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Ohio's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| Ohio's 2nd 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. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
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 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 2nd Congressional District of Ohio, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is May 5, 2026. The filing deadline is February 4, 2026. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Ohio's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)
- Ohio's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Republican primary)
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
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 U.S. House Ohio District 2
Incumbent David Taylor is running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| David Taylor | ||
= 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. | ||||
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Ohio
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Taylor | Republican Party | $533,388 | $205,657 | $455,539 | 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." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: Ohio's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 12/16/2025 | 12/9/2025 | 12/2/2025 | 11/25/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
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 |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
General election
General election for U.S. House Ohio District 2
David Taylor (R) defeated Samantha Meadows (D) and Alexander Schrank (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Ohio District 2 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Taylor (R) | 73.6 | 268,211 |
| | Samantha Meadows (D) ![]() | 26.4 | 96,401 | |
| Alexander Schrank (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 4 | ||
| Total votes: 364,616 | ||||
= 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
Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2
Samantha Meadows (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2 on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Samantha Meadows ![]() | 100.0 | 15,022 |
| Total votes: 15,022 | ||||
= 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
- Joe Wessels (D) (Withdrew, appeared on ballot)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2 on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Taylor | 25.5 | 26,247 |
| | Tim O'Hara | 22.0 | 22,626 | |
| | Larry Kidd | 19.0 | 19,583 | |
| | Shane Wilkin | 9.6 | 9,932 | |
| | Ron Hood | 8.8 | 9,020 | |
| | Phil Heimlich | 4.9 | 5,080 | |
| | Tom Hwang | 3.1 | 3,202 | |
| | Kim Georgeton | 2.2 | 2,311 | |
| | Charles Tassell | 1.7 | 1,737 | |
| | Niraj Antani | 1.7 | 1,700 | |
| | Derek Myers | 1.5 | 1,565 | |
| Total votes: 103,003 | ||||
= 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
General election
General election for U.S. House Ohio District 2
Incumbent Brad Wenstrup (R) defeated Samantha Meadows (D) in the general election for U.S. House Ohio District 2 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Wenstrup (R) | 74.5 | 192,117 |
| | Samantha Meadows (D) ![]() | 25.5 | 65,745 | |
| Total votes: 257,862 | ||||
= 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
Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2
Samantha Meadows (D) defeated Alan Darnowsky (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2 on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Samantha Meadows ![]() | 72.0 | 11,694 |
| | Alan Darnowsky ![]() | 28.0 | 4,541 | |
| Total votes: 16,235 | ||||
= 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
Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2
Incumbent Brad Wenstrup (R) defeated James Condit Jr. (R) and David Windisch (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2 on May 3, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Wenstrup | 77.4 | 56,805 |
| | James Condit Jr. | 12.6 | 9,250 | |
| David Windisch | 10.1 | 7,382 | ||
| Total votes: 73,437 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Ohio District 2
Incumbent Brad Wenstrup (R) defeated Jaime Castle (D) and James Condit Jr. (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Ohio District 2 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Wenstrup (R) | 61.1 | 230,430 |
| | Jaime Castle (D) ![]() | 38.9 | 146,781 | |
| | James Condit Jr. (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 37 | |
| Total votes: 377,248 | ||||
= 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
Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2
Jaime Castle (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2 on April 28, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jaime Castle ![]() | 100.0 | 40,956 |
| Total votes: 40,956 | ||||
= 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
Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2
Incumbent Brad Wenstrup (R) defeated H. Robert Harris (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 2 on April 28, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brad Wenstrup | 94.2 | 53,674 |
| H. Robert Harris | 5.8 | 3,326 | ||
| Total votes: 57,000 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
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.

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 R+24. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 24 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Ohio's 2nd the 12th most Republican district nationally.[5]
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.
| Kamala Harris |
Donald Trump |
|---|---|
| 29.5% | 69.8% |
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.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
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 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
= candidate completed the