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Ohio's 12th Congressional District election, 2026 (May 5 Democratic primary)

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Ohio redrew its congressional district boundaries in October 2025. Voters will elect representatives under the new map in 2026. Click here to read more about mid-decade redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections.
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← 2024
Ohio's 12th 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: Solid Republican
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
Ohio's 12th 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 Democratic Party primary takes place on May 5, 2026, in Ohio's 12th Congressional District to determine which Democratic 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 12th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results


Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12

Jerrad Christian, Daniel Crawford, and Jason Reynard are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on May 5, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Jerrad Christian
Jerrad Christian
Image of Daniel Crawford
Daniel Crawford Candidate Connection
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Jason Reynard

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed 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.

Daniel Crawford

Image of Daniel Crawford

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "My campaign is about justice. We need justice for victims and survivors of crimes committed, and we must make declare how serious we are about justice by first ensuring that Jeffrey Epstein's clients are exposed, arrested, and tried for their heinous offenses. We also need economic justice. The working class has been on the losing end of a class war for the better part of our nation's history, and it is time that we turn the tide. The people need a living wage of no less than $20 an hour, and we need to establish that this living wage standard will be forever attached to inflation so that we don't go another two decades without addressing it. Economic justice also extends to protecting competition and ensuring that the right of workers to organize a union is treated as sacrosanct. We must pass the PRO Act, strengthen the Labor Department, and work together to break up the monopolies that are emerging in our economy. This economy must be made to work for all of us, not just the few. There ought to likewise be an emphasis on environmental justice. It is imperative that we remember that we share this planet with one another, AND all other living things. Pass the Green New Deal and work on smart development for our communities to reduce waste and encourage conservation. My campaign's theme of justice also includes our rights. These rights include: free speech, voting, healthcare, and housing (to name a few). I have more to say on this."

Key Messages

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

1. We must protect democracy and the Constitution: the fascists have run amok for far too long, and they are trying to decimate the Republic from within. We need to safeguard our democracy and establish stronger barriers shielding us from the whims of bad actors obsessed with power. 2. Accountability is a must: in order to protect the Republic, Congress must do its damn job to hold those accountable who thumb their nose at the rule of law. This should be universally applied, regardless of party. 3. Transparency: you can NOT have a functioning Democratic Republic without accountability, and you can not have accountability without transparency. Our job is to ensure that the secrecy and lies come to an end. Expose the truth!

My objective is to empower the people. Democracy is my religion, and the Constitution is my Bible. Is our founding document perfect? Of course not, and we can work on that together. However, we can NOT just let those in power cherry-pick the laws and foundational principles that they want to follow. If you look at my public record of commentary, you will see that I am not blinded by political affiliation. I called for George W. Bush's impeachment for his numerous breaches of the Constitution, and did the same (to the chagrin of many within my party) for Obama after he presided over the drone strike which killed an American citizen accused of being a terrorist. Universal application of the rule of law is the only way forward.

I only want to serve two terms in this office, at most. Yes, you hear many politicians make this or similar promises, but I want you to hold me to accountable here. While I do not intend to go back on my word, I want you to use my words here to attack me and politically bury me if I ever betray you. Our words have to mean something, and I was raised to mean what I say, say what I mean, and to speak loudly in favor of justice for all. My mother passed in 2012 at the age of 49, and it is her memory that I honor with my devotion to the cause of justice and honesty. If you see me straying away from the cause of justice, use her memory and example against me. Shame me into compliance. It is my primary objective to serve you to the fullest.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Ohio

Election information in Ohio: May 5, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: April 6, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by April 6, 2026
  • Online: April 6, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: April 28, 2026
  • By mail: Received by April 28, 2026
  • Online: N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: May 5, 2026
  • By mail: Received by May 5, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

April 7, 2026 to May 3, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. (ET)

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Jerrad Christian Democratic Party $15,359 $7,401 $11,716 As of December 31, 2025
Daniel Crawford Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Jason Reynard Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

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.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

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 before and after redistricting ahead of the 2026 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 used in the 2024 election next to the map in place for the 2026 election. Click on a map below to enlarge it.

2024

2023_01_03_oh_congressional_district_012.jpg

2026

2027_01_03_oh_congressional_district_012.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Ohio.

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Ohio in 2026. Information below was calculated on Feb. 4, 2026, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Seventy-eight candidates — 46 Democrats and 32 Republicans — ran for Ohio’s 15 U.S. House districts. That’s 5.2 candidates per district. There were 4.1 candidates per district in 2024, 4.5 in 2022, 4.2 in 2020, 5.1 in 2018, 3.7 in 2016, and 2.9 in 2014.

These were the first elections to take place since the Ohio Redistricting Commission voted unanimously to approve a new congressional map for 2026. The state was required to redraw its congressional district boundaries ahead of the 2026 elections due to a constitutional amendment that gave shorter expiration dates to maps passed without bipartisan support.

No districts were open in 2026, meaning all incumbents — five Democrats and 10 Republicans — ran for re-election. There were two open districts in 2024, one in 2022, two in 2018, one in 2016, and none in 2014.

Twenty primaries — 12 Democratic and eight Republican — were contested in 2026. In total, there were 12 contested primaries in 2024, 10 in 2022, 23 in 2020, 22 in 2018, 18 in 2016, and 14 in 2014.

Rep. Max Miller (R-7th) and eight Democrats ran for the 7th district, the most candidates that ran for a district in 2026.

Seven incumbents — three Democrats and four Republicans — faced primary challengers in 2026. There were four incumbents in a contested primary in 2024, six in 2022, 10 in 2020, eight in 2018, four in 2016, and five in 2014.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all 15 districts, meaning no districts were guaranteed to either party.

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 R+16. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 16 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Ohio's 12th the 62nd most Republican district nationally.[3]

2024 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 12th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
34.2%65.1%

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
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorRepublican Party Richard Michael DeWine
Lieutenant GovernorRepublican Party Jim Tressel
Secretary of StateRepublican Party Frank LaRose
Attorney GeneralRepublican 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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