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 in this race. On Tuesday, we spoke with the two Democrats running in the primary. And on Wednesday we spoke with Republican candidates Rosemary Oglesby-Henry and Steven Erbeck.
Today, we wrap up our in interviews with Republicans Holly Adams and Eric Conroy. We recorded with them on April 1 and April 3. The interviews are followed by fact-checking and analysis.
Guests:
- Holly Adams, Republican candidate for Ohio's 1st Congressional District
- Eric Conroy, 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.
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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.
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Holly Adams
Eric Conroy
Analysis
Holly Adams
Six candidates are running for Ohio's first congressional district this year, with the May primary determining which Republican and which Democrat face each other in November. 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 Holly Adams a Republican candidate in the race. Tell us about yourself and why you're running.
Well, thank you so much. I am running because I'm basically like most every voter, if not every voter and citizen here in southwest Ohio, I'm just really frustrated with decisions and overspending that Congress has made for decades that have put us in the situation that we're at now where inflation and prices are so high, myself and other families in southwest Ohio are having trouble paying all of the bills. And so I'm running for Congress, because I have been the head of my household for over 30 years. Since I was an adult, I have been in charge of a small business. I had to budget there, and I never spent more than my budget allowed, because I did always have a savings for emergencies to tap into. And sadly, our government, our federal government and Congress has not done that. So I really want to go to Congress. I favor and will support a balanced budget amendment. I think it's a dereliction of duty that Congress has not passed a balanced budget in 25 years. I think it's a requirement. We're paying them, and sadly, some of the decisions while their employees of ours that they've made have made our lives less affordable and more difficult.
What are your key concerns about the way Congressman Greg Landsman currently represents the district?
Well, I just feel that he has, you know, kind of markets himself as like a moderate, bipartisan person, but then when he goes to Washington, he's not really worked effectively with the Republican Party or people with his own within his own party, to do things like balance the budget, cut excessive spending, protecting people in our cities, supporting law enforcement. Those are things that I think the majority of citizens want, regardless if they're a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent so though he claims to be a moderate, bipartisan person, personally, for the four years he's been in office, I haven't seen those results from him.
What's your position on the war in Iran, and what would you try to do about it if you were in Congress?
If I were in Congress right now, I Well, my position on it is that I support the war in Iran I support, like people from both sides of the aisle, that the Iranian regime could never have a nuclear weapon. They want to wipe Israel, all Jewish people and Western civilization, off the face of this earth. And it's just a threat that we've kind of appeased and accepted and ignored for 47 years, and I trust the intelligence of our military and our president that now was the time to act. We don't have all the data, so I want, I want a successful mission. I want to remove their ability to destroy entire nations and civilizations that they don't agree with, and I want to you know, hopefully they can come to a peace deal soon at the table where no further structure destruction or loss of lives occur.
Are you concerned? You mentioned this a little bit earlier, but tell me more about whether you're concerned about gas prices and affordability in general, and what you think Congress should be doing about that.
Well, as far as the gas prices, I'm a big supporter of energy independence. I do think we have the ability to do that. We achieved that in Donald Trump's first term, and then sadly, pipelines and other energy sources were shut down in the Biden years. And it's time that we look at everything and certainly proceed with allowing anything that is safe, safe production of energy within our own country to flourish so we can provide for our own energy moving forward, and we're not dependent on ships getting through a strait or something that's tied up during the war or anything like that. So energy independence is huge, and I also see once we reach our capacity that we need for our. Country that can be a commodity that we can sell to bring in an additional revenue stream. If we bring in additional revenue streams, then that will help me accomplish one of my goals in Congress, is to lower the tax burden on American taxpayers and families.
When you say energy independence, does that include green energy, like solar and wind and that sort of thing?
Yeah, I would really trust, and I need to do some more heavy research. I trust any that is efficient, right, that we get a good return on our investment. I know that there's all forms of energies, and each one has its pros and its cons. But really, you know what is safe, what is effective, what you know, with accomplishing our goals for a clean environment, but also accomplishing the final result of being energy independent.
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?
I'm very disappointed this has been a topic since his original arrest. I want to say 2008 but I might have that year wrong. There are victims, and I think that any time that there is a victim and there's evidence that that person should be again. He's not around to be brought to to justice, but Elaine Maxwell is. And I think that if there are people that we know who that the victims would could acknowledge and say, Yes, that was a that person assaulted me or rape me, or during that time that they should be sentenced, if there's enough criminal evidence, and then they should have to, just like anybody that commits a crime in America, they would have to be sentenced and serve time for the crimes they've committed. So I don't like anybody of power or prestige being protected. I want everybody to be treated like the average American citizen. If you or I commit a crime, we're going to be indicted and then tried, and then if we're convicted, we're going to serve our time. So it's sad to me that the victims haven't got justice so far with that.
What if anything do you think Congress and the United States should do about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza?
Well, my understanding is that we have been sending aid in the form of food and resources available to them. As far as what Congress can do. You know, we have an overspending problem in Congress right now. I think there are a lot of countries that are more local to the area that need to chip in, and I believe they are chipping in. And you know what else needs to be provided? I would it's just hard. We're we're $39 trillion in debt, and we have American citizens that are being kicked out of homes and over taxed and unable to afford groceries and their health care. So as much as I would love to be the person that the country and have the funds to rescue 8 billion people in the entire world. We just can't always step in with throwing money at the problem. We need to encourage other people to do the same. So I think we're doing a good job in supporting the people, and we're trying to, you know, broker peace over there that will hopefully bring a resolve and they can go back to living, you know, their lives without the disruption of the war.
Do you think the U.S. should continue to provide aid for Israel?
Again I feel that when the United States provides aid for any country, I think we need to do a better job in making sure it's matched that the that own country is providing as much as their own supply and resources as they can, and then we don't say, hey, the US is going to fund 80% of what you need, we need to work with people around the globe that also have the common interest of peace and saving people from these, these ongoing wars, to do that. And you know, that's what I support, that if we need to give aid, it's in a collective group of people, because, again, we just, we don't have, I mean, you know, we talked about that the national deficit before he got on the call. We're paying $3 billion a day just in interest. And how many American families are handing over money? Tax days coming up right now. Now 10s of 1000s of dollars that they could use for their own families, and it's only paying interest, so we have to stop spending beyond our means, and that really means we have to take a close look on what, if any, we're able to provide in foreign aid until we get our own financial affairs in order at this for this country.
How would you rate the Trump administration's immigration policies and enforcement? What do you think Congress could or should do about immigration?
Well, what I've seen is, I believe that the biggest problem has been that when other presidents, including Obama, including Biden, have you know, enforced the ICE to remove unlawful citizens and illegal citizen immigrants in this country, there wasn't a presence that was getting in the way of the ICE enforcement. But now, because it's President Trump and the Democrat Party seems to not want to support anything he does, they're they're interfering, and they're protecting illegal, criminal immigrants in these sanctuary cities. So I would say one thing I would want to do as Congress is if they are impeding on us getting criminals. Often repeat criminals. We've had them in District One, a female last year in Warren County was raped, gang raped, by three illegal immigrants in our in our own county, in our own district. So we have to remove those predators from the street. So I would for sanctuary city status, if if they are protecting criminals that can harm another child or another citizen, then I would remove their federal funding.
I don't remember hearing about that case. Can you tell me any more about it?
Yeah, so basically, I'd have to look at the details. I'm pretty sure it was in Warren County. It was a woman, and she was living with her boyfriend and three of his roommates, and when he was gone, they decided to to rape her. It was a gang rape. You didn't hear about it because the news doesn't seem to talk about it, because it doesn't support the narrative that all illegals are good, law abiding citizens. There is no problem. There are no criminals that need to be released. This is Trump. Trump just wants, is mean and wants to get rid of people. No children and women and men and families that have lost sons and daughters have been dramatically impacted by a system that is protecting and harboring criminals and putting them back on the streets when they have no right. I mean, you've seen the stabbings on the trains and the busses and things like that.
How did you hear about the Warren County case? (Editor's note: We fact-checked this claim and learned the incident took place in Warren County Missouri, not Warren County Ohio. Read more in the "Analysis" section.)
I just did research when I, you know, decided to run for Congress. I want to know what's going on in the district. And there's a lot, you know, there's a lot of things that, you know, it's a it's a lot, it's a large district, so there's a lot going on in different parts of it. But yeah, I, I, that's where, yeah, I found it. I just researched, yeah.
There are other cases that we've we have seen a lot in the news about an imam arrested and held for, I think it was 73, days in the Butler County Jail. There was a father in one of the Price Hill neighborhoods who was arrested when he was coming back from buying birthday supplies. What are your thoughts?
Don't like to hear that. No process is perfect. And luckily, those situations were few and far between, and I'm sorry, you know, that those people had to go through that. You know, I haven't been in that situation before, so I totally emphasize with them. There's not a perfect process, but it sounds like within 72 days, or that a short amount of time, that situation was corrected, and it wasn't a, oh, a consequence that was, you know, like we have people that are convicted for crimes and are put to death only to be found not guilty later. So they were able to get back involved with their community and their life. And educate. So I think each of those experiences a learning experience. I'm not exactly sure what went wrong in those areas that those people were pulled into the mix, but, you know, I'd like whatever oversight to is necessary to prevent that. But again, no situation is perfect. I am glad to see the number of criminals that they have taken off the streets.
What are the lessons you think we're learning as a nation when it when it comes to these other cases, like this imam, this father, there was a recent Cincinnati Public Schools high school graduate who was detained and then ultimately deported. What lessons do you think we're learning from all that?
Yeah, well, I just really think we need to, anytime we're addressing a situation, we just have to, like you noticed my pen earlier, and I said, we just need more heart. We need to always respect and be careful, because people's lives and livelihoods are at stake. So, you know, any mistake made, it's not acceptable, but it is a learning experience, so I haven't checked, and I'll do my research after to see if any recent occurrence of those have happened, or if they truly did learn. I know some things were happening. And then Donald Trump made the change to bring, get Tom Holman more involved, and then make a change with Kristie Noem, because he felt things were not handled as he wanted to. Mistakes were being made. He didn't want more mistakes to be made, so he made a game time change, and hopefully that game time change will result in less mistakes than we saw with the imam and the father.
During the debate over President Trump's signature, 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' many Republicans fought to cut taxes while many Democrats were fighting to preserve programs like SNAP and Medicaid. What do you think the right balance is there?
Oh, gosh, I think it's a combination of a lot of things, we are over-taxed as a nation. It's hard to see sometimes, but you have to go back and look at what you're paying at income taxes, property taxes, and taxes on every good and service that you consume. It's a lot. And so cutting taxes, cutting spending, I would say you have to have a phase down approach. So I think the first thing we need to do is pass a balanced budget and cut the spending. There are things that probably any group of Americans could sit down right now and say these are the 10 absolute things our constitution says our government should be doing. And if Congress and the Federal Government just did these 10 things, our lives would be better. They'd be safer, and things would be more affordable, and we'd have spare money for savings or to take a vacation with our families, or whatever it is that they need. But, but we it's just the level of taxation and spending on our country is not sustainable anymore. So I would say, I'm a big proponent of, you know, and I do know, for 150 years, we had no income tax and we had schools and roads and churches and hospitals, right? We have to take a sharp line on our the level of detriment that we are causing future generations by not handling our debt and our spending problem that we have right now. So I think that it I don't see why, other than there's just this huge political divide, Democrat voters, independent voters, Republican voters, would all benefit if Congress works together to balance our budget, cut waste, fraud and abuse, and non necessity spending, and by non necessity, I mean programs that do not help American taxpayers or American families. So we have programs like Social Security that workers pay into. We have programs like Medicare and Medicaid, those are directly benefiting families, but we got to keep a closer eye on them, because we've seen the abuse that's occurred in some of these programs, like we've seen with the daycare situations across every state, where money, taxpayer money is being stolen. So there's a lot to address.
I know you previously worked for TP USA faith, part of Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA organization. What did you do there? And does that work inform how you would want to represent the first district?
It does. Yeah. So what I did is I worked for them for two years, and I covered Ohio, including the first district, and also Indiana and Michigan. And I. We met with church leaders, pastors, nonprofit organization leaders and owners and just constituents in the community, talking about, hey, where is our country off track, and where do we want to go? And educating people on the need for each and every person to be engaged and knowledgeable. So I think there are a lot of things in where we get into a big kind of divide and argument between parties and between people. Is not all of us are coming from the same knowledge base. So there might be areas of expertise that you have that I don't have, right? So whenever you're making these big decisions, you have to pull people in from a greater base to help make those decisions. And I saw firsthand. I saw a pastor that did not like what was going on his local community, so he decided to run for mayor, and people within the church that didn't like overspending and government overreach in their communities. Run for public office, whether it be a trustee or city council. And we have all those kind of people in our own, you know, our own community here. So I just think it's important to be knowledgeable. I think it's important to vote. I mean, we have such a large segment of our population that doesn't vote, and so how can the will of the people be represented? If 30% of the people show up, it's the will of the people that show up, and that's what we've seen.
You've never held political office before. What would you say to voters who might be worried about a lack of a political experience?
I honestly think it's a good thing we have a lot of people with a lot of political experience that are serving in our Congress and our Senate and are not getting the job done. So I think that we need to elect more people. I'm one of those people that I am a working American. I've been in the career force for over 30 years, and I've always been able to manage my time and get the work done and produce the results to keep my employment, because that's what happens in the private sector and other jobs too, nonprofit organizations, but we have this stalemate where for decades, there was a lot of people in Congress that have overspent and passed legislation that is more harming than beneficial to American citizens, American families, and they haven't been fired. So I think that we just need more diversity and hard working American citizens that are suffering the consequences of decisions that have made both Republican and Democrats in our Congress and our federal government for decades.
Well, I have been talking with Holly Adams, a Republican running to represent Ohio's first Congressional District. Thank you so much for your time today, Holly.
Thank you, Lucy. Am I allowed to promote my, just say where they can find my information on my website?
Sure.
Okay, so if you want to learn any more information, just go to Holly Adams for congress.com. And by all means, I'd love to vote any hear from any voter that has any questions. I know it's a big decision that you have to make on May 5 or before if you're voting early, but if you have any questions specific to your priorities, feel free to reach out to me by email or phone, and I'd be happy to answer them.
Eric Conroy
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. Eric Conroy, thanks so much for being here.
Hey Lucy, thanks for having me today.
So tell us about yourself and why you're running.
Sure, well, I was born and raised here on the West Side of Cincinnati in a multi-generation blue collar family, and you know, one of the biggest influences I had all my life was my grandfather, who served in the Navy during World War II. So when I was at junior high and at elder High School, 9/11 happened, and so did the war in Iraq, and I really felt the call to serve, and I want to dedicate my life to service. And I was lucky enough to get into the Air Force Academy in Colorado, and then afterwards, I served seven years as an Air Force officer. I did a few years in Japan and Okinawa, and also a few years at the Pentagon. And then after the Air Force, I left as a captain, and I transitioned as a civilian over to the CIA where I served another seven years as an operations officer, and I conducted CIA operations overseas in Middle Eastern war zones and in Eastern Europe. And really, I've always defined my life by service, and I view this as that next chapter in a life of service, and I've also really grown concerned and passionate about the economic and social future of Southwest Ohio. And I really believe the people and the business leaders here need a common sense representative who understands them, but also the broader national and international picture. And with that, I believe I'm the only candidate, either in the primary or the general, who has the background, the experience and the perspective to effectively advocate and be this region's champion in Congress.
What are your concerns about the way Congressman Greg Landsman has represented the district?
Well, I think in general, what you see is you see a failure of leadership. Right? Our current congressman, Greg Landsman, has failed as a leader and isn't common sense. In fact, he's voted with Nancy Pelosi and Biden nearly 98% of the time, and that's really closer to a Democrat from the east coast or the west coast. And that's not what common sense Midwesterners are really looking for. And I think it's time to bring it back to some common sense governance and leadership here and looking after the people and the businesses here, as opposed to catering to the leftist coastal agenda.
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, great question. It's a question I get a lot Lucy, given my background, and really, after spending 14 years in the Air Force in the CIA, I think what we're doing now is great because we need some middle ground solutions. And there's a lot of foreign policy topics that deserve action, right? We can't have inaction, but we also can't have world war three, and we need a middle ground creative, surgical option. And what we've seen with both action Venezuela and also Iran are those middle ground options where they exert some kind of influence and change that we're looking for, and it obviously affects the foreign policy picture in our favor. But also, I think it's important that we tie these events back home, and really by finally getting out a atrocious regime in the Iranian regime, who's killed its own people and killed Americans since the 1970s we're not only creating a safer world, but we're also affecting trade as well, and by having a more friendly government there, we can count on a more stable energy trade for the long term, which is valuable and also helps affordability topics here at home. So I think what we're seeing in Iran is creative, overdue and needed, and I'm pretty optimistic that this will end here shortly.
As of, this recording, the president has said this will end in the next few weeks. Do you think the war can end with a surgical approach, and do you think the president will meet that deadline?
Well, I think what we've already seen is a light approach, and we've seen conflicts in the past from both sides of the aisle, whether it was President Obama's foray into Libya, or even our foray into Serbia in the 90s, where air campaigns typically have an effect, and they have an effect that helps us out and also doesn't put American troops on the ground. And given my experience working in the Middle East, I think what we're seeing is the last gasp of a death throw in the Iranian regime. So I think these are their their last days, and I'm pretty, pretty optimistic that we'll see it come to an end.
Turning to more domestic issues. Are you concerned about gas prices and affordability in general? And what do you think Congress should do about that?
Well, I think affordability is probably the defining issue of our lifetime, right? We're not living in the same economy of the 1960s and the 1990s and really need to talk about how we win the next 100 years economically to help with affordability and bring the American dream to to everyone. And I think that involves an array of solutions, right, whether it's tax cuts, cutting regulations and really providing an economy in a that promotes cheap energy and also relying on the free markets, I think we need to really deregulate and allow free markets to take place, whether it's in the energy sector or others. And I think by encouraging those free markets and increasing competition, that will naturally bring affordability down in the long term.
What type of cheap energy do you think we should be promoting?
Well, right now we have fossil fuels right and that's the nature of energy is we have fossil fuels to work with right now, and we need to make sure that we're able to promote those and make sure that those are cheap and affordable. And if there are alternative solutions that pop up and evolve and are affordable on the free market, then that's great. But right now we have fossil fuels, and we need to come to that reality and work with it.
Would that include solar and wind energy and those sorts of things?
Yeah, of course. And you know, should those solutions come up and survive in a free market, then that's great. But right now, that's not the case, and we need to focus on what works. And what works currently is fossil fuels.
President Trump has 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?
Well, I think you know, in terms of what we saw with the news events yesterday, it's the President's prerogative to handle his office as he seems fit, and I'm not really going to delve too much into that, but in general, everybody wants transparency, and whether it's the Epstein files or other topics, we want to make sure that there's not two systems of justice in this country. And people want to make sure that they're in a fair and just system. So as long as we can, as long as we can really ensure that there are two, that there are not two, excuse me, not two systems of justice, I think that's people's main concern.
Do you think we've seen the level of transparency you'd like to see?
Well, I'm not a lawyer, but I think I can trust the the Justice Department to make the right decisions, giving legal constraints and due process.
I'm talking in this recorded interview with Eric Conroy, a Republican candidate for Ohio's first congressional district. What, if anything, do you think Congress and the United States should do about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza?
Firstly, Hamas and its Iranian supporters attacked Israel on October 7, and Israel had to write the right to defend itself. The humanitarian crisis is is unfortunate, and we need to alleviate it as much as possible. We also need to be talking peace and peace in terms of, how do we make sure Israel is protected as well? So we should be really concerned about is how we get to that peace, and how do we make sure it's a safe and stable region, which includes Gaza, includes Israel, and it also includes Iran as well. And we need to be thinking about how we treat the Middle East over the next 50 to 100 years, and how we create a stable environment and peace in Israel and in Gaza is part of that.
Do you think assisting the people who live in Gaza is part of that peace, or should be part of that peace?
Well, hopefully the conflict subsides and that can be part of the peace. But we also need to make sure we have a peace that's sustainable and lasting, and that we don't have conflicts every every decade between Hamas and and Israel. So I. It's really, it's really a topic that I think is much larger, right? Because a lot of the issues in Gaza were fermented by Iran. So the President is trying to solve this issue. If he solves the Iran issue, he also solves the Gaza issue as well.
What role do you think the U.S. plays in mitigating these conflicts?
Well, in general, you know, during my experience living in both Europe and Asia in the Middle East, I think we just need to take a pragmatic approach to our foreign policy, and that means very being very judicious and how we involve ourselves. Of course, we want to avoid long wars and long entanglements, but we also need to rely on our allies in unique solutions, as I described earlier. So we can be the world leader. We can be the leader in foreign policy and Korean solutions, but we also we need to be pragmatic, pragmatic about how we achieve that and where our reach is, and how we're working with our local allies to get it done.
How would you rate the Trump administration's immigration policies and enforcement, and what could or should Congress do about immigration?
I think the administration is doing fantastic. If you're an illegal immigrant, it is illegal that you are here, and we need to enforce the laws on the books and secure the border. And this is something that needs to happen before anything else. The Biden administration had an open border, which left many, many illegal immigrants come into this country. And now what we have is we have a situation where we need to secure the border and enforce our immigration laws on the books. So I think the administration is doing a good job, and we need to keep that, keep that initiative going.
Do you have any concerns about the two American citizens who were killed in Minnesota?
It is an unfortunate event, both of those instances. However, you know, people are welcome to protest, right? That's what we do as Americans, but at the same time, you can't interfere federal law enforcement operations. So the incidents are regrettable, and any loss of life is regrettable, but it's also important to protest in a smart manner and to not interrupt federal law enforcement and these unfortunate instances won't happen.
During the debate over President Trump's signature, 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' many Republicans fought to cut taxes and many Democrats fought to preserve programs like SNAP and Medicaid. What do you think the right balance is there?
Well, I think it's a conversation, right? And we need to have conversations across the aisle to build consensus and find some common ground. And I would like to see more cuts in spending across the board. We have a $7 trillion federal budget, which is, frankly, too large, and that's too large in nearly every sector, whether it's my old sector of defense and intelligence, or whether it's other more social programs, and we simply don't have the ability to afford afford these programs for the long term. So we need to get really smart about how we're going to fund these, whether it's snap defense or other programs. So the more we can have that conversation, I think we'll be better off. And really I think the BBB was a great start on a lot of other topics right here. There's no taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime. There's some very creative breaks in terms of education policy as well. And when we talk about deregulation, I think deregulation and promoting growth is also a way that we can increase our revenue as a country and therefore help afford these programs in the long term.
Do you think enough consensus-building is happening in Congress? Enough compromise happening?
There's always room to improve. I think a lot of Americans are upset with the toxicity of the debate, and want to get back to common sense. And really, that's what I'm about. I'm about bringing common sense leadership to Congress and also this region. And you know, during my career in the CIA, my job was to reach across the other side and talk to the other side and see what they thought about a range of topics. So really it's in my DNA to reach across the aisle or reach across to the other side, to talk to people and get things done. And I think that's what Americans really want, is they want things to be taken care of. They want an adult in the room that's going to get things done. And I promise to bring that common sense conservative ethos to Congress to do that.
Can you give us any examples of how you've reached across the aisle, and how you've helped reach those compromises?
Well, I was referring more to my last career in the CIA. So my role at the CIA was to talk to the other side and convince them to come over. And that's a very delicate skill to have when you were talking to. Or maybe al Qaeda defectors or defectors from other countries, and talking to them about ways to ways to cooperate together and hopefully, hopefully bring down the heat on on topics or conflicts. So that mentality of being willing to talk to people who are different than you or or have a different stance or a different opinion or a totally different lifestyle is I think what we need more of. We need more empathy and we need more conversation.
As of this recording, a deal to end the partial government shutdown is still pending. What approach would you take if you were in Congress?
Well, I think we need to fund DHS and ice in its entirety. To not fund DHS and ice is the equivalent of not funding the military for my background. So we need to get these organizations the resources they need, and we need to make sure they're fully funded to be able to do their job, and to not do that, I think, is irresponsible and in derelict right? We need to make sure that American citizens are protected. We need to make sure that our airports work on time, and we need to fund DHS and ice in its entirety.
Redistricting has made the first congressional district more Republican-leaning. The district now also includes Cincinnati, Warren County and Clinton County. What do you see as the challenges in representing those three very different areas, and how would you do that, if elected?
Well, I think the district is very unique, right? And as someone who has grown up here, and I live in the city right now, and I grew up on the west side and the western suburbs is, this is a very diverse district. We have an urban core. We have two rural counties, and a lot of different industries and businesses. And really what I hope to bring is my wealth of experience living around the world and working with different people in different cultures, and being able to relate and understand to different needs around the district, whether that's the urban needs and the urban core, or the suburban needs in Hamilton County, or maybe the rural needs in Wilmington and Warren County. So being able to talk to people, understand what they need, and get them what they want to have a happy and successful life is really what I look forward to doing. And you know, in my old job with the CIA, I used to talk to people in the streets all over the world, and to come home and be able to do that here in Cincinnati as a rep and hear people's concerns is something that I would be absolutely honored and privileged to do, and I hope the voters will feel the same way.
You've talked about your service in the military and your work for the CIA. Is there anything else you'd like to say about how that experience would inform the way you would serve if elected?
Yeah, you know, I think for a lot of veterans who are venturing into public office, like myself, like there's two traits that we bring to the table, and it's leadership and perspective. I've handled complex situations, teams and operations all over the world, and to be able to do that, you need to know how to work with people, understand what they want, and understand how to get things done. And those are something. Those are traits that veterans bring to public office if they decide to run. And then additionally, I think perspective is very important, and I think we don't have enough perspective in Congress nowadays, and that's the ability to step back, look at the situation and really understand what's going on and how you can and how you can help with it. And given my moves around the world, but also being a Cincinnati Kid at the same time, to have that perspective, to know when's the time to when's the time to harp on a topic, when when is the time to let it go and how you can get things done, I think is very important.
Do you consider yourself a MAGA Republican?
I do support the president, I think the president is a terrific president. He's making this party the party of ideas, initiative and innovation again, and really he is putting money back in working class pockets, which is very important, right? And his policies, whether it's the BBB, the big, beautiful bill or otherwise, are creative and innovative policies, and they are putting money back in the pockets of working class families around this district. And I think he's also trying to solve some very big issues. And these big issues are not ones that have been tackled by the Democrats for the last 20 years, and because he does have the fortitude as a great president, he is trying to tackle these issues head on, and I look forward to supporting him and working with him in D.C. next year.
You've never held political office before. What would you say to voters who might be worried about your lack of political experience?
Well, I would say, I think that this is a positive right, and we don't want career politicians. We want out. Siders with fresh ideas and the idea that any politician can sit up there for 20 or 30 years, it's not good for the system and it's not good for Americans and their constituents. I am an advocate of term limits. I think those term limits should be shorter and should limit our reps time in office, and really to be able to circulate those fresh ideas, I think would have we'd have a much more vibrant and conversational Congress. So I think Americans, whether they're on the left or the right, are looking for those outsiders, and they're not looking for career politicians anymore.
Well, I've been talking with Eric Conroy, a Republican candidate for Ohio's first Congressional District. Thank you so much for your time today.
Hey, thanks for your time, Lucy. Looking forward to doing it again.
Analysis
Joining me in this recorded interview to offer perspective and analysis are University of Cincinnati political science professor David Niven and Cincinnati Enquirer Regional Politics Reporter Erin Glenn. Thank you both for being here today. David, District 1 has been redrawn with a slight Republican edge. We just talked with two of the Republicans running in the primary, Holly Adams and Eric Conroy. How well positioned are each of those two in the primary?
Niven: Adams is certainly, you know, a conventional, modern Republican in the stances that she takes, but you know, her campaign effort has been somewhat limited, so this is a very uphill battle for her. Conroy, on the other hand, is running a full scale campaign leading the pack in fundraising on the Republican side, with some support from Republican leaders. So his is clearly the most polished campaign and best position to win the Republican primary, but then he faces the reality that it's hard to go up against an incumbent member of Congress, even in a district that's been drawn with a thumb on the scale to make this a little easier for Republicans to win in.
We asked all the candidates about immigration policy. Holly Adams brought up a rape case. She said the case was out of Warren County here in the first congressional district, and involved three men who were in the country illegally. We did some background checking into this case. It turns out this was in Warren County, Missouri, not Ohio. Adams said you didn't hear about it because the news doesn't seem to talk about it because it doesn't support the narrative that all illegals are good, law abiding citizens. That's a quote from her. Erin, news outlets in Missouri did cover this case. What role is immigration playing in this campaign?
Glynn: Yes, certainly a lot of the candidates are mentioning immigration. It's one of the issues that comes up over and over again. I think immigration status is likely to be mentioned by news outlets and crime stories in the same way that other details about the backgrounds of people involved in crimes are mentioned. But I do wonder how common these cases are, and maybe that's leading her to believe that news outlets aren't reporting on it. After the Department of Homeland Security said they plan to target, quote, The worst of the worst criminals in the U.S. without legal status, my colleague Victoria Moorwood found that less than 1/3 of the ICE detainees at the Butler County Jail have a criminal conviction, and most of those convictions were for non violent crimes like traffic offenses.
David, we also asked Eric Conroy about immigration, and he talked about the Biden administration having an open border, is that the full picture? Did President Biden cause a border crisis?
Niven: 'Open border' is a potent phrase. It doesn't have any relationship to reality, but it sounds powerful. You know, quite obviously, wasn't an open border hasn't been an open border in the United States for a century. but it's easy to create kind of a cartoon picture here, and probably the signature effort of the Biden administration was a bipartisan work in Congress to actually increase funding — not to the levels we see now — but increased funding for border security, and it was defeated, ultimately, not because he was against it, or Republicans in Congress were against it, or even Democrats in Congress were against it, but because from out of office, Trump phoned in his opposition, and Republicans responded. So the notion that immigration is sort of a signature problem from the Biden administration is something that I think Republicans reflexively turn to. I don't know that it's as particularly meaningful in this moment. And you know, I know you asked all the candidates about things like affordability and so forth. I don't know that it's particularly going to define things, you know, when these votes are cast.
In discussing the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, Conroy said, quote, it's also important to protest in a smart manner and to not interrupt federal law enforcement, end quote. What can either of you tell me about the rights of these protesters and whether they impeded federal agents?
Niven: Well, I think that's a good example where that kind of rhetoric doesn't fit the reality of the situation that all Americans watched play out. You know, these were not people who were impeding any federal officers. And so one of the things that both these candidates have difficulty with is is acknowledging that immigration enforcement has gone beyond the scope of the laws, and their inclination is to never criticize the administration, and that that leaves them vulnerable in circumstances like this.
David, we asked Eric Conroy about the firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files. He said he can trust the Justice Department to make the right decisions given legal constraints and due process. Do you think that's generally the sentiment of the American people and voters in the first congressional district? UnREAL also talked about transparency?
Niven: No. And I think what's interesting there is, I don't even think the average Republican would say, 'Well, you can always trust the Justice Department.' And so this is one of those circumstances where kind of reflexively backing Trump leads one to take a position so far out on the extreme edge that you risk leaving behind a good chunk of your party, including a good chunk of your party in the first congressional district. I mean, let's be clear about this, this first congressional district, while tending Republican, you know, has an awful lot of those well educated, wealthy Republicans for whom the Trump administration is not necessarily ideally suited to their political notions and is not necessarily thought of as always being right.
Erin, we've heard from all the Republican candidates over the past few days. Does anyone stand out to you as a as a frontrunner?
Glynn: Well, Dr. Steven Erbeck received the endorsement from the Warren County Republican Party. The Hamilton County Republican Party has not endorsed in the congressional primary, but I think both Erbeck and Eric Conroy have received some high profile endorsements and seem to be getting their message out there.
David, what do you think who's the frontrunner in your mind, what seems to be the most likely matchup in the general election?
Niven: Well, I would say that Conroy versus Landsman is the most likely outcome here. I do think it's not what makes you win or lose, [but] how much money you raise, but it's a good sign of the kind of campaign that you're running. And you know, Erbeck's campaign was largely self-funded, which means he put money into the campaign, but hasn't necessarily found a broad base of supporters to help him through this. I think, you know, Conroy has the broadest base. It's always difficult to run as first time candidates as never having held office. So that, that's the challenge, you know, on that side of it, I think Landsman, while you know there'll be some protest votes cast for Lynch will nonetheless come out of the primary and will show what a well funded, well engaged incumbent member of Congress can do in a campaign.