U.S. House race · November 3, 2026
U.S. Representative, Ohio District 12
Represents the district in the U.S. House of Representatives, which writes and votes on federal laws, taxes and spending.
2-year term. Under the 2026 map, the district covers central and east-central Ohio, including all or parts of Licking, Muskingum, Knox, Fairfield, Delaware, Coshocton, Guernsey, Holmes, Perry, Noble and Monroe counties, with cities such as Newark and Zanesville.
The candidates
Listed alphabetically by last name.
Troy Balderson
U.S. Representative, Ohio's 12th District (since 2018)Troy Balderson, a Republican from Zanesville, has represented Ohio's 12th District since 2018. Before that he served in the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate. He sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and chairs the House Energy Action Team. His campaign emphasizes domestic energy production, inflation and federal spending, border security and rural health care.
Jerrad Christian
Software engineerJerrad Christian is a U.S. Navy veteran and software engineer who was the 2024 Democratic nominee against Rep. Troy Balderson and won a three-way Democratic primary on May 5, 2026. His campaign focuses on reducing the role of money in politics, cost of living, universal health care and congressional checks on presidential power.
Compare on the issues
Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.
| Issue | Troy Balderson Republican | Jerrad Christian Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care | Says government should not have more control over health care and supports protecting people with pre-existing conditions; led the AADAPT Act (H.R. 3747), which the House passed in July 2026, to expand dementia-care training for primary care providers, especially in rural areas. | Supports universal health care; also says he would lower prescription drug prices and require price transparency in health care. |
| Immigration | Says he supports closing the border to illegal crossings, targeting cartels, adding Border Patrol officers and detection technology, and ending sanctuary policies. | Says abolishing ICE as it exists and replacing it with a "narrowly tailored, accountable system" focused on public safety should be considered, and that agents who break the law should be prosecuted. |
| Elections & Democracy | No public position found yet | Supports ending Citizens United, capping campaign spending and barring foreign-linked organizations, naming AIPAC, from influencing elected officials through campaign money; supports passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Says Congress should use oversight, funding authority, the courts and impeachment to check a president who acts without required congressional approval. |
| Energy & Environment | Says he supports expanding domestic energy production, speeding permits, building pipelines and repealing green-energy rules; led the Load Forecasting Enhancement Act (H.R. 9332), which the House passed in September 2026, directing FERC to develop best practices for forecasting electricity demand. | No public position found yet |
| Foreign Policy | No public position found yet | Opposes U.S. military intervention in Iran and Venezuela and favors diplomacy, sanctions and allied pressure; supports ending U.S. funding for Israel's military campaign in Gaza while saying Israel has the right to security; says Ukraine has the right to defend its sovereignty. |
| Social Security & Medicare | No public position found yet | Supports lifting or eliminating the cap on income subject to the Social Security payroll tax, saying it would extend solvency without cutting benefits. |
| Taxes | Says he supports extending middle-class tax cuts and reining in federal spending, stating the government should "Stop spending what we don't have and borrowing what we can't pay back." | No public position found yet |
| Veterans | Says he supports modernizing the VA, letting veterans choose local doctors and simplifying access to benefits. | No public position found yet |