Beth Lear
Beth Lear (Republican Party) is a member of theOhio House of Representatives, representingDistrict 61. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Lear (Republican Party) is running for election to theOhio State Senate to representDistrict 19. She declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled onMay 5, 2026.[source]
Biography
Beth Lear lives inGalena, Ohio. Lear graduated from Olentangy High School. She joined the Ohio Air National Guard. Lear earned a B.A. in international relations from The Ohio State University. Her career experience includes working as a legislative aide in the Ohio House, as the education policy analyst and legislative liaison for the Buckeye Institute, as a private sector researcher specializing in education policy, and as the vice president of government affairs for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio. Lear began serving on the Delaware County Republican central committee in 2011. She joined the board of the Delaware County Library and the Delaware County Port Authority.[1][2]
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Lear was assigned to the following committees:
- Commerce and Labor Committee,Vice Chair
- Energy Committee
- Government Oversight Committee
- House Ways and Means Committee
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2026
See also: Ohio State Senate elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 19
Janet Wagner (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Ohio State Senate District 19 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Janet Wagner | ||
| There are noincumbents in this race. | |||
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Republican primary
Republican primary for Ohio State Senate District 19
Beth Lear (R) andRyan Rivers (R) are running in the Republican primary for Ohio State Senate District 19 on May 5, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Beth Lear | |
| Ryan Rivers | ||
| There are noincumbents in this race. | |||
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Endorsements
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2024
See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 61
IncumbentBeth Lear defeatedDavid Hogan in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 61 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Beth Lear (R) | 61.8 | 44,808 |
 | David Hogan (D) | 38.2 | 27,698 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 72,506 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 61
David Hogan defeatedChristian Smith in the Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 61 on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Hogan | 67.1 | 3,374 |
| Christian Smith | 32.9 | 1,658 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 5,032 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 61
IncumbentBeth Lear defeatedMichael Holt in the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 61 on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Beth Lear | 73.2 | 12,834 |
| Michael Holt | 26.8 | 4,697 | ||
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 17,531 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kurt Keyser (R)
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Lear received the following endorsements.
2022
See also: Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Ohio House of Representatives District 61
Beth Lear defeatedLouise Valentine in the general election for Ohio House of Representatives District 61 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Beth Lear (R) | 58.7 | 31,443 |
 | Louise Valentine (D) | 41.3 | 22,120 | |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 53,563 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 61
Louise Valentine advanced from the Democratic primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 61 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Louise Valentine | 100.0 | 2,358 |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 2,358 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Rachael Morocco (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 61
Beth Lear defeated incumbentShawn Stevens in the Republican primary for Ohio House of Representatives District 61 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Beth Lear | 58.1 | 4,709 |
 | Shawn Stevens | 41.9 | 3,390 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 8,099 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2016
Elections for theOhio House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 16, 2015.IncumbentMargaret Ruhl (R) did not seek re-election because of term-limits.
Rick Carfagna defeatedJohn Russell in the Ohio House of Representatives District 68 general election.[3]
| Ohio House of Representatives, District 68 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Rick Carfagna | 67.56% | 41,321 | |
| Democratic | John Russell | 32.44% | 19,838 | |
| Total Votes | 61,159 | |||
| Source:Ohio Secretary of State | ||||
John Russell ran unopposed in the Ohio House of Representatives District 68 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Ohio House of Representatives District 68, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | John Russell (unopposed) | 100.00% | 6,400 | |
| Total Votes | 6,400 | |||
Rick Carfagna defeatedBeth Lear,Jason Rogers,Patrick Quinn andW. Myles Bancroft defeated in the Ohio House of Representatives District 68 Republican primary.[4][5]
| Ohio House of Representatives District 68, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Rick Carfagna | 42.69% | 11,176 | |
| Republican | Beth Lear | 34.43% | 9,014 | |
| Republican | Jason Rogers | 14.82% | 3,879 | |
| Republican | Patrick Quinn | 6.15% | 1,610 | |
| Republican | W. Myles Bancroft | 1.92% | 502 | |
| Total Votes | 26,181 | |||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2024
Beth Lear did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Beth Lear did not completeBallotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Lear's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ | Jobs:Our district's continued growth and success depends largely upon our ability to attract and keep businesses that provide quality, long-term employment options for district residents. I will work diligently as your representative with my colleagues to assure that our tax and regulatory policies are in line with that goal. Taxes:No one likes high taxes, whether it is called a tax, a “penalty” or a governmental fee added to the normal cost of doing business. Often, raising taxes becomes the first option for many in government, instead of the last one. I am focused on real solutions for reducing our taxes and spending in state government. Government Spending:Keeping government spending down is the first way to avoid raising taxes. I will make it a priority to review and advocate for streamlining all state government operations, along with reducing the bureaucracy that forces spending to increase. Local Taxes:Shifting the tax burden from the state level to the local level doesn't alleviate the tax burden. Removing regulatory and statutory restrictions from local communities so that they can thrive will be a top priority. Education:As an education policy researcher, I strongly believe in true local control of education and the rights of parents to direct the education of their children.[6] | ” |
| —Beth Lear[7] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.
| Year | Office | Status | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Ohio House of Representatives District 61 | Won general | $153,526 | $149,753 |
| 2022 | Ohio House of Representatives District 61 | Won general | $155,061 | $127,602 |
| Grand total | $308,587 | $277,355 | ||
| Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). | ||||
Scorecards
Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Ohio scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
In 2024, theOhio State Legislature was in session from January 2 to December 19. A special session on elections commenced on May 28, 2024, and ended on May 31.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to LGBTQ, civil rights, and racial justice issues.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
|---|
In 2023, theOhio State Legislature was in session from January 2 to December 31.
|
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑The Ohio House of Representatives, "Beth Lear Biography," accessed March 13, 2023
- ↑LinkedIn, "Beth Lear," accessed March 13, 2023
- ↑Ohio Secretary of State, "Official election results," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑4.04.1Ohio Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing By Office," accessed February 8, 2016
- ↑5.05.1Ohio Secretary of State, "2016 Official Elections Results," accessed August 29, 2016
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑Beth Lear, "Issues," accessed March 3, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jamie Callender (R) | Ohio House of Representatives District 61 2023-Present | Succeeded by - |
- 2022 challenger
- 2022 general election (winner)
- 2022 primary (winner)
- 2024 general election (winner)
- 2024 incumbent
- 2024 primary (winner)
- 2026 challenger
- 2026 primary
- Current member, Ohio House of Representatives
- Current state legislative member
- Current state representative
- Ohio
- Ohio House of Representatives candidate, 2022
- Ohio House of Representatives candidate, 2024
- Ohio State Senate candidate, 2026
- Republican Party
- State House candidate, 2022
- State House candidate, 2024
- State Senate candidate, 2026
- State house candidates
- State senate candidates
- 2016 challenger
- State House candidate, 2016
- 2016 primary (defeated)
