Greg Landsman

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman will face challenger Damon Lynch IV in the May primary for Ohio's 1st District.

Landsman won reelection in 2024, defeating Republican Orlando Sonza with 56% of the vote. Ohio lawmakers redrew the congressional districts in October 2025. Ohio's 1st District now includes Clinton County, Warren County and parts of Hamilton County. It leans slightly Republican, according to composite data from Dave's Redistricting.

Here's what to know about the candidates.

Who is Greg Landsman?

Cincinnati Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman lives in Mount Washington. He registered to vote in Hamilton County in 2009 as a Democrat and has voted consistently since 2021 with the exception of two primaries. The Hamilton County Board of Elections' list of registered voters includes voting history from 2021 to the present.

Landsman studied economics and political science at Ohio University. He also has a master's degree in theology from Harvard, according to his campaign website.

Priot to Congress, he worked as a public high school teacher, as the director of faith-based and community initiatives for former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and as executive director of StrivePartnership, a nonprofit organization that works on improving education in Cincinnati.

Landsman was elected to Cincinnati City Council in 2017 and served until he was elected to Congress in 2022. As a councilmember, he created the Office of Ethics and Good Government to serve as a point of contact for city officials and employees with ethical dilemmas after three city councilmembers were arrested for bribery and wire services fraud. He was one of the so-called "Gang of 5," members who secretly conducted city business via text messages. He was never charged with any crime, and apologized.

In Congress, Landsman has faced criticism from some party members after he was one of four Democrats to vote against a war powers resolution to stop military action in Iran without congressional approval. He then voted for a subsequent war powers resolution on April 16 and said "it's time to be done in Iran."

Who is Damon Lynch IV?

Damon Lynch IV is the son and grandson of two civil rights activists and pastors in Cincinnati. He told The Enquirer he doesn't "remember a time when it wasn't political" in his household.

Lynch studied political science and government at Central State University, a historically Black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. An East Price Hill resident, he's created businesses aimed at connecting Black therapists to Black people.

He was charged with possession of a controlled substance in 2004 and disorderly conduct in 2007 in Xenia Municipal Court. He told The Enquirer the first was a "misdiagnosed charge" and said he has "no idea" what the circumstances of the disorderly conduct were.

Lynch also had a default judgment in Hamilton County in 2024 in which the judge ruled in favor of Discover Bank and found that Lynch owed over $12,000 with interest.

"I'm just a poor working man in America trying to make it," Lynch said when asked about the judgment.

Lynch faced some criticism on social media after it came to light that he voted for President Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican primary and gave the invocation at a Trump rally in West Chester. He told The Enquirer it was a "protest vote" because he felt a vote for Bernie Sanders, his preferred candidate in the Democratic primary, wouldn't have mattered.

Lynch registered to vote in Hamilton County in 2002. He voted with an unaffiliated ballot in the 2025 general election and otherwise has not voted since at least 2021.

How to vote

The primary election is May 5. Early voting started on April 7. To check your voter registration or find your polling location, visit VoteOhio.gov.