Ohio Republican U.S. Rep. David Taylor of Amelia is running for reelection and will face Bob Carr in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District Republican primary.
Republican voters in the Southern Ohio district will cast their ballots in the state's primary election May 5.
There are two candidates running in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District’s Democratic primary: Jen Mazzuckelli and Todd Wilson.
The district is one of the most heavily Republican congressional districts in Ohio, according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
Learn more about Taylor and Carr below. Candidates were given the same survey questions and word limit of no more than 300 words to respond to each question. All candidate responses have been lightly edited for grammar and style.
David Taylor
Campaign website: davetaylorforcongress.com
Biography
I am a lifelong Buckeye, a businessman and a father who believes in the grit and potential of Southern Ohio. Before serving in Congress, I spent time in the private sector running a family-owned business, where I learned firsthand how government overreach and rising costs impact everyday families. My approach to public service is the same as my approach to business: focus on practical results, keep a balanced budget and always show up for the people who work hard to keep our communities running.
Why do you want to retain your seat?
My mission has always been to ensure that Southern Ohio has a seat at the table where real decisions are made. We’ve made progress in bringing common-sense solutions to Washington, but there is more work to do to lower the cost of living and protect our local industries. I’m running to continue being a steady, dependable voice for our district’s values and to ensure our children have the same opportunities to build a life here that I had.
What concerns or themes are you hearing in conversations with people in your district and how do you specifically plan to address those issues?
The most consistent concern I hear, whether I’m in Clermont County or Washington County, is the rising cost of essentials like groceries and energy. People feel like they are working harder just to stay in place. I am focused on legislation that promotes American energy independence to lower utility bills and cutting redundant federal spending to ease inflationary pressures. Additionally, I’m working on targeted initiatives to bolster our rural health care infrastructure and expand broadband access, ensuring our more remote communities aren't left behind in the modern economy.
How would you appeal to constituents who are not aligned with your party?
While we may not agree on every policy, I believe most of us want the same things: safe neighborhoods, good-paying jobs and a government that works efficiently without intruding on our daily lives. My door is always open to anyone in the district, regardless of their political leanings, because my job is to represent every constituent. I prioritize transparency and constituent services to ensure that when a veteran or a senior needs help with a federal agency, they get the results they deserve.
Your district crosses a wide swath of communities in Southern Ohio. How do you plan to represent the unique needs of each community?
Representation starts with showing up. I’ve spent my time traveling from the outskirts of Cincinnati to the West Virginia border because you can’t understand a community's needs from a desk in D.C. I view our district through the lens of its diverse strengths, supporting the manufacturing and suburban growth in the west, while advocating for the agricultural and natural resource sectors in the east. By maintaining a local presence throughout the district, my team and I ensure that whether the issue is locks and dams on the river or infrastructure in our townships, every corner of the district is heard.
Do you think our economy is currently on the right track?
There is no doubt that the American workers are resilient, but many families in Southern Ohio are still feeling a significant squeeze. While we see pockets of growth, the "right track" means an economy where a single income can support a family and small businesses can expand without fear of sudden tax hikes or new regulations. We need to move toward a more stable fiscal environment that rewards hard work, encourages domestic production and keeps more money in the pockets of the people who earned it.
Bob Carr
Campaign website: Not available.
Biography
The years I spent at MBA were pivotal years of my life. Those who remember me probably do not know why I came to MBA. I had discovered the school when I was traveling with a family. I had an enlightened moment, clear as can be, it is true. I was standing in front of a large rock down at the garage. "Hey, MBA is my ticket. A ticket to get out of foster homes!" I had been in over 20. I arrived on a July 1st at 11 p.m. at night; hoed beans the next day, and that evening met Leonard Roberts and Stan Meisner straddling their 10 speed bikes. Thus began the adventure!
As it turned out, more than just saying so, our 'Class of 66' was singularly unique in our interaction with the faculty and flexing our leadership during the times America was finally coming to terms with the concept of equality for all. We will talk about it. As to my doings: I will sum it up with this way. "We would rather fight than switch, for we are the Class of 66." Thank you Bob Darr! And we had "Forward ever, backward never." Remember? And yes, we wore berets at graduation.
With the '66 creeds instilled in me, here are some of the paths I took. I am a historic preservationist. I have saved boats, plains, trains and automobiles. I became a trucker and a railroader to save history. Known as the eleventh hour guy, my '66 experience, surely, taught me to stay unshakeable.
My first impossible was the Round Island Lighthouse in the Straits of Mackinac. Google it. It is now a beauty. My most impossible is what we call "The Commons" (google) in Traverse City, Michigan. One by one, over the months, the votes had been taken to knock it down. Six times. The final vote was called. The newspapers said, "Bob Carr stood up and the vote was never taken." How could that happen? Truly, by using, I believe, our Class of '66 blueprint that, together, we developed during our MBA years.
In college, I w[r]angled a White House Press Pass. Today, I co-host as the commentator, a network radio show, "Reality Politics." No screened calls and soon to be syndicated on Sundays. I have been the director of a home for runaways and have co-founded, still operating, the Benton Harbor Soup Kitchen.
In saving history and helping start up projects, I grabbed a camera to visualize and promote. See: www.camerasignature.com. I have worked on Capitol Hill and for the Executive Office of the President. I ran for the United States Congress in America's largest Congressional District. My $5,000 beat $1,200,000 when I received almost 60% of the vote. My slogan? "Taking care of people." I won so handily that the sitting Congressman did not dare give up his seat to go into the Administration.
You may not know that Terry Schmunk and our wives own a business together. www.oceanshoreaviation.com. Look it up. I am on my 17th airplane. How did this all happen? Stan Meisner and I helped MBA's farm manager cover the wings of his airplane. So in college I took flying. I also learned to scuba dive. How did that also happen? Our sophomore year, money was raised for the MBA pool and during our junior year the pool was built. On filling day, Stan Meisner ran the water hydrant and I held the nozzle. We were the very first to swim in the MBA pool.
So, in college: Right? I met Karen Verdon Carr. She was a graduate of Mount Vernon Academy. The denomination's first Academy. It was closed last year. What a property! So, in the '66 way, I have started a campaign to develop a high school "Christian Music School of the Arts" teaching all things music. Details you may ask. Google “Interlochen School of the Arts.”
Classmates: My conviction is that we were lucky to go to school when we did at MBA. We had all the legs of the education stool. That included daily work for money, forming self-starting music groups of all kinds, performing [b]efore our peers, writing a school newspaper, etc., etc., etc. Add to the list.
In today's world, what I am not saying is a reality. However, through it all I love to be guided by the Bible book of Romans, Chapter 12. And to go to the core; the very last verse seems to me to be that core.
History tells that our class was first to paint the rock. Let us make time to do so again!
What life or professional experiences make you qualified for this position?
My professional experience started with my living in 22 foster homes. That gave me a wide 'people' experience and work experience. High school and college I lived in dorm life and I worked by paying my entire bill. I graduated with two majors. BA communications. BA political science. For one year after graduation I was the director of a large home for runaways. Again, people experience. I then flew to Washington, D.C. and met my now wife Karen the first day. Well now, better get a job. First I worked for part of the Executive Office of the President- Office of Economic Opportunity and then up to Capitol Hill working for a Congressman with my title of Special Projects Director. It was then that I went to Mackinac Island to be the Chamber of Commerce Director. Mission? To save the Round Island Lighthouse. As a preservation planner I have save[d] a state hospital now called 'The Commos, a Bridge in Portland, Michigan, planes, trains, automobiles too. Currently my project is the railroad bridge in Marieta, Ohio.
What concerns or themes are you hearing in conversations with people in your district and how do you specifically plan to address those issues with legislation or other solutions?
Much of what I hear is chatter about the economy. My work at the 'Office of Economic Opportunity' is fortunate. Also, one of my past efforts was working for Vienna Fuel visiting seniors to make they had fuel. I bought gas today. Prices are 'back there'. P.S. Years ago, Karen and I went a city; Benton Harbor and founded A Soup Kitchen. Its still operatingevery day. More people experience.
Karen is a school teacher as a specialist both in art in reading.
How would you appeal to constituents who are not aligned with your party?
How will I reach my constituents, not all politically aligned with me ? In person and a 24 hour tel[e]phone hotline during the week. I ran a hotline when I worked at the ACT House runaways program. In my District 2, we have people working, first shift, second shift or third shif[t]. All three groups will need my staff services. I believe in the telephone. People can call and it WILL be a 800 number.
Your district crosses a wide swath of communities in Southern Ohio, from the outskirts of Cincinnati to the West Virginia border. How do you plan to represent the unique needs of each communities?
Working in such a variety of people experiences just adds up. Starting a home for runaways with no initial money, a soup kitchen with no initial money, serving in the Office of Economic Op[p]ortunity, and working in the halls of the Capitol, becoming a historic preservationist which led me to being a pilot. Yes a pilot with an airplane in my gar[a]ge (“Interlochen School of the Arts.”) Experience real[l]y does add up.
Do you think our economy is currently on the right track?
Editor's note: Carr did not answer this question.