On Nov. 8, residents of Ohio’s 12th congressional district — which covers multiple counties in northeast and central Ohio, including parts of Knox County — will choose between Republican incumbent Troy Balderson and Democrat Amy Rippel-Elton to elect to the U.S. House of Representatives for a two-year term. Balderson has served as representative for the 12th district since 2018 and previously served in the Ohio State Senate and Ohio House of Representatives. 

According to the polling aggregate FiveThirtyEight, Balderson is very likely to be elected to a third term in the solidly Republican district. He currently serves on the House Agriculture Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and he lists some of his priorities as agriculture and manufacturing, infrastructure and workforce development. Balderson recently voted in favor of the CHIPS and Science Act, which invested tens of billions of dollars into semiconductor research, aiming to strengthen domestic semiconductor manufacturing while reducing reliance on countries overseas. 

“My vote in favor of the CHIPS Act was a vote to support a once-in-a-lifetime investment in Ohio; protect critical national security interests; and provide opportunities for the people I represent by bringing good-paying jobs back to America,” Balderson wrote in a statement published on Twitter.

Rippel-Elton supports Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and education reform, and she is passionate about campaign finance reform. She previously lobbied to overturn Citizens United v. FEC, which ruled that the government could not prevent corporations from funding independent political advertising under the First Amendment.

“My hopes for my legacy is that people see that I truly put my love of the people above everything. That I fight in a common sense way for the things that matter in their daily lives,” Rippel-Elton wrote.

Residents of the 12th district can vote for either of the two candidates on Nov. 8, or vote early in-person or by mail.