Ohio’s 4th District House Race 2026

Jaime West, a Democratic candidate for the Fayette County Council, District 4 seat in Indiana, has drawn national attention after remarks made during a televised candidates' forum ahead of the general election. Asked about an unpopular policy she might pursue, West said she would "fire all Republicans" and remove those aligned with the MAGA movement from county positions, calling them racist and unintelligent while saying she avoids associating with them. She claimed she had been threatened by a nephew of the local sheriff, who allegedly said he would "blow her head off," though Sheriff Zac Jones said he has no nephews and does not know West. Asked for a closing message to voters, West responded, "We have guns too," and cited her experience delivering groceries and packages as a reason to trust her with a vote.

West appeared to have difficulty speaking clearly during portions of the exchange, prompting online speculation about her condition; she has not responded to requests for comment. Video of the forum went viral, with early voting already underway in Fayette County.

A new bill from Rep. Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) would cap the number of residents at addiction recovery houses located in single-family residential neighborhoods at five people, while allowing higher occupancy in multi-family zones. The measure follows growing bipartisan concern over overcrowded and unsafe conditions at some Ohio group homes, which have proliferated amid the opioid epidemic. Ohio's Department of Behavioral Health took direct control of recovery house certification earlier this summer over similar concerns.

Lorenz, who previously worked at a group home in Mansfield, says the bill isn't meant to punish operators but to protect both residents and surrounding communities from unsafe, overcrowded setups, including makeshift rooms in garages or basements without proper egress or sprinklers. The bill would let communities limit new clusters of recovery houses but would not allow existing homes to be shut down. Lea Dooley of Ohio Recovery Housing has not taken a position on the bill, noting the bigger issue is a shortage of accredited, affordable recovery housing across the state rather than existing quality standards.

Incumbent Democrat Joyce Beatty is defending her seat in Ohio's 3rd Congressional District, which covers most of Columbus, against Republican challenger Cleophus Dulaney in the November 3 election. Beatty, 76, has held the seat since 2012, serves on the House Financial Services Committee, and is campaigning on affordable housing, civil rights, education and the economy.

Dulaney, 66, a local business owner who previously lost a 2020 primary bid for the seat, was arrested by the FBI in 2024 in connection with the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, facing charges including assaulting a police officer. He received clemency from President Trump on his first day in office as part of a mass pardon covering roughly 1,600 people tied to the attack. Dulaney describes his participation as peaceful protest and says he is running on cost-of-living, immigration and housing issues, though he lacks the Franklin County GOP's endorsement. Notably, records show Dulaney actually resides just outside the district he seeks to represent, while Beatty lives within its boundaries.

Don Leonard, a Democratic primary candidate in Ohio's 15th Congressional District, is drawing criticism after resurfaced comments from the Hilliard Beacon Podcast in which he joked that he is not a democratic socialist and, even if he were, would lie to voters to win their support. Critics point to Leonard's financial support for the Working Families Party and his public praise of the group's policy platform — including affordable housing, universal health care, and paid family leave — as well as his favorable comments about New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, to argue his positions align closely with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) despite his denial of DSA membership.

The dispute reflects a broader pattern this election cycle: nearly 40 DSA-aligned candidates have won Democratic primaries for the November general election, mostly in safely Democratic, gerrymandered districts. Ohio's 15th is viewed as more competitive, raising questions about how openly candidates in swing districts will embrace progressive or socialist branding versus more moderate seats where such affiliations carry less political risk.

U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, the Bowling Green Republican who has represented Ohio's 5th Congressional District since 2007 and chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee's energy subcommittee, faces Democrat Brian Shaver and Libertarian Michael Veloff in November. Ohio's 2025 GOP-led redistricting shifted several Republican-leaning counties out of Latta's district and into Marcy Kaptur's, in an effort to unseat Kaptur — a change Shaver and Veloff argue could make Latta more vulnerable, though political forecasters still rate the seat safely Republican.

Latta touts his frequent district travel, legislative record, and work on energy permitting and data center ratepayer protections. Shaver, a civics teacher and local union president, centers his campaign on affordability, accountability, and restoring congressional checks on presidential power, criticizing tariffs and unauthorized military action. Veloff, running on a Libertarian platform mixing small-government and consumer-protection ideas, hopes to draw disaffected Republican voters away from Latta. Campaign finance reports show Latta with a substantial fundraising advantage over both challengers heading into the fall election.