Master’s in Organizational Leadership, and numerous certifications in human services, business, and leadership. As an award-winning CEO and educator, she has earned national recognition, including the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award and inclusion in the Ohio 500 Most Influential Leaders. Her faith-driven leadership and pragmatic problem-solving approach led to the transformation of a blighted area into the Holloway House & Resource Center, a $2M health-focused facility for young mothers. As a passionate advocate for small business development, Ms. Rosemary has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs grow their businesses, fueling economic opportunity in Greater Cincinnati. Ms. Rosemary is committed to empowering individuals through education, service, and policies that reduce government dependency while strengthening communities. Her career reflects a deep commitment to creating tangible solutions and lasting impact."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Rebuilding and Respecting the American Dream The American Dream still matters—but it needs leaders who understand the barriers to achieving it. Through lived experience, I know what it means to rise from struggle. I’m running to restore belief in a system that’s lost trust—and to ensure that every child, parent, and entrepreneur has a fair shot.

Strengthening Our Ohio—From the Ground Up We believe in an Ohio built by us and for us. That means investing in grassroots businesses, uplifting nonprofits that are already filling the gaps, and empowering families and communities to thrive—not just survive. Real change starts locally, and it starts now.

Leadership That Lives What It Leads This campaign isn’t about politics as usual. It’s about purpose-driven leadership rooted in experience, resilience, and service. Visit www.votemsrosemary.com to join a movement that reflects you—your values, your struggles, your future. Together, we’ll build an Ohio that works for all of us.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Ohio

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Eric Conroy Republican Party $427,380 $11,359 $416,021 As of September 30, 2025
Steven Erbeck Republican Party $362,802 $11,643 $351,159 As of September 30, 2025
Rosemary Oglesby-Henry Republican Party $30,614 $22,245 $8,370 As of September 30, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_oh_congressional_district_01.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+3. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 3 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Ohio's 1st the 179th most Democratic district nationally.[3]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Ohio's 1st Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
47.5% 51.6%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Ohio, 2024

Ohio presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 12 Democratic wins
  • 19 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R D D R R R D D D R D R R R D R R D R R R D D R R D D R R R
See also: Party control of Ohio state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Ohio's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Ohio
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 5 5
Republican 2 10 12
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 15 17

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Ohio's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in Ohio, October 2025
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Richard Michael DeWine
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Jim Tressel
Secretary of State Republican Party Frank LaRose
Attorney General Republican Party Dave Yost

State legislature

Ohio State Senate

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 9
     Republican Party 24
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 33

Ohio House of Representatives

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 34
     Republican Party 65
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 99

Trifecta control

Ohio Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas  •  Twenty-seven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Ohio in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Ohio, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Ohio U.S. House Major party 50 $85 2/4/2026 Source
Ohio U.S. House Minor party 25 $85 2/4/2026 Source
Ohio U.S. House Unaffiliated 1% of the vote cast for governor in the district in the last election $85 5/4/2026 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Ohio Laws and Administrative Codes, "Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3513.19," accessed December 19, 2025
  2. ↑ Ohio Laws and Administrative Codes, "Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3513.05," accessed December 19, 2025
  3. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Ohio's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Jon Husted (R)
Bernie Moreno (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
Bob Latta (R)
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
Republican Party (12)
Democratic Party (5)


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