Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) Democrat Sherrod Brown, Ohio s senior senator, was first elected to the House in 1992 and to the Senate in 2006. He is an Ivy League graduate with two master s degrees, but he is one of Congress most ardent defenders of the working class, in addition to being an adept campaigner who has twice beaten well-funded Republicans. Brown grew up in Mansfield, the son of a doctor, graduated from Yale in 1974, and won a seat in the state House later that year. He has spent more than half his life in public office. In 1982, when he was 29, he was elected Ohio secretary of state and worked to increase voter registration and turnout. In 1992, Brown ran for the open 13th District House seat. For many years, Brown wore a self-designed lapel pin of a canary in a cage, to commemorate underground miners who were at risk back in the days before labor unions and government safety inspections. He had a consistently liberal voting record in the House. On trade, he was one of the most voluble pro-labor and fair-trade members from the Great Lakes area, attacking the string of free trade agreements and policies that followed NAFTA in 1993. He became the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee's top-ranking Democrat in 2015. State Profile Status: Senior Senator Serving with: Rob Portman (R) Cook PVI: R+3 Capitol Hill Office Building: Hart Room Number: 713 Phone Number: (202) 224-2315 Facebook: @sherrod Instagram: Twitter: @SenSherrodBrown First Elected: 7/11/2006 Birth date: 11/9/1952 Education: MA, Education, Ohio State University, 1981; MPA, Ohio State University, 1979; BA, Russian Studies, Yale University, 1974 Family: Spouse: Connie Schultz, 2 children ; 2 stepchildren ; 6 grandchildren Sherrod Brown (D) 53% Jim Renacci (R) 47% Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Finance Veterans' Affairs Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans
Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) Republican Rob Portman is Ohio s junior senator, elected in 2010 to succeed the retiring George Voinovich, also a Republican. After graduating Dartmouth, he worked for Republican George H.W. Bush s 1980 presidential campaign. He earned a law degree at the University of Michigan and then worked for law firms in Washington and Cincinnati. After Bush was elected president in 1988, Portman went to the White House as a presidential counsel and then was promoted to head the Office of Legislative Affairs. In January 1993, when Gradison resigned his 2nd District House seat, Portman ran to fill the vacancy, he won easily. In the House, Portman became a member of the Ways and Means and Budget committees and became known for his fiscal conservatism and his ability to work across the aisle. In 2005, President George W. Bush appointed Portman as the US trade representative, in charge of negotiating free trade agreements and representing US interests in global talks on reducing trade barriers. Portman won Voinovich s senate seat in 2010, 57%-39%. State Profile Status: Junior Senator Serving with: Sherrod Brown (D) Cook PVI: R+3 Capitol Hill Office Building: Russell Room Number: 448 Phone Number: (202) 224-3353 Facebook: @senrobportman Instagram: @senrobportman Twitter: @senrobportman First Elected: 2/11/2010 Party: Republican Birth date: 12/19/1955 Education: Dartmouth Col., B.A. 1979; U. of MI, J.D. 1984. Family: Spouse: Jane Dudley, 3 children 2016 General Rob Portman (R) 58% Ted Strickland (D) 37% Energy and Natural Resources Finance Foreign Relations Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Joint Economic Committee Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH-1) Republican Steve Chabot first came to the House as part of the historic GOP Class of 1994 and served 14 years before losing his seat to Democrat Steve Driehaus. He got it back by beating Driehaus in 2010, and he reclaimed his status as one of the chamber s most conservative members. He became Small Business Committee chairman in 2015. In 1994, he was among the conservative Republicans who successfully ran for Congress and ended 40 years of Democratic control of the House. In his 14 years on Capitol Hill, Chabot took principled and politically risky stands opposing federal spending on projects in his district and was a leader on social issues, particularly opposition to abortion rights. In 2003, he helped enact a ban on partial-birth abortions, and he also pushed a bill to prevent minors from crossing state lines to get abortions. Chabot was a House manager during the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton. In retrospect, Chabot said, he is most proud of his work in fighting wasteful spending. Chabot lost his seat in 2008, when Driehaus defeated him by 5 percentage points. In the 2010 campaign, Driehaus had trouble generating much voter excitement for his reelection and Chabot won, 52% to 46%. Ohio Republicans, in post-2010 census redistricting, made the 1st District substantially more Republican. Unless Steve Chabot commits a felony, he will be there for as long as he wants to be, Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Burke lamented to The Cincinnati Enquirer. District: 1st Cincinnati Cook PVI: R+5 Room Number: 2371 Phone Number: (202) 225-2216 Facebook: @RepSteveChabot Instagram: @repstevechabot Twitter: @repstevechabot First Elected: 2/11/2010 Party: Republican Birth date: 1/22/1953 Education: JD, Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University, 1978; BA, History, College of William and Mary, 1975 Family: Spouse: Donna Daly, 2 children ; 1 grandchild Steve Chabot (R) 52% Aftab Pureval (D) 46% Small Business Foreign Affairs Judiciary
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9) Marcy Kaptur, first elected in 1982, is now the most senior female Democrat in the House. Kaptur grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood in Toledo and has spent almost her entire career in public service. She worked on urban revitalization in the Jimmy Carter White House, returning home in 1980 with thoughts of running for elected office. In 1982, she challenged Republican Ed Weber for the US House seat and won 58%-39%, despite being outspent 3-to-1. Kaptur has long been convinced that Toledo and places like it have lost jobs and industry because of unfair trade practices and low-wage competition from countries like Mexico and China and has opposed previous trade agreements with Panama and Columbia that were later signed by President Obama. In earlier decades, Kaptur was a dedicated opponent of the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement in Congress. She criticized Democratic President Bill Clinton for ignoring Democrats opposed to NAFTA. Kaptur has a liberal voting record, but departs from party orthodoxy on abortion she opposes federal funding for abortion, though she also opposed an April 2011 House amendment that would have denied federal money to Planned Parenthood. She said she was confident that federal funds were not being used for abortions, and argued that the funds being provided were valuable for women. District: 9th Lakefront: Parts of Cleveland, Toledo Cook PVI: D+14 Room Number: 2186 Phone Number: (202) 225-4146 Facebook: @RepresentativeMarcyKaptur Instagram: @repmarcykaptur Twitter: @RepMarcyKaptur First Elected: 2/11/1982 Birth date: 6/17/1946 Education: PhD, Urban Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1982; MA, Urban Planning, University of Michigan, 1974; BA, History, University of Wisconsin, 1968 Family: Single Marcy Kaptur (D) 68% Steven Kraus (R) 32% Appropriations
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH-10) Mike Turner, a Republican first elected in 2002, is a former Dayton mayor who has shown a stronger interest in urban issues than most House Republicans. He takes more of a party-line approach on defense, an area in which his influence has steadily increased. Turner grew up in Dayton and served two terms as mayor before being elected to the US House. In 2013, he became chairman of the Armed Services Committee s Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, enabling him to protect Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Lima Army Tank Plant against defense cuts. He has worked to make Dayton into a center for unmanned aerial vehicle research and testing, and he has been strongly critical of the Obama administration s funding cuts for missile defense. Turner and has worked across the aisle to address military sexual assault claims. He also formed a caucus of former mayors serving in Congress to focus on urban issues. He has worked on House-passed legislation to accelerate the cleanup of polluted brownfields by making it easier for communities to apply for federal grants. District: 10th Dayton Cook PVI: R+4 Room Number: 2368 Phone Number: (202) 225-6465 Facebook: @RepMikeTurner Instagram: Twitter: @RepMikeTurner First Elected: 5/11/2002 Party: Republican Birth date: 1/11/1960 Education: MBA, University of Dayton, 1992; JD, Case Western University School of Law, 1985; BA, Political Science, Ohio Northern University, 1982 Family: Divorced, 2 children (2 from previous marriage) Mike Turner (R) 56% Theresa Gasper (D) 42% Armed Services Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH-11) Democrat Marcia Fudge succeeded her former mentor and friend, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, after the five-term Tubbs Jones died in 2008 from a cerebral aneurysm. A former national sorority president, Fudge parlayed her organizational and networking skills into the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 113th Congress (2013-14). Fudge was greatly influenced by the civil rights movement, becoming politically active at a young age. After graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in business administration, she received her law degree from Cleveland State University. As a lawyer, she practiced criminal defense law in the Cleveland area, along with some probate and corporate work, until she went to work for Tubbs Jones. When her boss was elected to Congress in 1998, Fudge joined her in Washington as her Chief of Staff. After a few years, Fudge decided to seek elected office herself. When the Warrensville Heights mayor resigned after pleading guilty to improper solicitation, she ran for his seat and won, becoming the first African-American woman elected mayor of the city. Fudge focused on economic development. She created 3,000 new jobs and brought in $500 million for development and infrastructure. In the House, Fudge has been a solid and passionate liberal. From July 25-28, 2016, Fudge will step in as the chair of the Democratic Convention in the wake of outgoing Chair Wasserman Schultz s resignation. District: 11st Cleveland, Akron Cook PVI: D+32 Room Number: 2344 Phone Number: (202) 225-7032 Facebook: @RepMarciaLFudge Instagram: @repmarciafudge Twitter: @RepMarciaFudge First Elected: 4/11/2008 Birth date: 10/29/1952 Education: JD, Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University, 1983; BS, Business Administration, Ohio State University, 1970-1980 Family: Single Marcia Fudge (D) 82% Beverly Goldstein (R) 18% Agriculture Education and the Workforce
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) Representative Tim Ryan represents Ohio s 13th Congressional district. Ryan was born and raised in Niles, Ohio and later attended Bowling Green State University. After graduating, he worked for Ohio s 17th Congressional District Representative James Traficant. In 2000, Ryan was elected to Ohio s State House of Representatives. Ryan was not there long before Ohio s 17th Congressional District seat was open when Ryan s old boss, Traficant, was convicted of bribery and racketeering. Because of redistricting, Ryan ran against Rep. Sawyer in the Democratic primary and was able to best him 41% to 27% when he attacked him for voting for the North American Free Trade Agreement. Ryan went on to win the House seat beating Republican candidate State Rep. Ann Womer Benjamin 51% to 34%. Since being in Congress, Ryan has struck a balance being consistently liberal on economic issues while being more of a centrist on social issues. He has taken strong pro-union stances and has battled against free-trade agreements. At the same time, he has taken a pro-life position and been supportive of gun rights, reflective of his district s hunting interests. In 2009, Ryan gained a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee where he has effectively secured earmarked projects for his district. Besides his legislative activities, Ryan is known for his advocacy for meditation and mindful thinking as a means of relaxing and not getting stressed out in the highstress, overworked culture in Washington D.C. District: 13rd Northeast: Youngstown Cook PVI: D+7 Capitol Hill Office Building: Longworth Room Number: 1126 Phone Number: (202) 225-5261 Facebook: @timryan Instagram: @reptimryan Twitter: @RepTimRyan First Elected: 5/11/2002 Birth date: 7/16/1973 Education: JD, University of New Hampshire School of Law, 2000; BS, Political Science, Bowling Green State University, 1995; Attended, Dickinson School of Law's International Law Family: Spouse: Andrea Zetts, 1 child ; 2 stepchildren Tim Ryan (D) 61% Chris DePizzo (R) 39% Appropriations