Ohio — 10th District

Voters in Ohio's newly redrawn 10th Congressional District will choose between a 12-term Republican incumbent and a Democratic political newcomer.

Kristina Knickerbocker, a nurse and U.S. Air Force veteran, is challenging U.S. Rep. Michael Turner for the seat. Libertarian candidate Thomas McMasters is also running for the seat.

Learn more about the candidates:

Where is the district?

Ohio Redistricting Commission approved a new congressional map in October 2025 amid a national redistricting effort. Though the map received bipartisan support, it was more favorable to Republicans.

Ohio's 10th Congressional District includes Montgomery and Greene counties, as well as part of Butler County.

The district previously included a portion of Clark County and did not include part of Butler County.

Is the district Democrat or Republican?

Turner, a Republican, won the 2024 election with 57.6% of the vote. He's won his re-election bids in the district every two years since 2013.

The redistricted 10th Congressional District now leans Republican by about 10 percentage points, according to the nonpartisan site Dave's Redistricting. The Cook Political Report also changed the district from "Solid" Republican to "Likely Republican" in August.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee lists the 10th Congressional District as one of 58 "critical Districts in Play" for 2026 − seats Democrats are targeting to reclaim a House majority.

Who is Michael Turner?

Turner, 66, has over 20 years of experience in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has represented Ohio's 10th Congressional District since 2013. Before that, he represented the state's 3rd Congressional District from 2003-2012.

Turner was the mayor of Dayton for eight years, according to his congressional biography. He also practiced law for 17 years and opened his own legal practice in 1991.

He is on the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Turner previously chaired the House Intelligence Committee, but House Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly fired him in January 2025. In an interview with CBS News, Johnson cited "concerns from Mar-a-Lago," President Donald Trump's Florida estate, in his decision.

Turner has often aligned himself with Trump's agenda, but has broken on several key issues, such as supporting additional aid to Ukraine and criticizing Trump's storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Who is Kristina Knickerbocker?

Knickerbocker is a U.S. Air Force veteran, according to her campaign website. She served as a major and nurse at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. She later served on the air force base's 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, a reserve unit.

She also worked as a neuro-oncology nurse practitioner at the Ohio State University Medical Center. She said on her campaign website that this work made her witness "the broken healthcare system firsthand." She also said that she experienced complications during her pregnancy and second childbirth that "underscored the importance of patients being their own advocates."

Knickerbocker lives with her husband and two children in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

She won a crowded Democratic primary in May, defeating five other candidates with 32.7% of the vote.

Who is Thomas McMasters?

Thomas McMasters is the former mayor of Huber Heights, a city of around 44,000 near Dayton. He served as mayor for one term from 2014 to 2018.

McMasters was also an Air Force officer for 20 years and enlisted in the Army Reserve for six years, according to his resume.

On his campaign website, McMasters said one of his main priorities would be "making sure Congress does its job and passes a budget on time."

McMasters also ran for Ohio's 10th Congressional District in 2012 and 2016.

A group of residents tried twice to recall McMasters as mayor, who the Huber Heights City Council voted to censure in 2014.

Clashing ethics complaints

Ethics complaints against the two candidates have characterized the race.

In March, prior to the Democratic primary, the Montgomery County Republican Party filed a complaint against Knickerbocker with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that the Democrat didn't register her candidacy before raising or spending over $5,000.

Two weeks later, the county Republican party filed another complaint with the Air Force inspector general, arguing that a video from her campaign improperly used military logos and implied that the Department of Defense and Air Force had officially endorsed her candidacy.

Then, on April 1, the party filed a third complaint with the Department of Justice, alleging she didn't file a timely personal finance disclosure with the U.S. House Clerk.

Though these complaints were made by the county GOP, Turner has also filed complaints against his opponents in 2024, 2020 and 2018.

In July, the Montgomery County Democratic Party asked the Office of Congressional Conduct to investigate Turner for allegedly using campaign funds to pay for personal use − such as dining at luxury restaurants − and filing a campaign finance report with "blatantly false information on it." The complaint stated that Turner listed two expenditures totaling $2,500 for staying at "Trump International Hotel DC" in 2025, but the hotel shut down in 2022.