DELAWARE — Voters in Ohio’s newly redrawn 12th Congressional District will choose between Republican incumbent Troy Balderson and Democratic challenger Jerrad Christian in the Nov. 3 election.
The race is a rematch of their 2024 contest, when Balderson won with 68.5% of the vote under the district’s previous boundaries.
The district includes a larger portion of Delaware County under boundaries adopted in October 2025, bringing Orange Township, Powell and much of Berlin and Liberty townships into the district.
At large, the 2026 district includes eight whole counties — Coshocton, Fairfield, Guernsey, Knox, Licking, Monroe, Muskingum and Noble — and portions of Delaware, Holmes and Perry counties.
Voters can check which congressional district they live in using the Ohio secretary of state’s district lookup tool.
To help voters compare the candidates, Delaware Source asked the same six questions to each, covering their experience, legislative priorities, cost of living, health care, federal investment, and how their thinking has evolved.
Each candidate was asked to limit responses to 150-200 words per question and provide a brief biography. Their answers are presented below, organized alphabetically and by question.
Biographies
Troy Balderson
Current occupation: U.S. Representative for Ohio’s 12th Congressional District
Campaign website: baldersonforcongress.com
Troy Balderson is a lifelong Ohioan who grew up in Muskingum County, worked on his family’s farm, and ran the service department at his family’s car dealership.
He served in the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate before his election to Congress in 2018. He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and chairs the House Energy Action Team.
His priorities include affordable, reliable American energy, access to rural health care, and workforce development. He lives in Zanesville and is the proud father to Joshua and the grandfather to two awesome grandchildren.
Jerrad Christian
Current occupation: Software engineer
Campaign website: ChristianForOhio.com
Biography, as submitted by the candidate:
I’m a working-class dad, Navy veteran, and software engineer. I’m running a grassroots campaign to unseat Republican Rep. Troy Balderson, who consistently votes against us to support lobbying groups, super PACs, foreign nations, and his billionaire donors.
No one has experience in Congress until they’re in Congress. Too often we see men like my opponent corrupted by that experience.
I’m not a politician. I’m just a good human who cares about his neighbors, gets his hands dirty to help, and will do anything to give real representation back to Ohio.
What experiences have prepared you to represent Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, and why are you seeking this office?
BALDERSON: I grew up in Muskingum County, working on our family’s farm and later running the service department at my family’s local car dealership. Those experiences taught me to listen, give it your all, and get the job done right. I bring that same work-ethic and customer service mindset to everything I do on behalf of the constituents of the 12th Congressional District.
My work on the House Energy and Commerce Committee allows me to tackle issues that directly affect our communities, including lowering electricity costs, improving rural health care, and expanding broadband access.
Just as important is showing up for our communities. Following this summer’s devastating flooding in Perry, Muskingum, and Morgan counties, I spent countless hours working alongside local officials, emergency responders, and state and federal partners to support recovery efforts and push for federal disaster assistance. At my request, President Trump pushed through federal FEMA disaster approval in 30 days, faster than precedents set by the previous Administration. My district expects representation that shows up for them, not for the media spectacle. Recovery will take time and I will continue to fight for my constituents as long as it takes.
CHRISTIAN: Well, I’ve never inherited a car dealership like Troy Balderson, but I am a veteran, I’ve been a janitor, a bouncer, a bartender, and worked as a software engineer. I grew up in a family that relied on food stamps. I watched my mother depend on Medicaid to get cancer treatment, and my grandma depend on Social Security after my grandpa died.
I’ve seen what it means when people have a safety net, and what happens when they don’t. I’ve lived in the communities I’m running to represent. I believe we have a responsibility to each other.
I believe the government is supposed to be an extension of the community. We should work for the people who live here, not the wealthy donors and corporate interests who can afford to buy a political seat. I know what it’s like to need help, I know how hard people work, and I think they deserve a representative who cares whether their lives get better or at this point, if they exist at all.
What would be your highest legislative priority in Congress? Identify a specific federal action you would pursue and explain how it would affect people in this district.
BALDERSON: We must make life more affordable for Ohio families and small businesses. Energy affects nearly everything we buy, and our region’s ability to attract jobs depends on having enough power to support growth.
One specific federal action I am pursuing is grid reliability protections with my Reliable Power Act. The legislation requires federal agencies to coordinate with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before finalizing regulations that could threaten our grid. Bureaucrats in Washington should understand how new rules affect our ability to keep the lights on in Ohio.
I would also continue working to improve the approval process for needed energy infrastructure. We need dependable power generation and a grid capable of delivering that power where it is needed.
CHRISTIAN: Day one, my highest priority would be taking our government’s war powers back from the executive branch and bringing our troops home from unauthorized wars, including the war in Iran. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and we need to take that responsibility seriously. I’d support legislation to end unauthorized hostilities and oppose funding for military operations that lack lawful congressional authorization. I would use my votes to force Congress to take responsibility for these decisions instead of letting the executive branch drag us into more forever wars.
We cannot keep sending American lives and money into wars without a clear purpose, a legal basis, or an honest accounting of what we’re trying to accomplish. War has consequences here at home, too. Instability in the Middle East is driving up energy prices, and families in Ohio shouldn’t have to absorb those costs while defense contractors are rolling in money.
What federal policies would you support to address the cost of living? Explain the benefits, costs and tradeoffs of your approach.
BALDERSON: Families need their paychecks to go further. I support a combination of responsible federal spending, tax policies that let working families keep more of what they earn, and reforms that make it easier to produce energy and other products here at home.
Energy is a good place to start because it affects the cost of manufacturing, transportation, groceries, and heating a home. I support more domestic production and a permitting process with clear requirements and timely decisions.
Permitting reform is an important part of making energy more affordable. Unnecessary delays drive up construction costs and hold back needed energy supplies. Clear timelines and better coordination can get projects built sooner, reduce costs, and help bring electricity prices down. Congress must continue to pursue common sense permitting reform.
Additionally, we must get the Ratepayer Protection Act across the finish line. Everyday Ohioans should not be left to foot the bill for new, large-scale power consumers. I support making these companies pay their own way.
Last year, I was proud to help deliver the largest tax cuts in American history, which included no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security. We must continue to build on this progress moving forward.
On the topic of cutting wasteful government spending, we must continue to scrutinize programs, eliminate duplication wherever possible, and prioritize the core functions that our most vulnerable rely upon. Government should make it easier for people to work and save more of their own hard-earned money, while being honest about what policies cost and how they will be paid for.
CHRISTIAN: First, end the war in Iran and stop pouring American money into unauthorized wars. We should be spending our resources on the people who live here, not creating more instability that kills innocent children and drives up energy costs.
Second, relentlessly target monopolies and corporations that use their market power to keep prices high. Stronger antitrust enforcement, challenging anticompetitive mergers, and breaking up companies when that’s necessary to restore competition. People shouldn’t have to accept whatever price a handful of corporations decide to charge them.
Third, take on the costs that are hurting American families: healthcare, housing, childcare, and energy. I support Medicare for All. I’d support federal investment in affordable housing and policies that protect residential utility customers from footing the bill for infrastructure built to serve data centers. I’d push for an immediate federal moratorium on new data center development until we can ensure these projects won’t drive up utility bills, drain local water supplies, or put farmland and rural communities at risk.
There are costs and tradeoffs to these policies. Healthcare reform requires a serious plan for financing the transition. Enforcing antitrust law takes time, and new housing requires investment. We have to be honest about that. But the status quo has even higher costs. People are already paying higher bills, medical debt is driving families into financial ruin, and too many people do not receive a living wage.
I’m not going to promise that one law will make everything cheap overnight. I will fight to ensure people have more control over their lives and that corporations don’t write the rules.
What changes would you support to improve access to affordable health care, including in rural communities?
BALDERSON: For those living in rural communities, an appointment can mean a long drive, time away from work, and often just finding someone to help get them there. Access and affordability go hand-in-hand.
I support expanding remote patient monitoring and enhancing tools that allow patients to stay connected with their providers and manage chronic conditions closer to home. These innovations are intended to complement in-person care, not replace it.
I have also worked across the aisle on my legislation, the AADAPT Act, which passed the House in July. It strengthens training that connects primary care providers with specialists so they can better identify and manage Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, particularly in underserved communities.
A major priority for me is ensuring these resources reach our communities and deliver lasting improvements for the families who depend on their local hospitals. That is why I helped secure a $50 billion investment to strengthen rural hospitals through the Rural Health Transformation Program.
CHRISTIAN: I intend to fight for Medicare for All, a universal, single-payer healthcare system that covers everybody, regardless of their job or income. Healthcare is a human right, not a luxury, and nobody should go bankrupt because they got sick. I’d also fight to protect that system from being dismantled or privatized into something that puts us right back in this mess.
But having an insurance card doesn’t mean much if the nearest hospital is an hour or two away. Rural Ohio needs hospitals, clinics, doctors, nurses, mental healthcare, and emergency services. We have to make sure rural hospitals have the resources to keep their doors open, their staff paid, and emergency care available when people need it.
I’d also use the federal government’s purchasing power to bring down prescription drug costs. I want a system where people get the care they need and the ability to pay doesn’t determine whether you get to live.
How would you determine which communities and projects in this district most need federal investment? How can your constituents hold you accountable for the results?
BALDERSON: It always starts with listening to my constituents. One example of this has been the success I’ve had securing Community Project Funding for the 12th District.
My community project funding priorities include roads, bridges, drinking water, and wastewater infrastructure. These are basic needs that can exceed a small community’s resources. They’re not always glamorous, but priorities like sewer lines, water projects, roads and bridges are all vital to the communities I serve.
A community should not be overlooked simply because they lack a professional grant writer. My office helps local officials understand which funding opportunities are available and guides them through the process.
CHRISTIAN: Those with the most need will come first. That’s the starting point.
I’d look at where people are struggling the most, whether that’s flood recovery, failing infrastructure, unsafe water systems, a lack of access to healthcare, or schools that need investment. I’d consider how many people a project helps and how urgent the problem is.
I’d also make the process public. My office should publish the projects we’re requesting funding for, what gets approved, how much money is involved, and what happens after the money is awarded. I’ll report on projects that don’t receive funding and explain why, because accountability means being honest about failures as well as successes. I’d hold public, in person, town halls throughout the district and make sure people can get answers from my office without needing to know somebody “important.”
Describe a public policy issue on which your thinking has changed or become more complicated. What experience, evidence or conversation influenced you?
BALDERSON: One issue that has become more complex in recent years is how we prepare our electric grid for the future. I have long supported bringing new jobs and investment to Ohio. But the growth of major electricity users requires a more detailed conversation about who pays for the infrastructure and how utilities determine what is actually needed.
My work on grid reliability, including discussions with energy experts as well as everyday ratepayers, has reinforced the importance of getting those decisions right. Underestimating demands on the grid puts Ohioans at risk of being left in the dark. Overestimating it can lead to unnecessary construction costs that customers may be forced to pay for.
That is why I introduced the bipartisan Load Forecasting Enhancement Act, which passed the House overwhelmingly, with bipartisan support, in September. It brings federal and state regulators together to improve how future electricity needs are estimated. Combined with the Ratepayer Protection Act which would ensure that large power consumers are not pushing the high costs of building out the grid on everyday Ohioans, we are taking meaningful steps to bring down costs for ratepayers while ensuring the largest power consumers are paying their own way.
CHRISTIAN: Getting money out of politics is something I care deeply about. I believe our government should answer to the people, not billionaires and corporations that can spend unlimited amounts trying to influence elections.
I’ve also come to understand that reversing Citizens United isn’t as simple as passing a law through Congress. The Supreme Court’s decision rests on a constitutional interpretation of political spending as protected speech. Congress can still pursue campaign finance reforms, but some of the broader changes people want may require the Supreme Court to reverse its precedent or a constitutional amendment. I will do my part by not taking a nickel of corporate bribe money, supporting legislation to hold justices accountable for accepting bribes and gifts, and advocating to expand the court so it’s more difficult for mega donors and organizations like the Federalist Society to control the majority.