Greg Landsman, who on Tuesday wassworn in to his second term as a Cincinnati City Council member, is planning to take on Republican Congressman Steve Chabot later this year. Chabot has had many Democratic challengers over his 25 years representing Ohio's 1st District in the U.S. House, only losing his seat once - to Steve Driehaus during the Obama wave of 2008.
The Enquirer was the first to report Landsman's news. “When there’s a fight that matters – particularly for children and families and those who are struggling the most – I’m a boxer,” Landsman told columnist Jason Williams. “I’m very comfortable in that ring. This is a good fight. This is the right fight. Families in the region need the change.”
Landsman was first elected to City Council in 2017 and was part of the so-called "Gang of Five" controversy less than a year later. He was re-elected this past November.
Chabot, meanwhile, has been a mainstay of the political scene in Cincinnati and Hamilton County since 1985, when he won a Cincinnati City Council seat. Then he was appointed to a vacant seat on the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners and later won election. In 1994 he took on incumbent Democrat David Mann for the 1st Congressional District and has run every two years since then.
Chabot's most recent challenger was Democrat Kate Schroder. In that race, he took 51% of the vote to Schroder's 45%. Three years ago, Chabot's opponent was an up-and-comer in Democratic politics – then-Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval. Democrats had high hopes for Pureval, but his campaign was full of rookie mistakes and he gave the Chabot campaign too many openings for attack ads.
If Ohio's new congressional map holds up in court, Chabot is expected to maintain his stronghold in his district. The map cracks Hamilton County into three congressional districts, giving a chunk to Rep. Warren Davidson of Troy, who represents Butler County. It maintains a land bridge to heavily Republican Warren County for the benefit of Chabot - who, WVXU Senior Political Analyst Howard Wilkinson says, would have a hard time getting re-elected without that red county.
Landsman, meanwhile, pointed to what he sees as one big advantage as a Cincinnati councilman going into this race.
“For the first time, the entire city of Cincinnati is in this district,” Landsman told the Enquirer. “There are 100,000 new voters in this district that have never voted for Steve Chabot. Those voters know me well. They know that I’m a person who’s the exact opposite of Steve Chabot.”