Who is running for Ohio House, District 26 in 2026?

State Representative, District 26

Ashley Bryant Bailey is a Democrat appointed by the House Democratic caucus on October 1, 2025 to fill the District 26 seat vacated by Sedrick Denson¹². A Walnut Hills High School graduate who attended the University of Cincinnati, she worked at Procter and Gamble, was Ohio digital director for the 2012 Obama campaign, co-founded Win Black and is a senior advisor at Higher Heights for America³. She is seeking her first full term².

Where they stand 9 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• Election rulesPhoto ID, but with free IDs and more early votingmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Voting against a photo ID constitutional amendment, said Ohio already has voter ID, that she will always support election security but never policies that risk leaving eligible voters behind, and that she offered an amendment for free state IDs that was rejected. (2026-06-11) source
  • Voted no on Senate Joint Resolution 10, which puts a photo ID requirement for voting into the Ohio Constitution (62 to 30). (2026-06-10) source
• Childcare and pre-KOffer free pre-K to every 4-year-old, and expand childcare aidmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Primary sponsor of House Bill 804, a refundable state childcare tax credit of up to $2,000 for one child or $4,000 for two or more, saying childcare is infrastructure. (2026-04-13) source
  • Primary sponsor of House Bill 768 to provide publicly funded child care to certain child care staff. (2026) source
• AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)low

  Said · low confidence

  • Said abortion remains safe and legal in Ohio and that she will keep using her voice and vote to ensure people can access the care they depend on. (2026-04-14) source
  • Voted no on House Bill 347, which requires a physician meeting and written informed consent at least 24 hours before an elective abortion (64 to 32). (2026-03-25) source
• Safety net programsExpand help for childcare, housing and paid family leavelow

  Said · low confidence

  • Said Medicaid cuts are a deliberate dismantling of care for working people and that the numbers do not support a trillion-dollar cut if the goal were fixing fraud. (2026-05-15) source
  • Sponsored bills to expand childcare aid, including a refundable childcare tax credit. (2026-04-13) source
• ImmigrationTighter border security plus a path to legal status for long-time residentslow

  Said · low confidence

  • After a Supreme Court ruling on Temporary Protected Status, said you do not build a stronger America by deporting the people who are building it, and called on Congress to restore protections for Haitian immigrants. (2026-06-26) source
• Policing and crimeFund police and add reforms like body cameras and use-of-force limitslow

  Official action · low confidence

  • Primary sponsor of House Bill 867 to establish minimum standards for jails and state prisons, and cosponsor of House Bill 691 to regulate officers' use of masks. (2026) source
• Mandatory minimumsNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on House Bill 88, which modifies penalties for drug trafficking and possession and adds fentanyl awareness instruction in schools (71 to 18). (2025-11-19) source
• MarijuanaNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on the House version of Senate Bill 56, which revised the adult-use marijuana law that voters approved in 2023 (52 to 34). (2025-11-19) source
• Ranked-choice votingNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted no on Senate Bill 63, which generally prohibits the use of ranked choice voting in Ohio elections (House vote, 65 to 27). (2026-02-25) source

No public position found on: Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Guns, Energy and climate, School choice, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Drug prices, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.

Former State Representative (2001 to 2008, 2015 to 2022)

Tom Brinkman Jr. is a Republican who served in the Ohio House from 2001 to 2008 and again from 2015 to 2022, leaving both times because of term limits¹. He founded the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes in 1999, worked in printing sales, and holds a history and political science degree from George Washington University¹. He and his wife raised six children in Mount Lookout².

Where they stand 3 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Cosponsored House Bill 598, the Human Life Protection Act, which prohibits abortion in Ohio except to prevent the death of the pregnant person or a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. (2022) source
  • His campaign website says he has a 100 percent pro-life voting record (page written for the 2019 to 2020 legislative session). (2020) source
  • His campaign website describes the 2019 heartbeat ban as allowing an abortion after a heartbeat is detected only to save the life of the mother. (2019) source
• GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • An older page on his campaign website (it refers to bills of the 2019 to 2020 legislative session) supports constitutional carry so that licensing is optional, supports a stand-your-ground bill, and opposes red flag legislation as an attack on due process. (2020) source
  • Joint primary sponsor of House Bill 178 in 2019 to let people carry a concealed handgun without a license. (2019) source
  • Joint primary sponsor of House Bill 227 in 2021 to let adults 21 and older carry a concealed handgun without a license. (2021) source
  • Voted no on House passage of Senate Bill 215, which lets adults who may legally own a gun carry a concealed handgun without a permit (58 to 36). Only two House Republicans voted no. (2022-03-02) source
• Election rulesNo single answer fitslow

  Voted · low confidence

  • Voted yes on House Bill 458, an elections bill that requires photo identification to vote, changes absentee voting rules and makes other election law changes (55 to 34). (2022-12-14) source

Said vs. did

• Guns: Said: He sponsored permitless carry bills in 2019 and 2021 and an older page on his campaign website supports constitutional carry¹⁰⁶⁵. Did: He voted no on House passage of Senate Bill 215, the permitless carry bill that became law, on March 2, 2022; only one other House Republican voted no⁷.

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Immigration, Energy and climate, School choice, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.