After a close contest, a former Ohio State University professor emerged as the Democratic nominee in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District – a candidate who drew attention earlier this year following his arrest at a “No Kings” protest in March.
Don Leonard ended with nearly 53% of votes, prevailing over former state Rep. Adam Miller, according to unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State.
Leonard will now advance to the November general election, where he faces an uphill battle against Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Carey, who is running unopposed in his party’s primary.
In a statement, Leonard said he’s incredibly proud of his campaign and is excited to move forward to November “with an opportunity to make a difference for folks here in Ohio.”
“I’m running for Congress because politicians of both parties have failed to deliver up for hard-working families,” he said in the statement. “Life is unaffordable. The cost of groceries, healthcare, childcare, housing, and gas are too expensive for far too many. And I’m ready to do something about it.”
Miller said he’s extremely grateful for the support he received and proud of the positive campaign he ran.
“Central Ohioans are unhappy with Rep. Carey’s rubber-stamp approach to his job, and I look forward to working with the Democratic nominee to bring home a win in November,” he said in a statement.
The 15th District stretches across much of central and southern Ohio, including parts of Franklin County not in the 3rd District, like Grove City, Hilliard and Dublin, plus Madison County. In recent cycles, the district has favored Republicans, even as its boundaries have shifted through multiple rounds of redistricting.
Carey first won the seat in a 2021 special election following the resignation of former Rep. Steve Stivers, securing a full term in 2022 and has held the seat since. Carey was slated to have a longshot primary challenger in Samuel Ronan, but he was removed from the race after a federal judge ruled April 6 that he’d lied about being a Republican.
Miller, 61, previously worked as a public school teacher and administrator, served in the military and later became a state representative. He framed his campaign around education, social justice and veterans’ affairs, and he positioned himself as a candidate with extensive public service experience.
Leonard, 47, was an Ohio State University professor of city and regional planning for 10 years who resigned in January to focus on the race full-time. His campaign has focused on accessible health care, housing and childcare, and he’s generally emphasized concerns about wages and cost-of-living pressures for working families.
Leonard was one of two people arrested at a Grove City “No Kings” protest on March 28. He was charged with obstructing official business and violating a noise ordinance in Grove City Mayor’s Court, which he previously told The Dispatch he had “mixed feelings” about.
Leonard said he was willing to accept a citation for violationg the noise ordinance – he was giving a speech at the protest via megaphone – but didn’t feel he should have been arrested. At the time, he said he had a defense attorney and was planning to fight the charges, and ultimately the arrest reminded him why he chose to run for office in the first place, as “democracy dies in silence.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Democrat Don Leonard advances to face Rep. Mike Carey for Congress
Reporting by Emma Wozniak, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
