United States Rep. Greg Landsman will try to keep his job two years after ousting a longtime Republican lawmaker who occupied the 1st Congressional District seat in southwestern Ohio for over two decades.
He faces Republican Orlando Sonza, a former assistant prosecutor in Hamilton County who earlier this year became executive director of the Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission.
Here's what you should know about the race.
Where is Ohio's 1st Congressional District?
The 1st Congressional District covers all of Cincinnati and the Hamilton County suburbs to the east of Cincinnati, including Anderson Township, Indian Hill, Montgomery, Madeira and Blue Ash. The district also includes all of Warren County to the north.
Is the race competitive?
The district leans Democrat but is not out of the reach of Republicans thanks to the inclusion of Warren County, a Republican stronghold where President Donald Trump won in 2020 with 65% of the vote.
Still, with the redistricting reforms passed by voters, lawmakers had to include all of Democratic-controlled Cincinnati, which gives Democrats overall an advantage in the district.
President Joe Biden won the 1st Congressional District by 8.5 percentage points in 2020, according to the Daily Kos. Nationally, political experts don't see the race as one of the most competitive in the nation, as it has been in the past. The Cook Political Report, which rates each House and Senate race based on which party is likely to win, put the 1st Congressional District as "likely Democrat."
Why is this race important?
With a slim Republican majority in the U.S. House, every congressional race could tilt the balance of power. It would also show whether the Democrats can hold on to a Cincinnati-area congressional seat for the first time in decades.
Republican Rep. Steve Chabot, Landsman's predecessor, held on to the seat for 24 of 26 years. Democrat Steve Driehaus beat Chabot in 2008 during the Democratic surge of President Barack Obama's first election but only served one term after losing his seat to Chabot in 2010.
Who are the candidates?
Landsman, 47, served on Cincinnati City Council for four years before becoming a member of Congress in January 2023.
Prior to joining council, he led the efforts to organize Cincinnati's Preschool Promise program,which helps low-income families pay for their children to attend preschool.
Sonza, 33, of Springfield Township, previously ran for Ohio State Senate and lost to Democrat Catherine Ingram in District 9, which covers a large portion of Cincinnati and the central Hamilton County suburbs. He graduated from West Point in 2013 and served as aninfantry officer in the Army.
Sonza worked for about two years as an assistant prosecutor in Hamilton County before being named in June as executive director of the Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission. The commission oversees benefits for military veterans.
Why are they talking about Israel?
The Israel-Palestine conflict and concerns over a rise in antisemitism have sparked some heated exchanges between Landsman and Sonza.
Landsman in August criticized Sonza for accepting an endorsement from a man with a history of antisemitic comments.
"Orlando Sonza proudly accepting and promoting an endorsement from an extremist, conspiracy theorist, and antisemite is disturbing, but it is not surprising," Landsman said in a statement.
Sonza removed the name of Kiumars Kiani from the list of endorsements on his web page, saying he removed it as soon as he was aware of Kiani's antisemitic comments. Sonza said he rejected the "endorsement entirely."
Sonza has also gone after Landsman on the issue of Israel. Landsman has supported aid for Israel and visited the country in June along with nine other members of the U.S. House, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking officials in Israel.
Sonza has criticized Landsman for not supporting Israel enough. In statements, and at a recent debate, Sonza has called on Landsman to condemn pro-Palestinian protestors, including protestors of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech to Congress in July.
"Landsman is standing with pro-Palestinian members of his party by refusing to condemn these actions," Sonza said in a July statement. "As a congressman, I will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel."
A debate hosted by Local12 WKRC television grew tense between the two over the issue of Israel.
"It's bonkers, absolutely bonkers, that you would suggest, as you did on Twitter, that Joe Biden and I were responsible for October 7. These are people who are trying to kill me and my family," Landsman told Sonza at the debate.
Sonza responded by slamming Landsman for not speaking out against Democrats.
"Here's the truth about my opponent: when there's a member of his party that spews anti-Semitic rhetoric, and she's from Minnesota and she sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee, he doesn't call her out," Sonza said at the debate.
The Enquirer will host a debate
The Enquirer and Xavier University will host a debate between Landsman and Sonza on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. in Xavier University's Schiff Family Conference Center.
