Ohio — 13th District

CANTON, Ohio - U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks at the Canton Fire Department’s annual memorial to victims of the disaster at the McKinley National Memorial.

The Akron Democrat serving her second term in Congress joined hundreds of first responders, school groups and other constituents in repeatedly climbing its staircases to replicate the distance firefighters climbed before the World Trade Center’s twin skyscrapers collapsed on them.

“I am very much engaged in the community, from going to church to being at local events to showing up at things for official and unofficial activities, this is my home,” says Sykes.

She points to $16 million in federal funds she secured for district projects, and constituent service casework on issues like passports, Social Security and VA benefits as reasons voters should return her to office.

Two challengers argue they should replace her: Republican former radio talk show host Carey Coleman of Sagamore Hills and independent Sandeep Dixit, a Mayfield Village mechanical engineer.

The 13th district they want to represent includes all of Summit County and parts of Portage and Stark counties. Tweaks to its boundaries during last year’s Ohio congressional map redraw, including the addition of the college town of Kent, made it a safer re-election bet for Sykes.

A well-funded GOP challenger who planned to take her on this year - former Ohio legislator Kevin Coughlin of Bath Township - dropped his bid after the remap, saying it eliminated his path to victory. The Cook Political Report, which previously rated the seat a tossup, now rates it “Likely Democrat.”

Federal Election Commission filings show that Sykes had raised $3.1 million for her re-election bid by the end of June and had $1.9 million left in her campaign account. Coleman raised around $127,000 in that period, and had around $78,000 left. Dixit had raised around $58,000 and had $6,000 left.

Coleman, who won a four-way Republican primary in May for the chance to take on Sykes, views the district as winnable for Republicans. He says “people are coming out of the woodwork to support my campaign,” and he’s been getting the word out by door knocking, disseminating literature, putting out yard signs, visiting county fairs and speaking wherever he can.

“I’m running for Congress because I want to help my country,” Coleman said as he greeted voters at the Stark County fair. “I want to help my district. I want to help bring down prices. I want to grow jobs. I want good public safety ... I’m certainly not thinking of myself in any way, shape, or form as a career politician.”

Coleman casts the race as a stark ideological choice. He argues Sykes and national Democrats have moved toward socialism, and he positions himself as a defender of constitutional rights, public safety and secure borders.

He also argues Sykes isn’t visible enough in the district she represents, and has questioned whether she actually lives there, although Ohio law also doesn’t require Congress members to live in their districts.

In 2024, Republicans in Sykes’ district unsuccessfully challenged her residency in light of her marriage to Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce. The pair say they maintain separate residences.

“I am here pretty much as the center candidate, the centrist, the normal candidate, the one that thinks it’s OK to love your country and your community, and to make it strong, and to have lower taxes, good public safety, and a secure border, and men out of women’s sports and women’s bathrooms,” Coleman said.

Dixit, a mechanical engineer who lives in Mayfield Village, just outside the district, but says many of the people in his social circle reside there.

He serves on Mayfield Village’s recreation board, helped start its yearly yoga festival, and previously served as president of a national Indian American organization with 60 chapters and roughly 500,000 members.

He has never run for office before and had to collect 6,000 signatures to get on the ballot without a party behind him. At the Stark County Fair, his booth sat in a different exhibition hall from the county’s Republican and Democratic parties.

“Political parties are like fighting fourth graders,” Dixit said, arguing that both are driven by corporate backers rather than voters and that Washington prioritizes states like California, Texas and Florida over Ohio.

“We need rationality and people to work together for everyone,” he continued. “My real opponents are party extremism and PAC money.”

Back at the McKinley Memorial steps, Sykes seemed to be sweating more over the climb than over her reelection. She scoffs at Coleman’s suggestion that she lives elsewhere and isn’t in the district much.

“When I’m not here, it’s because I’m in D.C.,” says Sykes, who represented the Akron area in Ohio’s legislature before her election to Congress. “That’s the job that I was elected to do.”

She expects disenchantment with President Donald Trump’s policies will hand Democrats control of the House of Representatives next year. If that happens, she plans to seek a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee. She said a position on that committee would let her weigh in on tariff policy that has hit Northeast Ohio manufacturers.

“I want to be able to speak to my constituents about it, but also make sure the voice of the Midwest is there, so the tariff policy makes sense,” said Sykes.

On the issues:

U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes:

Economy: Sykes said affordability is by far the top concern she hears from constituents. She says the war in Iran, tariffs and poor decision-making by the Trump administration have aggravated those problems. She said a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives will help rein in Trump’s ill-advised policies and help restore affordability.

Data centers: Public skepticism of data centers largely stems from secrecy around the deals that bring them to Ohio communities, said Sykes. “We should demand and expect these companies that are coming in to explain their purpose, what they’re going to do, their water usage, their utility usage,” she said.

Immigration and ICE: Sykes says border security and a functional immigration system should be national priorities, but the United States " should not accept the chaos that we are seeing and the lack of humanity as their activities are being played out.”

Republican Carey Coleman

Economy: Coleman said energy prices are driving up costs broadly, and voters are also frustrated with high property taxes. Ending the U.S. conflict in Iran will help stabilize fuel prices and supply, said Coleman.

Data centers: Coleman said he wants a fuller public discussion about the benefits and costs of data centers, including their role in competing strategically with China. He opposes agreements he says have let data centers consume farmland, and wants to make sure they don’t drive up utility rates and consume inordinate amounts of water.

Immigration and ICE: Coleman defended ICE’s work while acknowledging the issue is politically charged. He blamed sanctuary city policies for putting officers and the public at risk, saying Democratic leaders release known offenders back onto the streets and then “force ICE to go and round them up.”

Independent Sandeep Dixit

Economy: Dixit said high gas and food prices trace back to oil industry profits. He also points to wage stagnation, citing a father and son in Canton who work at the same company but are only $5 an hour apart in pay despite a 25-year gap in seniority. He’d like to see an increased minimum wage that would be enough to pay a full-time employee’s living expenses. He’d like to end federal taxation of Social Security benefits and stop property tax increases for people on fixed incomes.

Data centers: Dixit wants strict federal environmental rules for data centers, including requirements to conserve water. He compares the current moment to debates over manufacturing pollution decades ago. “There must be public discussion, public debate wherever data center is going to happen or the proposal is, and it cannot be just behind the closed doors,” he says.