Early voting is underway for Ohio's May 5 primary. In the 1st Congressional District, six candidates are on the ballot.
There are four Republicans on the ballot in this race. On Tuesday, we spoke with the two Democrats running in the primary.
Today, we talk with candidates Rosemary Oglesby-Henry and Steven Erbeck in interviews we recorded on March 31 and April 1. The interviews are followed by fact-checking and analysis. On Thursday, we bring you interviews with Republicans Holly Adams and Eric Conroy.
Guests:
- Rosemary Oglesby-Henry, Republican candidate for Ohio's 1st Congressional District
- Steven Erbeck, Republican candidate for Ohio's 1st Congressional District
- David Niven, professor of political science, University of Cincinnati
- Erin Glynn, regional politics reporter, Cincinnati Enquirer
These interviews were pre-recorded so we can't take your phone calls.
See our full voter guide to the May primary >>
Subscribe to our podcast
This episode was transcribed using a combination of AI speech recognition and human editors and has been lightly edited for clarity. It may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting in print. You also can watch our conversations on YouTube.
Click the below links to jump to the transcript of each conversation:
Rosemary Oglesby Henry
Six candidates are running for Ohio's 1st Congressional District this year. Could this race help determine control of the U.S. House? This is Cincinnati Edition on WVXU, I'm Lucy May. Joining me in this recorded interview to discuss why she's running is Rosemary Oglesby-Henry, a Republican candidate in the race. Thanks for being here Rosemary.
Thank you so much. I'm super excited to be on with you and to see you. It's been such a long time.
So tell us about yourself and why you're running.
My name is Rosemary Oglesby-Henry. For some that know me throughout Greater Cincinnati, they call me Miss Rosemary, and that is a moniker that I got from running an organization, Rosemary's Babies company. So I'm the lady that supports teen moms and dads and their babies between the ages of nine and 19. And I've been doing that work now, it'll be a decade in November. And so I've been doing that work for 10 years. Have served more than 3000 people, and I decided to run for office, because last year we opened our new facility, Holloway Housing Resource Center, that is the only one in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana to be able to provide support for young mothers and their babies under 18. But in an effort to do that, I learned that there was no policy and legislation to be able to even open this facility, and there was so many missing pieces for these parents to be able to change the trajectory of their lives. And for the last 10 years, as I've been working with these adolescents, I've been, you know, going through this system and trying to talk to different legislators in order to get these policies on the books. And I just felt that nobody would do it. Then the big, beautiful bill came out, and I saw what this new administration was attempting to do, but I also understood that they had the front of the book, in the back of the book, but there was no policies or strategies in the middle so that it didn't hurt people. But more than that, the person that was our current incumbent wouldn't truly be under be able to understand the strength and the resilience that it would take to move past a situation that you may have been in for years. So for example, housing now I've only got three years, but if you have somebody in place that's been through that and has had has built from nothing and understands babies, businesses in Ohio first, I think that is the perfect candidate to ensure that Ohio's trajectory continue to move forward under this administration.
So what are your main concerns about the way Congressman Greg Landsman is representing the district?
Well from being out on the campaign trail, especially in areas like Warren County and some of the more rural areas, some of their concerns have been that there has been a lack of attention paid into the needs and necessities of that area. If you add in the newest County, which is Clinton County, their concerns are even more so if you if you haven't been able to balance talking to people in these two districts and your main focus has been national rather than local. Imagine the separation between these three districts that they're not going to get an attention, that they're not going to get Greg Landsman has most people always say, Oh, he's such a nice guy. Well, I'm a nice person too, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're legislating in the best interest of your districts, and people are struggling, and they need to have priority eyes put on them instead of the national policy. So Greg Langston needs to take a greater look at home.
What are those local concerns that you feel like he's missing?
For your micro businesses, which I will call your income replacement businesses, these people, like my sister, that wants to expand or shop or, you know, a smaller, smaller construction company or whatnot, that wants to scale or even start, I think that there's a miss overreach, where when he talks about how he's helping businesses and funnels millions of dollars into this county, but you're helping businesses that are already established. I'm a businesswoman and have started from nothing, from my basement, so I understand those missed opportunities. People are very much concerned about property taxes. They are very much concerned about their safety here at home, and when we talk about violent crime and the safety issues within our own backyard. Greg Landsman, while that is you, your priority is national. You don't address. What's happening here at home. So how can you be so forthright with what's happening overseas or with the Haitian, Haitian population that is not even in your district when your district is having major problems and concerns? Again, we need someone with an eye on local politics, state politics as well as national politics. And you have to be able to do all three in order to ensure that your district is connected and they're getting what they need.
Because the Congress, obviously, it's a national position, but you're, it sounds like you're saying, but he needs to know what's happening in the district, and how those How do you see that connection there?
Yeah, because even even though this is a national and federal thing, your your district, that's why you oversee that population. So how do you know where dollars need to go when you're earmarked those funds? How do you know how your people feel about these policies? Because it's a congressional person, you're supposed to be a spokesperson for your people, but if you're not talking to your people, you're accountable for them. So otherwise, you're creating legislation on your own accord, even with wanting to separate your views from the Democratic Party. Have you talked to your people about doing that? You're saying you're a New Democrat? Well, maybe your people wanted the old Democratic Party in the old democratic ways. So again, you're accountable for your people. You're accountable for where their dollars go, and as their spokesperson, you're also responsible for connecting those peoples to resources in Congress. But how would you know what resources they need? If you're not paying attention to that? Finally, you're so as a national person, you're supposed to ensure that the purse is protected and things are being budgeted. You're supposed to be responsible for ensuring that the Constitution is being led and appropriate in that way. Are you doing that when people can ask you questions and you're not aware of Supreme Court laws that may have changed, which is a direct conflict or direct change for what's in the constitution. So there's a lot of things that he's missing, and he has openly said that he doesn't really watch the news and and things such as that. But you don't have to watch the news, but you should be very much aware of a lot of the current events and things that are happening in Ohio, especially under the Ohio Supreme Court and the regular Supreme Court, and that is a part of the congressional responsibility.
Well, let me ask you about some of these big picture issues. What's your position on the war in Iran, and what would you try to do about it if you were in Congress right now?
We should not be starting fights that we don't even know how we're going to finish them, or why we even jumped in in the first place, if there was weapons of mass destruction or whatnot. The administration does have that right, that legal right, to be able to do these missions. But on the other hand, Congress is responsible for the purse and for actions when it comes to war, and so Congress should be brought into this conversation. The administration does need to make us aware of where we're going, because we can't walk into a fight and we don't know where we're going. We don't know how long we're staying. Congress needs to step up and ask these questions, and the administration that is put in place, the party that is in place, needs to respond to that. Our commander in chief needs to respond to that. And if I am in office, definitely and definitively asking those questions every day, all the time, because that's what our people need to hear. We should not be allowing propaganda in the media to lead these conversations and put out so much misinformation, because it does nothing for Ohio, let alone nationally, for the unity of the United States of America.
What do you think about the way the Department of Justice and Congress have handled the Epstein files and the people named in the files?
Ultimately, this is a media mess. That's what I will call it, I have dealt with much of what the people in the Epstein files have dealt with personally, and I think that I am probably one of the only congressional figures that can say that as well. I've had to deal with that trauma in my own personal life and overcome it any person that hurts a child, any person that violates a woman, should be held accountable. If all of the Epstein files are released, it is the Congress's responsibility to ensure that these administrations in government, these government officials, are doing the investigations and are doing the work to make sure these people are held accountable, not just for the victims, but to all show to also to show that if anyone tries this again, or if anyone is activating in a manner that is such that they will be held accountable just as harshly. And so that's what I stand on.
What if anything do you think Congress and the United States should do about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza?
I understand that we need allies overseas, especially when we have 2.1 million troops and we have, you know, almost a million troops that are overseas in different countries, and we want them to be able to sleep at night. And that's why we need these allies, and that's why we pay to for that support and that technology from our allies. That's why we make these investments, while at the same time, for every dollar that we spend overseas with our allies, they need to be held accountable for those out, for those dollars and those people to ensure that we don't have these massive crisis and these these lives, are not looked at as just what I don't even know, The word like that. They mean nothing that. And so we need to do better and how we facilitate these type of events, where, if we do have to go in, and more than that, how our allies, per se or activating when they're using our dollars to on these attacks of innocent lives and so that also, again, is an accountability issue on our side.
As of this recording, TSA workers started receiving back pay after President Trump directed DHS to find money to pay them. Democrats and Republicans are facing a lot of pressure to end this partial government shutdown. What approach would you take if you were in Congress?
Well, first off, I believe that we have seen too many times. We just saw it last year with those that were receiving SNAP benefits and the government shutdown, congressional figures work for the people. We should not be using people as pawns in order to get our policy across. We should be able to work across the table, even if that means an agreement where both sides lose something, but we have to start somewhere. If we are paying these people to do a job, the people should hold them accountable, and they should be doing that job every day. They should not be running to social media to bad talk the other side, because that doesn't do any help in negotiating these terms. When you're sitting in front of these people, it's it's from business perspective, it's just unprofessional and it's messy, and so while in Congress, we need to stop the name calling, because the name calling only adds to the polarization and the inability to have conversations when it is one thing to run underneath a party. But once you run underneath that party, you have a priority to protect all people, and we need to get back to that underneath all three branches of government, and so they need to get back to work and stop using people to push points, because no person in America right now can afford for any dollars to be held, because in doing that, It causes further struggle and further impact on our budget and our institutions and on families.
A major sticking point for Democrats with this whole partial government shutdown has been funding for ICE and policy changes for ice, like in terms of face masks and that sort of thing. Where do you stand on that?
The Immigration Department is necessary. And I think when we when we look at specifically ice from the Department of Homeland Security, we need to look at job descriptions of all of those pieces and why these things came to be. And we understand that after 911 there were some drastic things put into place, so we need to start there, and what was actually implemented, I think that's when TSA was actually put under the Department of Homeland Security as well. While we do understand there may have been some situations and ICE may not be activating in the most humane way, we do not hold hostage people salary, understanding that why these ICE agents wear masks? Because, one, I don't think it's in a secret way. But you know, some of these people are amazed. Some of these people are shielded. I don't, I don't necessarily know. I can review and Google and find out that information. But I also think that there is an educational piece that is necessary for America where, again, propaganda isn't telling these false stories, because when people don't put out facts, that's when confusion builds in and they make up their own stories. I think we all need to take a moment and stand down and. Um, and but we can't do that if we don't have a leadership in place that is willing to take the reins, be honest, be speak in a way where all Americans are willing to listen, without this, this polarization and bipartisanship and in rhetoric that is unacceptable of a governing official, and I am talking about that from the highest level down on both sides.
And when you say propaganda, what are you talking about there?
The media does a number on us, these people with these camera phones and these cuts, they create a narrative that might not always be true. I was actually in a room with Greg Landsman, and there was this woman whose son was wanting to learn about politics. He's he's trying to follow everything that's going on. And she says, I don't know where he should find his media. You know where, where should he go? And I recall Greg saying, like, oh, I let my friends send me news. I was so disappointed, because you could have said, if he wants to learn about the Treasury, go to the Department of Treasury's website. If you want to know policies that Congress is passing instead of sound bites. Well, go to congress.gov, if you want to know, you know, if you want to know what the Supreme what the Supreme Court is doing, go to the Supreme Court's website, or even the White House website. So there are core or even Google what is it? Google resources, or Google Scholar? So there are reputable sites and information where you can get your news that aren't in these 30 second video reels, and so you know that, in itself, is a major issue, and you should be able to go to your congressional figures websites, and there not be rhetoric that further incites rage or panic. People want facts and they want real information because they are hurting, and we just need for you to give us the facts, not the rhetoric, not something that will push me to the polls, because if you tell me the truth, then I can receive it and then make my decision on whether or not to vote for you, support you, or how I move forward day to day, and they're just not getting that. And that's the hurt that we see in America when we see these uprising in walks and in all of these protests that we're seeing around the nation. People want the truth, and they don't know where to get it, and they should be getting it from the top down, from all three branches of government, and that's why we need somebody new sitting in this congressional seat for District One.
So you think people are more likely to get the truth going to like the White House website instead of going through news outlets?
You know, certain news outlets, they're going to report biasly, or they're not going to be trauma informed with what they put out there. And I'm not saying don't go to those news outlets, but what I'm always saying is what my college professor used to see, get, get three references, you know, take the time to read past that 150 you know, sound biter, that 32nd piece of media, look further, look deeper, because it matters in the choices that you make for yourself, for your children, and the decisions that you'll make for your future. You know, as the economy continues to out price people, and I'm living that day to day, even as a regular citizen. I'm living those struggles and seeing it from all different perspectives, from a business person, from running for office, and even as a mother.
Do you consider yourself a MAGA Republican? Do you like, I wonder, have you voted for President Trump, as he's run for president? Do you, what Republican issues do you feel like you really identify with?
So I am a conservative running on a Republican ticket. Some say that I remind them of a Reagan or Frederick Douglass or something like that. I believe in small government. I believe in God, family, education, justice, and I believe that we should not be giving people what they ask for, because it's keeping them where they are. I do believe that we cannot continue to go down the trajectory of trying to program ourself, our buy buy ourselves, our people out of poverty and out of these ways. But I also don't think that we can go so drastic to say that safety net organizations and lifelines and protections of the border are not needed. Needed, I think so differently, because I've had so many experiences raising my own children and being a woman in these environments where most of the time women aren't invited into these, these, these, these rooms. You know, there has never been a woman elected in congressional district one in 200 years. And as a minority, I believe myself and Damon Lynch are the first minorities or black people to run in this position in 200 years. That says something too. And so you need we can't say that we want different if we continue to vote where we are. So for me, personally, I'm for people, and I am for making sure that there are conservative avenues for people to be able to pursue life, liberty and the American dream. I am for making sure that everything is constitutionally appropriate and aligned. I'm for justice, but not just one party, but for all parties. So I don't know what type of Republican I am, but what I can say is I'm a conservative woman that whose moral foundation was found in Christ, and who believes in family and believes that everyone has a unique opportunity and should find faith in rebuilding their American dream the way that they want to, not the way the government decides that they have to.
Steven Erbeck
You're listening to Cincinnati edition on WVXU, I'm Lucy May. Four Republicans campaigning to represent Ohio's first Congressional District will face off in the May primary. Joining me in this recorded interview to explain why he's running is Republican candidate Dr. Steven Erbeck. Thank you so much for being here.
Thanks Lucy. It's great opportunity, appreciate the time.
Well, we appreciate your coming in. Tell us about yourself and why you're running.
Sure. Where do I begin, I grew up in Warren County on a family farm, 120 acres. Used to take pigs to the Warren County Fair for about 10 years. So I grew up, you know, learning the value of hard work. I went on to become a dentist. I come from a family of dentists. My great grandfather was the first dentist in Mason in 1926, so this year is 100 years for our family practice. And really special, you know, dentistry was always in my blood. It was something I knew I was going to do from the day they started calling me little doc. But, you know, I had an experience when I was in college at Ohio State to intern on Capitol Hill. Really great experience. And really got the itch for politics. I didn't want to be an attorney, so I went on to dental school.
What are your concerns about the way Congressman Greg Landsman is representing the district?
My background after I graduated Ohio State went on to New York University. It's a great experience. And, you know, international community school that with fantastic professors, but always kind of knew I wanted to come back home and take over our family practice. Four generations is strong, and had the opportunity to do so, was blessed to do that. So the last four to five years of my professional life has been growing our family practice. We went from that corner shop in downtown Mason to four doctors and 25 employees. We're the Cincinnati Dental Group now, and so we've been really blessed with that opportunity. And I want that opportunity for that next generation. I see a lot of young folks that are struggling to get ahead, to buy a house, rent is expensive, things are more expensive than they used to be, and a lot of young folks are concerned about what their future looks like. It's harder to start families, it's harder to get a good job. It's harder to sustain life in today's America. And so I'm trying to run to help those folks, along with the seniors that are struggling with inflation and all the rest of the costs. And I feel like I have a great economic opportunity for my business background, my small business background, to represent the folks that I know.
I guess one knock on Congressman Landsman is his lack of experience in that business realm. Most of his career has been in career politics. At one point, I think he was an educator. But for the last five to 10 years, it seems like he's moved up the chain and in the Democratic chain of command and politics, and I don't see a whole lot getting done. I think I'm on the trail four or five nights a week, even though I've got a little one and two practices to run still. And I hear voters’ concerns about how Washington isn't working. And so that's my goal is to get out there and make that difference for the people that I represent.
What's your position on the war in Iran, and what would you try to do about it if you were a member of Congress?
Yeah, I mean, that's definitely the soup du jour. That's what folks are looking at these days. I think President Trump in his adventure over there is really a national security issue. He's been proven time and time again that he's willing to take on hard tasks. A lot of presidents in the past have talked about Iran and the issues that we face, the lives that have been lost on their hands. They've chanted Death to America for many years, but he was willing to go out there and take him on. I think originally he started with diplomatic talks, and that was Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. And unfortunately, the Iranians weren't truthful in those talks. And so he took action. It's swift action. And I think he said here just a few days ago, we're 30 days in, and we hope for and pray for a swift exit with a more stable Middle East. So I'm supportive of the President and his ability to do so and take swift action. I don't see a plan for a boots on the ground invasion, and I hope that we can get in and out of that conflict, because there are a lot of domestic issues that we have to focus on. But I think the President's been strong on foreign policy, and I support that.
Are you concerned about gas prices and affordability in general? What do you think Congress could be doing about that?
That's a great question. I mean, no doubt, affordability seems to be the buzzword that folks are feeling that. And they felt it post-covid. Like I said, I have an economic background and my concern really was the spending. After covid, look, there were folks that were hurting, there were folks that were jobless, and we needed to support the people that needed the help. But unfortunately we're five to six years onward from covid, and we're running 7% deficit to GDP. You had Senator Portman on I just recently heard about his conversation about the deficit in the debt. Running a $2 trillion debt is not sustainable, and most folks are concerned about everyday things, kitchen table issues, the gas prices, the grocery prices. And I look at the last administration, inflation, CPI reported was at 9% in 2022 the President's managed to get that below 3% but that doesn't mean prices have come down. And so we have a lot of work to do, and I look forward to having that small business background, that economic background, to push for legislation that would help rein in that spending, but also make sure the folks that get the services that they need.
President Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi. What do you think about the way the administration and Congress have handled the Epstein files and the people named in the files?
You see kind of a sea change in the administration with Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi. What I like about the President is he's willing to take action in his cabinet. Ultimately, these folks serve at the pleasure of the President, right? And so I think that when needed to make change, he's willing to do so. That's probably the businessman in him. There's folks that have come through my practice and that have worked out and been with us for 30 years, and there's folks that haven't worked out. So what I like is that they're willing to make those changes. As far as the Epstein files, I think that there need to be a full release, and it seems that they have. They've worked very hard to do so, and I think those folks should be fully held accountable.
You mentioned the you called it a sea change, but it seemed like those two, Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi, were pretty loyal to the President. Do you still see it as a sea change, even despite that loyalty.
You know, I think obviously the President is concerned about loyalty. He's been, you know, he was the president once before, and he had a tough time having folks that were honest and loyal to him. So he's made up his cabinet with some fantastic folks, and I expect that he'll replace those folks with someone that's not only competent for the job, but also loyal.
What if anything, do you think Congress and the U.S. should be doing about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza?
Well, here's the thing is, this is a prolonged conflict. I mean, this didn't start, yesterday, obviously, October 7. And that was a huge issue, and something that a lot of Americans took personally. And we, threw our support behind Israel and the rest of the folks in the Middle East. I think him knocking down the leadership in Iran has been specifically helpful, because they're huge funders of state sponsored terrorism, whether that's Hamas or Hezbollah. And so I would imagine that would wrap up that conflict to some degree. There have been lives lost and sadly in war that does happen. I think that the humanitarian aid that has been shipped over there from us, sadly, has been misused. And you see a lot of reports on that. Our hope is that we can mitigate the lives lost on both sides of the conflict. But when the war goes on, that does happen, and my prayers and hopes is that it can get resolved quickly.
How would you rate the Trump administration's immigration policies and enforcement, and what could or should Congress do about immigration?
That's one of the three really pillars that I would consider running on from my platform. The President got overwhelmingly re-elected by a lot of folks who were concerned about open borders. And that was independents, Democrats and Republicans combined. I think they saw the last administration, the Biden administration, allow 10 to 15 million illegal immigrants into our country. And it was really a painful thing to see, because it's changed a whole lot of things you've seen just here recently. Sheridan Gorman in Chicago lost her life to an illegal immigrant from Venezuela. That happened with the Laken Riley situation, and there was an Act passed in her name. Countless lives have been lost, and it poses a national security risk. I think being strong on immigration, like the President has, has really ultimately helped our country, and that's one of the things that Americans mandated when he got re-elected.
Would you like to see Congress take more action on immigration policy or reform?
I think they're working hard on it. A lot of folks in ICE get demonized, but you know, they're doing hard work. I mean, you would have bad apples in any academy, any police force, any task in your business here, but I would imagine that most folks in ICE are trying to do their job and demonizing them like Greg Landsman and other Democrats have is not sustainable. It's not respectful.
During the debate over President Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, a lot of Republicans really fought to cut taxes while a lot of Democrats fought to preserve programs like SNAP and Medicaid. What do you think the right balance is there?
That's a great question, Lucy, and you know, my angle from the health care perspective was very interesting. In the shutdown I watched, just as you had laid out, a lot of folks from the Republican side, were touting the fact that the one Big Beautiful Bill was an average tax break of $4,000 and that's not to the wealthy and the rich, it's to the middle class Americans that are out here working hard every day in Ohio's first district. On the other hand, the work requirements that were put into place will be helpful, as we discussed earlier. We're $39 trillion in debt, and it's not sustainable. If there are young folks that are on programs that should be used for those that are disabled or needy we need to make sure that those people are back in the workforce, that they're getting back to work, and they're not abusing the system and taking advantage, similarly, to the waste, fraud and abuse that the President has pointed out with the DOGE administration and all the rest.
As of this recording a deal to end the partial government shutdown is still pending what approach would you take to that issue if you were in Congress?
I just mentioned the shutdown, the 40 day shutdown in the fall, which was really disheartening for a lot of Americans. I mean, these folks where it was all over a health care bill, and Republicans had pushed hard to work on this health care bill, but it seemed that Democrats didn't want to budge. And the unfortunate situation is that everyday Americans get caught in the middle of the shutdowns, and it's not productive for any folks, especially the folks at TSA and who work in our government, who aren't getting paid. I think that we should be able to, in a civic society, come together, make the decisions that don't hurt the American people, and fund the government right, and then the conversations about what legislation should get passed can move on forward from there in the healthcare situation. I think it would have been wise to do a one-year clean extension with nothing else, because folks have budgeted their allocations for their year on what they're going to spend on their premiums. It's not fair to pull up the curtain on those folks. But at the same time these are COVID era subsidies that are now in 2026 getting pushed to 2029. The subsidies, unfortunately, are making things more expensive. I know folks can't see that a lot of times, but if you look at it economically speaking, that's what it's doing. So I'd work hard with the rest of the members of Congress to be able to get the government reopened, fund the programs that need to be funded, and then have those conversations.
Do you think there needs to be more cooperation in Congress overall? What would your approach be to that?
Yeah I don't see an issue with bipartisanship, as long as you can stick with your principles. I'm a conservative. That's how I grew up, and it's how I've been raised. But I think there's respectful disagreements, respectful debate, and I think it needs to be more policy oriented. And that's kind of one of the reasons I'm throwing my hat in the ring is because I'm a policy guy and care a lot about economics, but I also care about values. The people in the first district the ones that I've spoken with on the trail, and I try to get across every part of this district, they want someone who represents the values that they share, and they don't feel right now that Greg Landsman is doing that.
Redistricting has made the first Congressional District more Republican leaning, and the district now also includes Cincinnati, Warren County and Clinton County. What do you see as the challenges to representing all those very different areas, and how would you do that if elected?
That's a great question Lucy. You have quite a few different populations in those districts, in one district combined, in those counties. And so for me as a dentist, as a healthcare provider, as a husband, a father, someone who has 5000 patients I see all walks of life through my practice, and I hear the concerns. I stick to my core principles of being a conservative, but I'm willing to listen to other folks tell me their concerns. When you're a legislator, you represent everybody in the district whether they voted for you or not, and so I think the policies that I could put into place and help pushing Congress would open the job market and economic opportunity in southwest Ohio. I think they would get people back on their feet and give them the chance, especially young folks, the chance at home ownership, the chance at getting ahead in this world, and family formation, because that's a lot of what I'm running on as we just spoke earlier, I have a one year old daughter at home, and she's the apple of our eye, but we really want to make sure that we have that potential future for our children and our grandchildren.
I'm talking in this recorded interview with Dr. Steven Erbeck, a Republican candidate for Ohio's first Congressional District. Can you be a little more specific about what kind of policies you would introduce to reach those goals you just talked about?
Sure, I mean, I look to the President and some of the things that he's put forth. I think the ownership from Wall Street of single-family homes has been a net negative for everybody involved outside of corporate profits. And I think that his push to ban Black Rock and other big firms from buying single family homes is a step in the right direction. Another thing that's been proposed I really like is allowing our generation to put down 401K or retirement money towards a down payment on a home. A lot of folks can't save that money. They can't get it because costs are so high on their everyday life. But home ownership is the cornerstone of the American dream, and if we allow those kind of policies to be put forth, it can help people get ahead.
You've mentioned, you're a dentist, you're a small business owner. How would those things inform the way you would want to serve the first Congressional District if elected?
Yeah, I appreciate the question. And I think as a small business owner, I discussed earlier how I had scaled my family practice that was on the corner of downtown Mason and the Cincinnati Dental Group. And we've been blessed to do that. We've worked hard to do that. I can tell you that nearly every other week I get a letter in the mail of a private equity company looking to buy my practice, to purchase our family generational practice of 100 years. And we're not selling even if I win the congressional race, we'll keep it in family hands. Because it's the culture that we've built. I think from a small business owner's perspective, it's gotten a lot harder. Costs have gone up. Inputs have gone up. In my world, in the insurance world, reimbursements haven't gone up. Some of the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements haven't gone up. And that's hurt rural hospitals. It hurts a lot of folks in the healthcare realm. So I think that I can understand outside of that corporate realm. Small business ownership, and the small businesses are the backbone of our economy. And so we want to make sure that we're helping those people in the first district get the necessary funds and the resources that they need. And I'd be happy to do that.
Do you consider yourself a MAGA Republican?
I support the president. I really do. I think that he's done a great job in the leadership that he's done so far. I had helped Vice President Vance in a voluntary role in his Senate campaign. I think the President has cobbled together a great team. And as we discussed earlier, he's willing to change that if needs be. The President has been the backbone of the Republican Party since 2016. I absolutely support the president.
What are the Republican policies that you most identify with?
It's that conservative economic principle, right? It goes back to lower taxes, allowing the free market to run. I spoke with association of homeowners, or homeowner or home builders, and they had talked to me a lot about the regulatory environment now it's difficult to build, we're short a few million houses in our housing stock in the US. And so if we want to achieve that goal, like we talked about, of home ownership, we've got to let the private sector build. They're the best to do it. They're well informed. They know the market economy, and they can do that. And so from that perspective I would lean on my conservative principles.
You've never held political office before. What would you say to voters who might be worried about a lack of political experience?
Yeah, I'd say that's probably one of my best traits. These days, I think a lot of folks are concerned about folks going to Washington for the wrong reasons. I talk a lot on the trail about the Teddy Roosevelt era, when it wasn't as glamorous to go to Washington. You probably had to take your horse and buggy, and it was really doctors, it was lawyers, it was clergy, small business owners that went to DC. They passed legislation that helped their communities, two or three terms, and they came back home and they resumed their day job. That's my game plan. That's what I plan on doing if elected. And so the lack of political experience, I hope, makes up for it in the life experience of a young 32 years.
What's the most important thing about you that voters can't learn from your resume.
My values. It's one of those things where I was blessed with two fantastic parents who instilled the desire for a work ethic, the value of an education, and then the respect my wife and I are Catholic, and it's good Friday here, and we're about to celebrate and try to do my best to eat one big meal with no meat. We'll be celebrating Easter Sunday. So my family is very important to me, and I think that what's most important is that voters see me as a person, as an individual, as they do other candidates, and then look at us, judge us on the on the values that we hold.
Analysis
You're tuned to Cincinnati Edition on WVXU I'm Lucy May. We just heard from two of the four Republicans facing off in the primary for Ohio's 1st Congressional District. Joining me in this recorded interview to offer perspective and analysis is University of Cincinnati political science professor David Niven, thanks for being here, David. District One has been redrawn with a slight Republican edge. We just heard from two candidates in the Republican primary, Rosemary Oglesby-Henry and Steven Erbeck. How well positioned are each of these two candidates in the Republican primary?
Well, this is an interesting situation in which the Republicans re-drew this district. They re-drew it to give it a more decided Republican lean. But of course, taking advantage of that requires candidates, and in this case, these are two candidates who are not necessarily from central casting. It's it's tough to establish your name, and, you know, present a full fledged challenge in any congressional district, no matter you know, who drew the lines. And I think both of these are folks you know, well intentioned, sort of typical Republican beliefs on most issues, at least. But it's hard to break through and introduce yourself as political neophytes.
David, how strong are either of them in a matchup against the incumbent Democratic Congressman Greg Landsman? Is he particularly vulnerable in this race?
It's one of the ironies of the circumstance that he should be vulnerable by all rights taken a number of votes that would upset the Democratic base while Republicans, you know, maintain a fierce belief that that that's not the case and that he's he is as partisan as they come. So in theory, this is an opportunity and a vulnerability, and these two candidates obviously presented a slightly different, you know, kind of image as Republican candidates for Congress, but it's an enormous uphill battle to establish their name and to to effectively take on an incumbent member of Congress. That's just not something that is easy to do, especially if that incumbent member of Congress is taking the challenge seriously.
David, we asked Steven Erbeck about the firing of Pam Bondi and the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files. He called the firing of Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem a sea change in the administration. He said the President is willing to take action in his cabinet. Are these firings generally seen as bringing radical change in the Trump administration.
I think a better argument could be made that the firings bring no change whatsoever when you're talking about putting in Senator Mark Wayne Mullen from Oklahoma into DHS, that is, you know, replacing the pot with the kettle in the Justice Department at the moment, the acting Attorney General is one of Trump's personal lawyers. This was not a comprehensive nationwide search for, you know, the most thoroughly trained individuals to lead a new direction in these departments. This was a top of the head search for folks who would be loyal to the Trump administration, replacing people who were quite loyal to the Trump administration.
David in talking with Erbeck about immigration, he said, the Biden administration let 10 to 15 million illegal immigrants into our country. The Office of Homeland Security says, as of January 2024 the Biden Administration released more than 2.3 million migrants at the border. So is Erbeck's information accurate? This is a consistent talking point during campaigns.
There seems to be a conflation, and this is true with Dr. Erbeck and others, that every immigrant in the country arrived during the Biden administration, when we know that that is obviously not the case. Many of the immigrants in this country arrived the first time that Trump was in office. But to bottom line answer, that's roughly an estimate of how many immigrants are in the country in total, not how many came to the American shores during the Biden administration.
David, we went down a bit of a rabbit hole with Oglesby-Henry about media coverage, where we get our information, how we can trust the information we get to be factual and not be as she said, propaganda. Here's what she said about that.
"I was actually in a room with Greg Landsman, and there was this woman whose son was wanting to learn about politics. He's he's trying to follow everything that's going on. And she says, I don't know where he should find his media. You know where, where should he go? And I recall Greg saying, like, oh, I let my. Friends send me news. I was so disappointed, because you could have said, if he wants to learn about the Treasury, go to the Department of Treasury's website. If you want to know policies that Congress is passing instead of sound bites, well, go to congress.gov if you want to know, you know. If you want to know what the Supreme what the Supreme Court is doing, go to the Supreme Court's website or even the White House website."
David, do you recommend that people should go to whitehouse.gov for factual information?
In normal circumstances? One one might do that, but obviously we've seen in the present administration a tendency to use all government channels for, you know, their own political agenda advancement. You know, I do think, however, the sort of the bottom line criticism is it hard to find out about candidates for Congress. It absolutely is, and that's what makes this program so invaluable, the chance to hear all these candidates in their own words, and get an opportunity to have some insight into what they think about, how they think, how they express themselves. So shameless plug for this conversation, because it's, it's legitimately hard, you know, a Republican voter choosing amongst these candidates to get down to the details of exactly who they are and what they stand for.
There's one through line with all five of the candidates who are challenging Greg Landsman. They've never held political office before, and when asked about that, they all see that as a strength. Most of them describe Landsman as a career politician. David, do you think that will be a successful line of attack.
I think this is a little bit like when you're selling a small house, and the real estate ad lists it as cozy. You know, you have to characterize your circumstance in positive terms. And I think it would matter more if Landsman was one of those, like Chuck Grassley from Iowa, you know one of those members of Congress who've been there for five decades, Mitch McConnell, one of those folks who've been there forever. It's, I think, harder to meaningfully pin that on a two term member of Congress.