The race between Democrat Vanessa Enoch and Republican incumbent Warren Davidson to represent Ohio’s 8th District in the US House of Representatives is not a new one for Ohioans.

District 8 stretches through Hamilton and Butler counties and into Preble and Darke counties. It also dips into Miami County, just north of Dayton.

Enoch and Davidson also faced off in 2018, 2020 and 2022. They will now face off again after each secured their party’s nominations. after the primary elections earlier this year.

If Enoch were to win Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, she would be the first Democrat to do so in over 80 years.

Most recently, in 2022, Enoch lost to Davidson, securing just 35.4 percent of the vote after running unopposed for a primary seat.

Who is Warren Davidson?

Incumbent Davidson has represented Ohio’s 8th Congressional District since 2016, when he won the seat of former House Speaker John Boehner. Since then, he has been a member of the House Financial Services Committee. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Davidson spent many years after college owning and operating manufacturing companies, according to his biography on his campaign website.

On January 5, 2021, Davidson announced that he intended to symbolically oppose the certification of President Joe Biden to the nation’s highest office. After rioters stormed the US Capitol building the very next day in an effort to stop just that, Davidson spoke out defending his objection, but said he was also “confident” that the people involved in the events from January 6 “they will be held accountable”.

Davidson lists 7 issues on his campaign website that he plans to address if re-elected: immigration, right to life, the Second Amendment, religious freedom, national security, the economy and health care.

On immigration, Davidson says he favors building a wall “and other necessary infrastructure at our border.”

His website also says he believes human life begins at conception and would bar “abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood” from receiving taxpayer funds or subsidies from federal, state or local governments.

He also opposes red flag laws and other gun control measures, favors requiring pharmacies to publicly disclose all net prices they accept as full payment, and opposes any cuts to Social Security benefits.

Its website also says that “for everyone under 25, I would: raise the retirement age, improve investment alternatives and change withholding taxes to make them solvent. Unfortunately, debt will likely be needed between 2027-2035 to bridge the gap created by generations of inaction. .”

You can read a full list of the issues Davidson says he will address Here.

Who is Vanessa Enoch?

Enoch is a public policy and business consultant who has most recently worked with lawmakers on issues in the criminal justice system. She received a degree in criminal justice from Ohio State and holds a Ph.D. in public policy and social change.

A resident of West Chester, Enoch also worked as a college professor for nearly 20 years.

On her campaign website, Enoch lists 19 issues she plans to tackle if elected, including income inequality, public education, police reform, women’s issues, opioid addiction and mass incarceration, gun violence and climate change .

Enoch’s website says she believes “we must codify Roe v. Wade and restore a woman’s right to bodily autonomy.”

She also says she will work to “fix the root causes of the immigration crisis, rather than advocate for the inhumane treatment of people entering this country legally.”

Enoch’s stance on firearms recognizes the constitutional right to own a gun, but she says “I don’t think there’s any good reason for civilians to own weapons of war,” adding that there should be laws to eliminate bump stocks and “similar modifiers used in mass shootings.”

Enoch also says he will support legislation repealing the Social Security income tax, adding that “cutting Social Security benefits for anyone who has paid into the system would be tantamount to theft!”

You can read a full list of the issues Enoch says he will tackle Here.