Ohio's 12th Congressional District election, 2026

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.

← 2024
Ohio's 12th Congressional District
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 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House raceArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House raceFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House raceOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House raceTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House raceVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House raceSubmit

All U.S. House districts, including the 12th 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 was February 4, 2026. The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts are up for election.

Currently, Republicans have a 218-214 majority with three vacancies in the chamber. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

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

Candidates and election results

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.

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
		Jerrad Christian
		Daniel Crawford
	Submit photo	Jason Reynard

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12

Incumbent Troy Balderson is running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
		Troy Balderson

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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

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

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)

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
Troy Balderson	Republican Party	$1,041,657	$500,413	$1,547,668	As of December 31, 2025
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.

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.
• 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.

Race ratings: Ohio's 12th Congressional District election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	3/10/2026	3/3/2026	2/24/2026	2/17/2026
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.

• 2024
• 2022
• 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Ohio District 12

Incumbent Troy Balderson (R) defeated Jerrad Christian (D) in the general election for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Troy Balderson (R)	68.5	260,450
		Jerrad Christian (D)	31.5	119,738

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 380,188
= 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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12

Jerrad Christian (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jerrad Christian	100.0	22,809

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,809
= 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 12

Incumbent Troy Balderson (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Troy Balderson	100.0	81,263

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,263
= 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 12

Incumbent Troy Balderson (R) defeated Amy Rippel-Elton (D) in the general election for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Troy Balderson (R)	69.3	191,344
	Submit photo	Amy Rippel-Elton (D)	30.7	84,893

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 276,237
= 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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12

Amy Rippel-Elton (D) defeated Michael Fletcher (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Amy Rippel-Elton	56.7	12,712
		Michael Fletcher	43.3	9,717

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,429
= 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

• Alaina Shearer (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12

Incumbent Troy Balderson (R) defeated Brandon Lape (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Troy Balderson	82.3	66,181
		Brandon Lape	17.7	14,196

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 80,377
= 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 12

Incumbent Troy Balderson (R) defeated Alaina Shearer (D) and John Stewart (L) in the general election for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Troy Balderson (R)	55.2	241,790
		Alaina Shearer (D)	41.8	182,847
		John Stewart (L)	3.0	13,035

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 437,672
= 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 12

Alaina Shearer (D) defeated Jennifer Bell (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Alaina Shearer	58.4	34,103
		Jennifer Bell	41.6	24,263

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 58,366
= 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

• Benjamin Weislogel (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12

Incumbent Troy Balderson (R) defeated Tim Day (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Troy Balderson	83.9	51,412
	Submit photo	Tim Day	16.1	9,877

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 61,289
= 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

• Samuel Mierzejewski (R)

Libertarian Party primary

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12

John Stewart (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House Ohio District 12 on April 28, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Stewart (Write-in)	100.0	59

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 59
= 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

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

See also

Ohio	2026 primaries	2026 U.S. Congress elections
Ohio congressional delegation Voting in Ohio Ohio elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries	U.S. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

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)

2025-2026 Elections to the United States Congress

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Election information

Ballot access for major and minor party candidates • List of candidates running for election • List of congressional challengers • Retiring senators • Retiring representatives

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