Two Butler County Democrats are competing for the chance to unseat Republican Rep. Warren Davidson this May.
Davidson represents Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Preble and Darke counties and parts of Hamilton, Butler and Miami counties. The district leans 58.6% Republican, according to composite data compiled by Dave’s Redistricting.
Davidson does not have a Republican primary opponent.
Who is Vanessa Enoch?
This is Vanessa Enoch’s fifth time running for Congress. In the 2024 general election, she received 36% of the vote in Butler County, according to the Butler County Board of Elections.
Enoch is widowed, has two daughters and lives in West Chester resident who runs a consulting business, Cultural Impact, LLC. She has a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University, a master’s degree from Xavier University and a doctorate in public policy and social change from Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, according to her campaign website.
Enoch has two foreclosures in her past and was once charged with disorderly conduct and failure to identify when she was covering a court hearing of former judge Tracie Hunter. The charges were later dropped.
She told The Enquirer in 2018 that her foreclosures and charges were reasons to vote for her because she knows what it means to struggle.
Enoch said on her website that she supports investing in mixed‑income developments and empowering Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate drug prices.
Who is Madaris Grant?
Madaris Grant attended and played football for Mt. Healthy High School and Ball State University and is a small business owner, according to his campaign website. He lives in West Chester with his wife and two children.
Grant had default judgments on payments in 2020 and 2021 in Butler County. He told The Enquirer he hired a law firm to negotiate debt from a business that went under and stopped making payments because people don’t generally make payments on loans while they’re being negotiated.
Grant’s platform includes moving Ohio’s school funding system away from its reliance on local property taxes by expanding federal funding. He also supports stronger ethics laws and campaign finance reform.
How to vote
The primary election is May 5. Early voting started on April 7. To check your voter registration or find your polling location, visit VoteOhio.gov.
Accountability reporter Victoria Moorwood contributed reporting.
Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who are the Democrats hoping to run against Rep. Warren Davidson?
Reporting by Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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