MOUNT VERNON— Voters in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District re-elected Troy Balderson to the U.S. House with 68% of voters’ support. Balderson defeated Democrat challenger Jarrod Christian.
“That happened because of the people you surround yourself with and your support system,” Balderson said of his win. “It’s not Troy Balderson. It’s all of us.
“I am really excited about last night; I am really excited for Bernie [Moreno]. His work ethic is phenomenal.”
Moreno won Ohio’s hotly contested senate seat, defeating long-time incumbent Sherrod Brown.
“I am excited for the state, I am excited for the district,” Balderson said. “The voters have spoken. We’re ready to get back to work. We’re going to keep going. My staff and I take great pride in representing the 12th district.”
Balderson said his energy message, from a national and local standpoint, resonated with voters.
“Our message was energy, the concerns and cost. Not only the demand, but the lack of energy,” he said. “That’s a big issue that no one is talking about. But we do.”
Balderson sits on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee.
“Energy is a driver of inflation. We need to make sure people can afford energy, and also make sure when they flip the light switch that it’s available,” he said.
Balderson also focuses on rural health care. He has been very involved with federally qualified health centers (FQHC) in the 12th district, including Mount Vernon’s.
“Rural health care is a big deal for us,” he said.
Looking ahead to next term in the U.S. House
In January, Balderson plans to re-introduce several pieces of legislation from the current session.
“With the Biden administration and lame-duck session, I don’t know that a lot will move. It will be very challenging to get some things through in the next couple of months,” he said.
Balderson wants to focus on rural health care and energy and remove regulations that tie up businesses.
Unsurprisingly, he cited legislation he introduced in September as an example. The GRID (Guaranteeing Reliability through the Interconnection of Dispatchable) Power Act upgrades the PJM interconnection queue that regulates power projects.
“One-and-a-half months ago we worked with regulatory operators. It takes eight to 12 years for the process to be done. We are going to make that one year max,” he said.
“We’re going to make sure projects aren’t still out there for eight years. We need power now; we need baseload [power.]”
He cited nuclear, gas, and coal as baseload opportunities.
“Nuclear is 0% carbon emission, gas is 98% no carbon emission,” he said. “And then we’ll throw renewables in there, too.
“It’s bipartisan issue. It doesn’t impact by party affiliation. With PJM I’m excited, because we’re trying to make changes to get these things going.”
