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Meet Greg Landsman, incumbent for Ohio 1st Congressional District

A white man in a blue tshirt and jeans stands outdoors with trees in the background
Gerri Hernandez Photographer
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Greg Landsman

Ohio's 1st Congressional District is represented by Democrat Greg Landsman, who faces Republican Orlando Sonza in his first re-election in this office.

Before Landsman won the seat in 2022, the district had been represented by Republican Steve Chabot since 1995 (except for one two-year term). Then the boundaries changed, making the seat more competitive than it has been in years, and paving the way for a Landsman win.

Learn more about Landsman below, as well as his opponent, Orlando Sonza, and other local races in WVXU's voter guide.

LISTEN: Cincinnati Edition's interviews with Greg Landsman and Orlando Sonza

Candidates were given the same survey questions and word limit of no more than 250 words to respond to each question. Answers have been lightly edited for clarity and style only.

Candidate name: Greg Landsman

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: Landsmanforcongress.com

Biography

Born and raised in Greater Cincinnati, Greg Landsman is a former teacher who spent his career fighting for children and families. In 2016, Greg led the successful passage of Cincinnati’s Preschool Promise, which now provides two years of quality preschool to Cincinnati’s three- and four-year-olds. Greg served at City Hall for five years, where he focused on making Cincinnati an easier place to raise a family, especially for those most marginalized. He was elected to Congress in 2022, where he committed to being a new kind of national leader — bipartisan, transparent, reliable, and accountable. Greg lives in Mt. Washington with his wife, Sarah, and children, Maddie and Elijah, both students at Walnut Hills.

What life or professional experiences make you the best person for this position?

I have a long-standing record of getting things done for families in Southwest Ohio.

I’m a former teacher, and I spent my career doing child advocacy work. In 2016, I led the successful passage of the Cincinnati Preschool Promise, which made Cincinnati the only city in the country to provide two years of quality preschool to its three- and four-year-olds. In 2017, I was elected to Cincinnati City Council, where I led the budget and worked with Democrats and Republicans to pass the largest investment in repairing Hamilton County roads and bridges. I also led the charge to fund a second class of police recruits for the first time in Cincinnati history and increased the police budget by $20 million over my five years at City Hall.

Since my election to Congress in 2022, I’ve worked hard to be a pragmatic, bipartisan leader who shows up here at home. In my first 20 months in Congress, I’ve held over 20 town halls across the district, and I returned over $15 million in the federal budget for community projects in Southwest Ohio. I’ve introduced five bipartisan bills, including bills to lower prescription drugs prices and improve college affordability

What concerns or themes are you hearing in conversations with people in your district? How do you specifically plan to address those issues with legislation or other solutions?

Across the district, voters want an end to the hyper-partisan chaos and extremism. They want normal, bipartisan, pragmatic leaders who get things done and tackle real issues in our community: protecting democracy, restoring freedoms, and fixing our economy so that it works for working people.

Protecting democracy: I’lI will work to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to protect our elections and expand voting rights. My opponent will chip away at voting rights and side with those who throw out the results of elections when they don’t like the outcome.

Restoring freedoms: I’ll vote to codify Roe v. Wade and restore reproductive freedom. My opponent will ban abortion, IVF, and gay marriage.

Fixing our economy: Right now, billionaires and big corporations don’t pay all of their taxes, and it comes at our expense. I’ll work to fix the tax code so that it’s built around working people, not billionaires and huge corporations. My opponent will work for the super-wealthy, not us.

Do you feel it is important to work across the aisle? Why or why not? How would you appeal to constituents who are not aligned with your party?

I’m proud to have been rated one of the most independent members of Congress this year. Folks know that I’m one of the normal, common-sense leaders who want to get things done in a bipartisan way. I’m part of the bipartisan Problem-Solvers Caucus, have already passed several bipartisan bills out of committee, and I’ve been a key vote on critical bipartisan bills to avoid default and provide relief for families and small businesses.

I don’t take corporate PAC money because I want you to know that I work for folks here at home, not for the wealthy and powerful, and not for a political party.

Although inflation has stabilized, prices are still significantly elevated compared to a few years ago. What can Congress realistically accomplish in the next two years to support people struggling with high prices?

Our economy has been broken for decades, and we must fundamentally fix it to work for working people, not billionaires and big corporations. That starts with fixing our tax code so that the super-wealthy and corporations pay all of their taxes, just like the rest of us. But there is more we can do now to bring costs down:

Lower prescription drug costs: My very first bill in Congress was a bipartisan bill to cap the cost of insulin for children at $35. I also introduced a bipartisan bill to help lower prescription drug costs for seniors covered by Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans.

Expand the Child Tax Credit: I support expanding the Child Tax Credit from $1,600 to $2,000 per month. This would deliver much needed relief to 35,000 working families across Southwest Ohio.

Address child care and college affordability: From preschool to college, the cost of education is too high. My bill to support child care small businesses recently passed unanimously out of committee. I’ve also introduced the bipartisan Campus Housing Affordability Act to provide college housing assistance to low-income students.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the U.S. has provided Israel with at least $12.5 billion in military aid (according to the Council on Foreign Relations). What responsibility, if any, does the U.S. have to reduce civilian deaths in the conflict in Gaza? And has the U.S. met that responsibility?

These are two historically traumatized people, further traumatized by Iran’s terror network. This is an existential war for Israel, with Iran (with help from Putin). Much of the U.S. investments go to defensive systems like Iron Dome, and David’s Sling has prevented hundreds of attacks and saved thousands of civilians in Israel. After the October 7th terrorist attack on Israel, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has worked to dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities. Far too many innocent Palestinian and Israeli lives have been lost. The trauma and loss from this war is horrific.

The war must end, every hostage must be returned home, and the post-conflict work must be intense and sustained. Israel must be secure, Gaza rebuilt, and self-determination by Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank must be realized. My intention is to continue to be a leader on this work, and be part of the generation of leaders that helps secure peace and stability in the Middle East

Local Government Reporter with a particular focus on Cincinnati; experienced journalist in public radio and television throughout the Midwest. Enthusiastic about: civic engagement, public libraries, and urban planning.