Tony Pombo

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Tony Pombo

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 19, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Wright State University, 2002

Personal

Birthplace

Hamilton, Ohio

Profession

Computer engineer

Contact

Campaign website

Tony Pombo (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio's 10th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 19, 2024.

Pombo completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Tony Pombo was born in Hamilton, Ohio. Pombo earned a bachelor's degree from Wright State University in 2002. His career experience includes working as a computer engineer.

Elections

2024

See also: Ohio's 10th Congressional District election, 2024

Ohio's 10th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Democratic primary)

Ohio's 10th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Ohio District 10

Incumbent Michael Turner defeated Amy Cox and Michael Harbaugh in the general election for U.S. House Ohio District 10 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Turner (R)	57.6	213,695
		Amy Cox (D)	39.2	145,420
		Michael Harbaugh (Independent)	3.1	11,631

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 370,746
= 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 U.S. House Ohio District 10

Amy Cox defeated David Esrati, Tony Pombo, and Joseph Kuzniar in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 10 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amy Cox	63.3	22,640
		David Esrati	21.7	7,767
		Tony Pombo	9.2	3,296
		Joseph Kuzniar	5.7	2,046

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,749
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kirk Benjamin (D)
• Manuel Foggie (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 10

Incumbent Michael Turner advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 10 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Turner	100.0	61,941

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 61,941
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Pombo in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Tony Pombo completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Pombo's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Tony Pombo came from a middle-class family in Hamilton, Ohio. His mother owned a small business and his step-father worked as a union member at Ford Motor Company. His close relatives are public school teachers, small business owners, and several medical professionals. He witnessed firsthand the advantages of being in a union and the challenges of running a small business under different administrations.

He relocated to Beavercreek in 1990 to attend Wright State University and never left the area. He obtained a B.S. in Computer Science and has earned several industry certifications. Throughout his career, he worked as a computer programmer, network administrator, and security architect as either an employee or consultant.

For about 10 years, he took a break from corporate computer work, and launched an electrical contracting company and worked as an electrician. He went back to computers when he felt that was not challenging enough.

He is currently the Systems Architect and Security Officer at a business-to-business web services company based in Beavercreek, Ohio.

Tony Pombo is intelligent, rational, and a root-cause problem solver. He does not fear hard work or facing tough challenges. He confronts the status quo and holds the influential responsible for their actions.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• For years, politicians have sacrificed the American people's quality of life to satisfy the greedy interests of corporations, billionaires, lobbyists, and their own self-interest. This must stop! The people are the lifeblood of this nation and they deserve the government to work for everyone, not only the rich and powerful.
• We must take urgent action to address climate change and pollution. The last 8 years were the hottest on record. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch consists of mainly plastics and is now three times bigger than Texas, and growing every day.
• We have to curb corporate avarice. When profit is the only criterion of success, the public pays the price. Outsourcing jobs (to increase profit) destroyed decent, middle-class jobs, and created an undesired reliance on China and their oppressive regime. Our government should do more to shield the people from corporate abuse.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Working for the people and reviving the American Dream! Restoring the standard of living that has declined since the 1970s.

People should not have to work several full-time jobs just to survive. Making sure minimum wage keeps up with inflation might be enough.

Lowering health care and college costs; preserving Social Security; supporting military veterans; balancing the federal budget; safeguarding our borders.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

The people I admire most are those who courageously stood up for what is righteous, even if it meant endangering their own lives. Examples of such people are Rosa Parks, Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King.

Another group of people I respect are those who invented something valuable, but chose not to profit from it, because they wanted to improve the world. People like Jonas Salk, Frederick Banting, and Tim Berners-Lee belong to this category.

To me, anyone who puts the well-being of humanity above their own personal interests is a hero.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

"Animal Farm" by George Orwell.

It tells the story of a revolution where the people overthrow the ruling class and start a government where each citizen can be equal, free, and happy.

It starts out well, but eventually those in charge become greedy, abuse their power, and no longer do what is best for the people. In the end, society ends up in a state as bad as it was before.

It demonstrates how government fails the people when the politicians prioritize their wishes over the people’s necessities.

It's a good book. Read it, or watch one of the film adaptations.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty and the fortitude to put the public's interest first, even if it means sacrificing their own interests.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am unwavering in my desire to better the lives of the American people. I cannot be "bought", and I always prioritize the interests of the electorate over my own.

I am an intelligent, rational, and a root-cause problem solver. I do not fear hard work or facing tough challenges. I confront the status quo and will hold the influential responsible for their actions.

Technology is pervasive in the contemporary world, and we require legislators who grasp its intricacies. Without this expertise, politicians are incapable of foreseeing the consequences of enacting or neglecting policy, until it has injured the people. I possess this expertise.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Easy. To make policies that safeguard and serve their constituents and the country’s people as a whole. Politicians often act in favor of the 1% and that hardly ever aligns with the common good.

What legacy would you like to leave?

An improved quality of life for all Americans.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember my parents, a small business owner and a UAW union member, being very angry and frustrated that Ronald Reagan won the presidency in 1980. I was 8 and didn't understand why they were so upset at the time.

The first memorable event that shook me was the space shuttle Challenger explosion. I saw it happen live on TV at school when I was 13.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"Masquerade" from Andrew Lloyd Weber's "The Phantom of the Opera"

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Perhaps, but we have to admit that the current politicians are the issue. Newbies offer fresh ideas and no political baggage.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

We must come together as a nation or we won't have a nation.
The split among the parties must end, income disparity must be lowered, and we must take urgent action to address climate change and reduce plastic waste.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

During a campaign year, the current officeholder has to devote about half of the year to running for re-election. During this period, they are not fully serving the people.

With elections every 2 years, this implies the job only gets the full focus of the holder about 75% of the time.

Based on that alone, I believe the term duration should be 3 or 4 years.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Most people who support term limits think it is a solution to remove bad politicians, but it does not address the core issue. We need to improve the electoral system instead.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Bill is an elderly retiree. He spent his whole life working hard and has a sizable savings in stocks and bonds. He also gets a pension and social security. The pension and social security by themselves are not enough for his living costs, but the dividend and interest from his savings are. He is totally independent and can sustain himself indefinitely because he never touches his savings. He even purchased extra Medicare insurance and life insurance. He did everything right.

One day, Bill falls and injures his knee. He lands in the hospital and contracts a severe infection. He is sent to a nursing home. Due to the infection, he cannot do physical therapy until it heals. At some point, insurance stops covering because he stayed in the nursing home “too long”. There is no program to assist Bill, yet. Medicaid will only help when Bill is practically penniless. Bill has to liquidate all his assets, cash out his life insurance, and empty his bank accounts – then Medicaid will help.

Bill recovers, and eventually exits the nursing home. He is broke, has no savings left, and cannot afford to live by himself. If he had no family to take him in, he would be homeless.

One minor mishap, and Bill’s independent lifestyle is gone forever. He is now a permanent burden to his family.

Unfortunately, this is a common outcome with our current health care system.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Absolutely. Nobody or group is flawless. The reality is that when you prioritize the people’s welfare, the answer becomes clear, and conflicts almost disappear.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Balancing the budget starts here. We need to fix the income tax system and ensure everyone pays their fair share.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

To ensure that members of government, and the government itself, are not violating the law.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

We need more. There is no such thing as too much transparency and accountability.

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 website

Pombo’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the Dayton region's largest employer. We need to protect and support the base, but not ignore everything else. Combat climate change and protect the environment. Reduce health care costs. Reduce higher education costs. Protect privacy and enact right-to-repair legislation. We made a retirement promise to the taxpayers. We must safeguard Social Security to honor that promise. Ensure a livable minimum wage. It is imperative that we support Ukraine in resisting the Russian invasion. The tyrant Vladimir Putin should have been stopped 18 months ago. Help the homeless become contributing members of society. Provide for our military veterans. It is heartbreaking to see anyone, especially people who fought for our country, begging for food in downtown Dayton. End bullying and prejudice: anti-Semitism, racism, and support the LGBTQ+ community Pro-choice, but abortion should not be an alternative to birth control. No late term abortions. We need a balanced budget. This can be fixed by everyone paying their fair share of taxes, and cutting fat from government spending. Fix the undocumented immigrant problem and secure our borders by fixing the root cause. We need to make it easier to become a legal immigrant and eliminate any benefits of being an "illegal" immigrant. Reduce gun violence by instituting policies that do not conflict with the second amendment. Pro-union. Employees have the right to negotiate with their employers for fair work and pay. Supporter of return-free filing equals no tax returns. Politicians should always, ALWAYS, do what is in the best interests of the people. The American Dream is being destroyed by the drive for corporate profit "at all costs".	”
—Tony Pombo’s campaign website (2024)

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Tony Pombo campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Ohio District 10	Lost primary	$10,025	$8,390
Grand total			$10,025	$8,390
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

2024 Elections

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Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Ohio District 10

Website

Footnotes

[show]

Ohio's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Jon Husted (R)

Bernie Moreno (R)

Representatives

District 1

Greg Landsman (D)

District 2

David Taylor (R)

District 3

Joyce Beatty (D)

District 4

Jim Jordan (R)

District 5

Bob Latta (R)

District 6

Michael Rulli (R)

District 7

Max Miller (R)

District 8

Warren Davidson (R)

District 9

Marcy Kaptur (D)

District 10

Michael Turner (R)

District 11

Shontel Brown (D)

District 12

Troy Balderson (R)

District 13

Emilia Sykes (D)

District 14

David Joyce (R)

District 15

Mike Carey (R)

Republican Party (12)

Democratic Party (5)