2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the 16 U.S. representatives from the U.S. state of Ohio, one from each of the state's 16 congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.

District
Results of the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio by district:

District 1
The 1st district is based in Cincinnati, stretching southwestward to Ohio's borders with Kentucky and Indiana. Incumbent Republican Steve Chabot was re-elected with 59% of the vote in 2016. He was challenged by attorney and Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval.

Nominee

 * Steve Chabot, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Samuel Ronan, United States Air Force veteran, 2016 State House candidate and candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2017

Nominee

 * Aftab Pureval, attorney and Hamilton County Clerk of Courts

Withdrawn

 * Robert Barr, rabbi
 * Laura Ann Weaver, dentist

Declined

 * Eric Elias, businessman
 * Mark W. Lippert, former United States Ambassador to South Korea
 * Todd Portune, Hamilton County Commissioner
 * Alicia Reece, state representative
 * P.G. Sittenfeld, Member of Cincinnati City Council and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2016
 * Michele Young, attorney, author and nominee for this seat in 2016

Campaign
Pureval raised $660,000 in the first eight weeks after announcing his candidacy with nearly 80% of the money from people local to the district. This, his campaign team claimed, was more than any Democratic challenger had raised in a single quarter against Chabot.

Campaign
Despite being the strongest challenger to Chabot since his congressional comeback in 2010, the Pureval campaign was hit with two significant controversies that impacted their chances.

Firstly, he was accused of spending funds from his clerk campaign account on expenances in relation to his house campaign, in violation of Ohio election law. The Ohio Elections Commission dismissed 28 of 29 charges brought against the campaign, before issuing them a $100 fine for the single upheld charge (which had been caused by a clerical error).

Secondly, a 22-year-old Pureval volunteer managed to infiltrate the Chabot campaign and gain access to a sensitive voter database. After the election Pureval would "take responsibility" for the volunteer's actions and formally apologized to Chabot.

District 2
The 2nd district takes eastern Cincinnati and its suburbs, including Norwood and Loveland, and stretches eastward along the Ohio River. The incumbent was Republican Brad Wenstrup, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 65% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Brad Wenstrup, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Jill Schiller, former special assistant in the White House Office of Management and Budget

Eliminated in primary

 * Janet Everhard, retired physician and write-in candidate for this seat in 2016
 * Ken McNeely, Brown County Democratic Party central committee chairman

Withdrawn

 * Richard L. Crosby, attorney

Declined

 * William R. Smith, perennial candidate
 * Jerry Springer, talk show host, former Mayor of Cincinnati, nominee for OH-02 in 1970 and candidate for governor in 1982

District 3
The 3rd district, located entirely within the borders of Franklin County, taking in inner Columbus, Bexley, Whitehall, as well as Franklin County's share of Reynoldsburg. The incumbent was Democrat Joyce Beatty, who had held the district since 2013. She was re-elected with 69% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Joyce Beatty, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Jim Burgess

Eliminated in primary

 * Abdulkadir M. Haji

District 4
The 4th district, nicknamed the "duck district", sprawls from the Columbus exurbs, including Marion and Lima into north-central Ohio, taking in Oberlin. The incumbent was Republican Jim Jordan, who had represented the district since 2007. He was re-elected with 68% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Jim Jordan, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Joseph Miller

Nominee

 * Janet Garrett, retired teacher and nominee for this seat in 2014 & 2016

Eliminated in primary

 * Cody James Slatzer-Rose, software developer

District 5
The 5th district encompasses Northwestern Ohio, taking in Findlay, Defiance, and Bowling Green. The incumbent was Republican Bob Latta, who had represented the district since 2007. He was re-elected with 71% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Bob Latta, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Bob Kreienkamp
 * Todd Wolfrum, Van Wert County Commissioner

Nominee

 * J. Michael Galbraith, Bowling Green State University teacher

Eliminated in primary

 * James L. Neu Jr.,employee of Chrysler's Toledo machining plant and nominee for this seat in 2016

District 6
The 6th district encompasses Appalachian Ohio, including Steubenville, Marietta, and Ironton. The incumbent was Republican Bill Johnson, who had represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected with 71% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Bill Johnson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Robert Blazek, businessman

Nominee

 * Shawna Roberts, Belmont County resident and former small business owner

Eliminated in primary

 * Werner Lange, former delegate for Bernie Sanders

District 7
The 7th district is based in northeastern Ohio, and includes the city of Canton. The incumbent was Republican Bob Gibbs, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 64% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Bob Gibbs, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Patrick Quinn, internet technician
 * Terry Robertson, truck driver, real estate agent and candidate for this seat in 2016

Nominee

 * Ken Harbaugh, United States Navy veteran and president of Team Rubicon Global

Eliminated in primary

 * Patrick Pikus, manager at the Timken Company

District 8
The 8th district takes in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati, including Butler County, as well as taking in Springfield. The incumbent was Republican Warren Davidson, who had represented the district since 2016. He was re-elected with 69% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Warren Davidson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Vanessa Enoch, management consultant

Eliminated in primary

 * Bill Ebben
 * Matthew J. Guyette, paralegal
 * Ted Jones

District 9
The 9th district spans the coast of Lake Erie from Toledo to the west side of Cleveland, taking in Port Clinton, Sandusky, Lorain, Lakewood, Brook Park, and Brooklyn. The incumbent was Democrat Marcy Kaptur, who had represented the district since 1983. She was re-elected with 69% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Marcy Kaptur, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Joshua Garcia, taxi driver

Nominee

 * Steve Kraus, former state representative and convicted felon

Eliminated in primary

 * Keith Colton
 * W. Benjamin Franklin

District 10
The 10th district encompasses the Dayton metro area, including Dayton and the surrounding suburbs. The incumbent was Republican Mike Turner, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 64% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Mike Turner, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * John Anderson, civilian air force acquisition logistics and sustainment manager and candidate for this seat in 2012 and 2014
 * John Mitchell

Nominee

 * Theresa Gasper, business owner

Eliminated in primary

 * Robert Klepinger
 * Michael Milisits

District 11
The 11th district takes in eastern Cleveland and its suburbs, including Euclid, Cleveland Heights, and Warrensville Heights, as well as stretching southward into Richfield and parts of Akron. The incumbent was Democrat Marcia Fudge, who had represented the district since 2008. She was re-elected with 80% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Marcia Fudge, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Beverly Goldstein, former university professor and nominee for this seat in 2016

Eliminated in primary

 * Gregory P. Dunham

District 12
The 12th district encompasses the northern Columbus metro area, taking in the northern Columbus suburbs, including Dublin, Westerville, Gahanna, and New Albany, as well as, Newark, Mansfield, and Zanesville. Republican Pat Tiberi was the representative of the district until his resignation on January 15, 2018. A special election was held on August 7, 2018, to fill the vacancy until January 3, 2019.

Nominee

 * Troy Balderson, state senator and former state representative

Eliminated in primary

 * John Adams, perennial candidate
 * Kevin Bacon, state senator
 * Lawrence Cohen, attorney
 * Jon Halverstadt, real estate investor
 * Tim Kane, conservative economist
 * Melanie Leneghan, Liberty Township Trustee
 * Pat Manley
 * Carol O'Brien, Delaware County Prosecutor
 * Myrl Shoemaker Jr., son of former lieutenant governor Myrl Shoemaker

Declined

 * Andrew Brenner, state representative (running for state senate)
 * Anne Gonzales, state representative (running for state senate)
 * John Kasich, Governor and former U.S. Representative
 * Clarence Mingo, Franklin County Auditor (endorsed Kevin Bacon)
 * J. D. Vance, author and venture capitalist

Nominee

 * Danny O'Connor, Franklin County Auditor

Eliminated in primary

 * Ed Albertson, businessman and candidate for this seat in 2016
 * Jackie Patton, nurse
 * John Peters, teacher
 * John Russell, farmer
 * Zach Scott, former Franklin County Sheriff and candidate for Mayor of Columbus in 2015
 * Doug Wilson, healthcare professional

District 13
The 13th district covers the Mahoning Valley in northeastern Ohio, including Youngstown and eastern parts of Akron. The incumbent was Democrat Tim Ryan, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 68% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Tim Ryan, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Robert Crow
 * John Stephen Luchansky, perennial candidate

Nominee

 * Chris DePizzo, attorney

District 14
The 14th district is located in Northeast Ohio, taking in the eastern suburbs and exurbs of Cleveland, including Mayfield Heights, Solon, and Independence, as well as Ashtabula, Lake, and Geauga counties, northern Portage County, and northeastern Summit County. The incumbent was Republican David Joyce, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 63% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * David Joyce, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Betsy Rader, attorney

District 15
The 15th district encompasses the southern Columbus metro area, taking in the western and eastern suburbs of Columbus, including Upper Arlington, Hilliard, and Grove City, as well as Athens. The incumbent was Republican Steve Stivers, who had represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected with 66% of the vote in 2016.

Nominee

 * Steve Stivers, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Rick Neal, former Peace Corps volunteer and international aid worker

Eliminated in primary

 * Rob Jarvis, high school government teacher

Independents

 * Johnathan Miller (Libertarian)

District 16
The 16th district takes in the western suburbs of Cleveland, including Westlake, Parma, and Strongsville, as well Medina, Norton, and North Canton. The incumbent was Republican Jim Renacci, who had represented the district since 2011. He was re-elected with 65% of the vote in 2016. Renacci was running for U.S. Senate instead of re-election in 2018.

Nominee

 * Anthony Gonzalez, former NFL player

Eliminated in primary

 * Michael Grusenmeyer, physician
 * Christina Hagan, state representative

Withdrawn

 * Darrell Hartman
 * Tom Patton, state representative and former state senator

Declined

 * Ron Amstutz, Wayne County Commissioner and former state representative
 * Rob Frost, Chairman of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party
 * Frank LaRose, State Senator (running for secretary of state)
 * Larry Obhof, President of the Ohio Senate
 * Jim Renacci, incumbent U.S. Representative (running for U.S. Senate)
 * Kristina Roegner, state representative
 * Mary Taylor, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (running for governor)
 * Jane Timken, Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party
 * Scott Wiggam, state representative

Nominee

 * Susan Moran Palmer, health industry professional

Eliminated in primary

 * Mark Dent, attorney and U.S. Army veteran
 * Aaron Godfrey, scientist
 * Grant Goodrich, head of the Great Lakes Energy Institute at Case Western Reserve University and U.S. Marine Corp veteran
 * Jennifer Herold, occupational therapist
 * T.J. Mulloy, insurance and investment broker
 * John Wilson

Declined

 * Dean DePiero, former mayor of Parma and former state representative
 * Betty Sutton, former administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and former U.S. Representative (running for lieutenant governor)