Governor
Dr. Amy Acton
Democrat
Vivek Ramaswamy
Republican
COST OF LIVING & AFFORDABILITY
Dr. Amy Acton
Acton proposed the ‘ActOn Lowering Costs’ agenda: a $1,000/year child tax credit for kids 0–6 and $500 for ages 7–18, plus an Earned Income Credit reaching 775,000 working families for households earning up to $85,000. A married couple with two kids earning $60,000 could get $1,778 back under the plan.
Acton: Campaign website (‘Reducing Costs for Ohio Families’); Campaign website (‘Lowering Energy Costs’); Campaign press release, 7/27/26.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy dismissed concerns about affordability as a “buzzword” even as Ohio families face rising costs.
Ramaswamy: NYTimes (He Has a War Chest and an ‘R’ by His Name. Will Enough Voters Like Him?) 4/15/2026.
labor & WAGES
Dr. Amy Acton
Acton supports raising wages for Ohioans to keep up with rising costs, and has built her campaign around workers who are “doing everything right. They are working harder than they ever have worked but they can’t get any breathing room.”
Acton wants a full review of JobsOhio, the state’s economic development agency, after billions in incentives for new plants have been delayed.
Acton: Campaign Website (‘ActOn Lowering Costs’); Twitter, 1/5/26; Acton in Action, 2/14/26; Campaign Website (‘Growing Ohio Jobs and Businesses’); Yahoo! Finance, 1/23/26; Ohio Capital Journal, 6/5/26.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy publicly defended companies hiring foreign engineers over Americans, writing in December 2024 that the reason isn’t an IQ deficit but “culture.”
Ramaswamy was booed off stage at the Young Americans for Liberty convention in Cincinnati on July 29 after telling the crowd his generation had already made it — hecklers shouted about data centers, energy prices and housing costs. He used 14 minutes of a 30-minute slot and left early. A Columbus Dispatch columnist called it one of the most embarrassing political performances on record.
Quality Health Care
Dr. Amy Acton
Acton wants to launch an ‘Ohio Rx’ platform to cut prescription costs, end surprise billing, forgive medical debt, and protect Medicaid. Notes that Ohio now leads the nation in ACA marketplace coverage loss — enrollment has fallen 32% since the federal subsidies expired, affecting over 160,000 Ohioans, with 11 rural hospitals at risk of closure. Acton joined nurses and families rallying to save Delaware County’s Grady Memorial Hospital, whose maternity unit was set to close July 31, cutting 37 jobs.
Action is a physician and former Ohio Department of Health Director. She was Ohio’s health director during COVID.
Acton: Campaign Website (‘Lowering the Cost of Health Care’); Statehouse News Bureau, 7/15/26 (ACA marketplace coverage loss); WBNS 10TV, 7/9/26 (Delaware County hospital rally); Campaign Press Release, 7/10/26 (direct quote about 11 rural hospitals); NBC4, 7/20/26 (quote at rally); 2025 March of Dimes Report Card Ohio (infant mortality and maternal mortality); Cleveland.com, 7/5/26; NBC4, 4/16/26.
Vivek Ramaswamy
In October 2024 remarks, Ramaswamy called Medicare and Medicaid ‘a mistake.’
Ramaswamy advised then-Lt. Gov. Husted on Ohio’s pandemic response, backed mandatory antibody testing, and pushed a national registry to “segregate” Americans by immunity status. He later paid a Wikipedia editor to remove references to his role in Ohio’s COVID response.
U.S. Senate
Sherrod Brown
Democrat
Jon Husted
Republican
COST OF LIVING & AFFORDABILITY
Sherrod Brown
Brown wants tariff revenue returned to Ohio families as rebates. Estimates show tariffs have cost Ohio $6.5 billion and the average Ohio family $1,336 over the past year.
Brown introduced the Shrinkflation Prevention Act to let the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general go after companies that shrink the package without shrinking the price, saying Ohioans pay for corporate stock buybacks and executive bonuses every time they shop. As Banking Committee chairman, he ran a hearing on shrinkflation and corporate price gouging.
Brown ran his first ad of the race standing in a grocery store, citing beef up 15%, coffee up 41%, and turkey up 40%, and asking what Husted was doing about it.
Sponsored the Social Security Fairness Act, which restored full benefits to roughly 150,000 Ohio public retirees, including teachers, firefighters, and police. Wants Congress to act on a bipartisan fix to Social Security instead of cutting benefits, protecting the roughly $487 a month an average Ohio retiree would otherwise lose when the trust fund runs short in 2032.
Brown co-wrote the American Family Act, the plan behind the 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit that sent monthly checks to working families and helped drive child poverty to a record low, and led Senate Democrats pushing to make it permanent.
Brown: Statehouse News Bureau, 3/2/2026; Press release, 2/29/2024; Senate Banking Committee hearing, 5/2/2024, ‘Higher Prices: How Shrinkflation and Technology Can Impact Consumers’ Finances’; Brown grocery-store ad: NOTUS, 11/26/2025; Susan Collins, 1/5/2025; Statehouse News Bureau, 12/31/2024; Ohio Capital Journal, 6/16/2026; Statehouse News Bureau, 1/13/2025; Sen. Michael Bennett press releases, 10/26/17, 4/9/25.
Jon Husted
Husted supports tariffs overall, but wants tariff revenue returned to businesses as refunds rather than directly to families.
Husted has offered no measure to police corporate price fixing. Told Fox Business the three ways to make things more affordable are to earn more, keep more of what you earn, and drive down prices — and separately claimed the affordability crisis is worst in blue states and blue cities, not in Ohio.
Husted has told struggling Ohioans to “earn more.”
When asked what he was doing about rising gas prices, Husted told a constituent, ‘What do you want me to do?’ — then voted against a war powers resolution on Iran. In total, people across Ohio have spent an additional $3 billion on gas since the beginning of the war. That has cost the average family in Ohio an additional $613 in gas costs.
Husted voted for legislation that cut millions of dollars in SNAP funding that families relied on to buy groceries. His office boasts he “cast the deciding vote” to pass it.
Husted rejected a bipartisan plan from Ohio’s other senator to shore up Social Security by asking higher earners to pay more, calling it a ‘giant tax increase.‘ Has told struggling Ohioans their ‘work ethic is broken’ and to simply ‘earn more.’
Husted: Statehouse News Bureau, 3/2/2026; Ohio Democrats, 7/24/2026; DSCC, 12/11/2025; DSCC, 12/11/2025; TiffinOhio.net, 5/20/2026; Washington Post, 12/2/2025; Ohio Democrats, 11/17/2025; Tiffin Ohio, 7/1/2026; American Journal News, 1/20/2026; Joint Economic Committee Minority, 8/2026.
labor & WAGES
Sherrod Brown
Brown spent three terms in the Senate fighting for manufacturing workers and opposing trade deals that shipped Ohio jobs overseas. Brown also introduced the Food and Nutrition Delivery Safety Act, introduced the Grocery, Farm, and Food Worker Stabilization Grant Program Act, and cosponsored the Food Secure Strikers Act.
Brown wrote the Butch Lewis Act, which passed as part of the American Rescue Plan and saved the pensions of more than 100,000 Ohio union workers and retirees whose retirement funds were headed for insolvency. Brown also introduced the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act and cosponsored the PRO Act, No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act, and Paycheck Fairness Act.
Jon Husted
Husted has not signed on to the PRO Act or the Faster Labor Contracts Act, which would help workers who vote to unionize win a first contract faster.
Husted has not commented on the Butch Lewis Act.
Husted: H.R. 1, Roll Call #372, 7/1/2025; S.J.Res.37, Roll Call #160, 4/2/2025; S. 3385, Roll Call #119, 12/11/2025; Statehouse News Bureau, 12/30/2025; S.128; S. 852; S. 844.
Quality Health Care
Sherrod Brown
Brown opposes federal cuts that will result in the loss of health coverage for 10 million Americans, including 438,000 in Ohio. That legislation also limits Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
Brown was an early backer of the Affordable Care Act and voted to cap insulin costs at $35 for people on Medicare. Wants to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits to keep premiums affordable for over 500,000 Ohioans.
Brown built his career taking on the corporations that profit off public health programs — including leading the multi-decade fight to let Medicare negotiate drug prices directly.
The Intelligencer, 8/11/26; WOSU, 7/15/2009; Cleveland.com, 4/14/2012; Tribune Chronicle, 4/2/2024; News 5 Cleveland, 12/4/2025; WOSU, 12/10/2025; Ohio Capital Journal, 4/7/2026; Signal Cleveland, 10/15/2025.
Jon Husted
Husted voted for legislation that is projected to kick 438,000 people in Ohio off their health insurance and put rural hospitals at risk. Then posted online that the bill was “pro-family” for working-class families and deleted the post without explanation after being asked whether he still stood by it.
Husted voted at least eight times against extending the Affordable Care Act’s cost-lowering tax credits between September and November 2025 alone, part of a broader pattern of votes against restoring the subsidies that hundreds of thousands of Ohioans rely on to afford coverage.
Husted: Ohio Capital Journal, 7/15/2025; S. 2882, accessed 7/21/2026; DSCC, 12/11/2025.
Congressional District 1
Greg Landsman
Democrat
Eric Conroy
Republican
COST OF LIVING & AFFORDABILITY
Greg Landsman
Landsman supports cracking down on price gouging by oil and gas companies. He co-founded the Lowering Costs Caucus to lower everyday costs, including groceries, for working families.
Landsman: “Representatives Tran, Landsman and Scholten launch congressional caucus to lower costs for American families,” 6/26/25, Tran.House.gov; “Lowering costs for families,” accessed 9/9/26, LandsmanForCongress.com.
Eric Conroy
Conroy supported legislation that cut millions of dollars in SNAP funding that families relied on to buy groceries.
Conroy: Eric Conroy (@EricConroyOH), 7/4/25, X.com.
Quality Health care
Greg Landsman
Landsman voted against federal cuts that will result in the loss of health coverage for 10 million Americans, including nearly 30,000 people in his district. That legislation also limits Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
Landsman: U.S. House, Roll Call 190, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, HR 1, 119th Cong., 7/3/25, Congress.gov.
Eric Conroy
Conroy supported legislation that will kick nearly 30,000 people in his district off their health insurance and put rural hospitals at risk. That legislation also limits Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
Conroy: Eric Conroy (@EricConroyOH), 7/4/25, X.com.
Support for Workers
Greg Landsman
Landsman has cosponsored several pro-worker bills in Congress, including protections for striking workers and their families and an end to tax breaks for union busting.
Landsman: U.S. House, No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act, HR 2692, 119th Cong., introduced 4/7/25, Congress.gov; U.S. House, Food Secure Strikers Act, HR 2357, 119th Cong., introduced 3/26/25, Congress.gov; U.S. House, Striking and Locked Out Workers Healthcare Protection Act, HR 3532, 119th Cong., introduced 5/21/25, Congress.gov.
Eric Conroy
Conroy has remained silent on protections for striking workers and ending tax breaks for union busting.
Conroy: “Jobs and the economy,” accessed 9/9/26, EricConroy.com.
Congressional District 7
Brian Poindexter
Democrat
Max Miller
Republican
COST OF LIVING & AFFORDABILITY
Brian Poindexter
Poindexter opposes AI-driven surveillance pricing, including in grocery stores, and supports lowering utility and grocery costs by cracking down on corporate price gouging and price fixing.
Poindexter: Brian Poindexter (@PoindexterforCongress), 5/29/26, Facebook.com.
Max Miller
Miller has repeatedly voted for policies that have spiked gas costs, leaving the average family in his district paying nearly $600 more at the pump.
Miller: U.S. House, Roll Call 114, Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran, H.Con.Res.40, 119th Cong., 4/16/26, Congress.gov; U.S. House, Roll Call 199, Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran, H.Con.Res.86, 119th Cong., 6/3/26, Congress.gov.
Quality Health care
Brian Poindexter
Poindexter supports protecting access to affordable, quality health care and expanding access for working families. He opposes federal cuts that will result in the loss of health coverage for 10 million Americans, including more than 21,000 people in the district.
Poindexter: “Healthcare that makes sense,” accessed 9/8/26, PoindexterforCongress.com; Brian Poindexter (@PoindexterforCongress), 7/30/26, Facebook.com.
Max Miller
Miller voted for legislation that will kick over 21,000 people in his district off their health insurance and put rural hospitals at risk. That legislation also limits Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
Miller: U.S. House, Roll Call 190, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, H.R. 1, 119th Cong., 7/3/25, Congress.gov.
Support for Workers
Brian Poindexter
Poindexter is an active union member and supports the PRO Act to protect workers fighting for fair wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces.
Poindexter: “In an Ohio congressional race with national scrutiny, Brian Poindexter wants to win on his own terms,” 8/26/26, OhioCapitalJournal.com; “Brian’s working-class story,” accessed 9/8/26, PoindexterforCongress.com.
Max Miller
Miller has remained silent on stronger workplace safety protections and paid sick and family leave.
Miller: “Priorities,” accessed 9/8/26, VoteMaxMiller.com.
Congressional District 9
Marcy Kaptur
Democrat
Derek Merrin
Republican
COST OF LIVING & AFFORDABILITY
Marcy Kaptur
Kaptur sponsored bills to protect consumers from unfair utility bills and help families afford and improve their homes. She also voted to invest in grid modernization to help address rising energy costs.
Kaptur: U.S. House, Ratepayer Justice and Commercial Power Accountability Act, HR 9700, 119th Cong., introduced 7/15/26, Congress.gov; U.S. House, Roll Call 7, Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026, HR 6938, 119th Cong., 1/8/26, Congress.gov; U.S. House, Restoring Communities Left Behind Act, HR 837, 118th Cong., introduced 2/6/23, Congress.gov.
Derek Merrin
In the state legislature, Merrin voted against payday loan reform legislation designed to protect consumers by making payments affordable, lowering prices, and preserving access to credit.
Merrin: Ohio House, HB 123, 132nd Gen. Assembly, 7/24/18, Legislature.Ohio.gov.
Quality Health care
Marcy Kaptur
Kaptur voted against federal cuts that will result in the loss of health coverage for 10 million Americans, including nearly 32,000 people in her district. She supports efforts to lower prescription drug costs for working families and seniors.
Kaptur: U.S. House, Roll Call 190, One Big Beautiful Bill Act, HR 1, 119th Cong., 7/3/25, Congress.gov; U.S. House, Roll Call 682, Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, HR 3, 116th Cong., 12/12/19, Congress.gov.
Derek Merrin
Merrin supported legislation that will kick nearly 32,000 people in the district off their health insurance. That legislation also limits Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
Merrin: Derek Merrin, 7/3/25, Facebook.com.
Support for Workers
Marcy Kaptur
Kaptur cosponsored the PRO Act to protect workers fighting for fair wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. She also cosponsored a bill that would stop corporations from getting tax breaks for union busting.
Poindexter: U.S. House, Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act, HR 20, 119th Cong., introduced 3/5/25, Congress.gov; U.S. House, No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act, HR 2692, 119th Cong., introduced 4/7/25, Congress.gov.
Derek Merrin
Merrin cosponsored right-to-work legislation and introduced a bill to reduce paid sick leave for public employees.
Merrin: Merrin backs public employee right-to-work bill,” 2/16/17, ToledoBlade.com; Ohio House, HB 298, 132nd Gen. Assembly, 6/28/17, Legislature.Ohio.gov.
Congressional District 13
Emilia Sykes
Democrat
Carey Coleman
Republican
COST OF LIVING & AFFORDABILITY
Emilia Sykes
Sykes introduced bills to lower costs for Ohio workers and families by expanding tax credits and to require airlines to compensate passengers for significant delays and cancellations. She also cosponsored a bill that would crack down on deceptive and hidden fees and hold companies accountable for putting profits over consumers.
Sykes: U.S. House, Lower Your Taxes Act, HR 463, 119th Cong., introduced 1/15/25, Congress.gov; U.S. House, Junk Fee Prevention Act, HR 6430, 119th Cong., introduced 12/4/25, Congress.gov; U.S. House, Airline Passenger Compensation Act of 2025, HR 6820, 119th Cong., introduced 12/17/25, Congress.gov
Carey Coleman
Coleman supported legislation that cut millions of dollars in SNAP funding that families relied on to buy groceries.
Coleman: Coleman (@ColemanforOhio), 2/11/26, X.com; “Carey Coleman Campaign Launch,” accessed 9/14/26, YouTube.com.
Quality Health care
Emilia Sykes
Sykes cosponsored a bill to reverse federal cuts that will result in the loss of health coverage for 10 million Americans, including nearly 30,000 people in her district. She also helped pass a three-year extension of health care premium tax credits through the House, which would have provided relief (the bill didn’t actually pass into law or help anyone) to nearly 29,000 people in her district facing higher premiums since the credits expired.
Sykes: U.S. House, Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act of 2025, HR 4849, 119th Cong., introduced 8/1/25, Congress.gov; “Rep. Sykes helps deliver lower health care costs for most vulnerable citizens,” accessed 1/8/26, Sykes.House.gov.
Carey Coleman
Coleman supports legislation that will kick nearly 30,000 people in the district off their health insurance and put rural hospitals at risk. That legislation also limits Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices. Coleman also opposes health care tax credits.
Coleman: Carey Coleman (@ColemanforOhio), 2/11/26, X.com; “Carey Coleman Radio Show (#2),” accessed 9/12/26, YouTube.com; “Carey Coleman Campaign Launch,” accessed 9/14/26, YouTube.com.
Support for Workers
Emilia Sykes
Sykes cosponsored the PRO Act to protect workers fighting for fair wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces. She also cosponsored bills to protect striking workers and their families from discrimination and stop corporations from claiming tax breaks for union busting.
Skyes: U.S. House, Food Secure Strikers Act, HR 2357, 119th Cong., introduced 3/26/25, Congress.gov; U.S. House, Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act, HR 20, 119th Cong., introduced 3/5/25, Congress.gov; U.S. House, No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act, HR 2692, 119th Cong., introduced 4/7/25, Congress.gov.
Carey Coleman
Coleman has remained silent on stronger workplace safety protections and paid sick and family leave.
Coleman: “Putting Ohio first: Carey’s plan,” accessed 9/8/26, CareyColeman.com.