Emilia Sykes | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's13th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Ryan |
| Minority Leader of theOhio House of Representatives | |
| In office February 6, 2019 – December 31, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Fred Strahorn |
| Succeeded by | Kristin Boggs (acting) |
| Member of theOhio House of Representatives from the 34th district | |
| In office January 6, 2015 – December 31, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Vernon Sykes |
| Succeeded by | Casey Weinstein (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Emilia Strong Sykes (1986-01-04)January 4, 1986 (age 40) Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Kevin Boyce |
| Relatives |
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| Education |
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| Website | House website Campaign website |
Emilia Strong Sykes (born January 4, 1986)[1] is an American politician serving as theU.S. representative forOhio's 13th congressional district since 2023. A member of theDemocratic Party, she formerly represented the 34th district of theOhio House of Representatives, which consists of portions of theAkron area. From 2019 until 2021, she also served asminority leader of that chamber.
In 2013, she ran for theOhio House of Representatives to succeed her father, Vernon, who was term-limited.[2] She won the Democratic nomination by defeatingSummit County councilman Frank Communale.[3] She later defeated Republican nominee Cynthia Blake in the general election by 72%–28% of the vote.[4]
In 2015, Sykes and fellow Democratic lawmakerGreta Johnson introduced legislation to remove the sales tax on feminine hygiene products.[5]
In 2019, Sykes was elected as the leader of the Democratic caucus, becoming the minority leader of the Ohio House.[6] During her first year being leader of the Democratic caucus, the number of bipartisan bills passed in the Ohio House was nearly double the combined total of the previous four years.[7]
During the2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Sykes endorsed Joe Biden.[8] That same year, she won theEMILY's List 2020Gabby Giffords Rising Star Award.[9]
In January 2022, Sykes announced her candidacy forOhio's 13th congressional district.[10] InNovember 2022, she won the general election, defeating Republican nomineeMadison Gesiotto Gilbert.[11]
In 2024, Sykes ran for reelection in Ohio's 13th congressional district, a race widely viewed as one of the most competitive in the country.[12] She faced Republican Kevin Coughlin, who received strong support from national Republican groups, including a campaign visit from House SpeakerMike Johnson.[13] The race saw significant outside spending.OpenSecrets reported over $6 million in ad spending opposing Sykes, with $3.84 million funded by theCongressional Leadership Fund.[14] Sykes was reelected with 51.1% of the vote to Coughlin's 48.9%.[15]
Sykes has been the subject of multiple negative advertising campaigns, particularly in competitive election cycles.
During her 2022 campaign for Ohio's 13th congressional district, the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican-aligned super PAC, funded television ads portraying Sykes as "not safe on crime" and suggesting she supported policies that weakened domestic violence protections.[16] Local press reported that the ads mischaracterized her legislative record, which included co-sponsoring bills to strengthen protections for domestic violence survivors.[17]
In May 2025, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) launched a paid ad campaign accusing Sykes of voting for "the largest tax increase in generations" and of supporting "taxpayer-funded freebies to illegal immigrants."[18] The Cleveland Plain Dealer described the claims as part of a broader national messaging strategy targeting Democrats in swing districts.[19]
In September 2025, the NRCC released another ad alleging that Sykes was "threatening a government shutdown," which it claimed would risk veterans’ health care, delay military paychecks, and cut support for law enforcement.[20] Analysts noted that similar ads were aired in other competitive districts, suggesting a coordinated national effort.[21]
Scholars of political communication note that negative ads in House races often seek to prime voters on issues such as taxation, immigration, and public safety, especially in closely divided districts like Ohio's 13th.[22] While such ads can reduce favorability ratings, they also increase name recognition for incumbents.[23]
Sykes cast her first vote in Congress on January 3, 2023, to support DemocratHakeem Jeffries asSpeaker of the House.[24] She was officially sworn in as a member of the118th Congress on January 7.[25] During her first term, she was appointed to the committees onTransportation and Infrastructure and onScience, Space, and Technology.[26] Following the2023 East Palestine train derailment in Ohio, Sykes and RepresentativeBill Johnson (R-OH) introduced thebipartisan RAIL Act to strengthen railroad safety regulations and prevent future accidents.[27]
In 2024, Sykes helped secure Akron's designation as one of seven regional tech hubs in the country, with its focus on sustainable plastics andrubber manufacturing. The initiative was projected to create 6,300 jobs and attract $1.8 billion in private investment over ten years.[28] Reflecting on Akron’s history as the “Rubber Capital of the World", she also cosponsored a bipartisan bill with RepresentativeDarin LaHood (R-IL) to offer a thirty percent tax credit for purchasing retreaded tires in order to support domestic manufacturing and local jobs.[29]
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Sykes'scommittee assignments for the119th Congress include:[1]
Sykes'scaucus memberships include:[1]
Sykes is considered a moderate Democrat.[33][34]
In 2025, Sykes was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for theLaken Riley Act.[35]
In 2024, Sykes announced $169 million in federal funding secured for Ohio's drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure.[36]
Sykes voted against the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act in January 2023, a bill which would removeCOVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers.[37][38] In February, she voted against a resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency three months earlier than the president's declared date.[39][40]
Sykes co-introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act in 2023, a legislative package designed to address racial disparities in maternal mortality. The act includes 13 bills focused on reducing pregnancy-related deaths through measures like nutrition programs, maternal vaccination promotion, and mental health support for mothers.[41]
Sykes co-introduced the bipartisan Enhancing COPS Hiring Program Grants for Local Law Enforcement Act in 2023, alongside RepresentativesGreg Landsman,Mike Carey, andMax Miller. The bill proposes allowing law enforcement agencies to use federal grants for recruitment and retention bonuses.[42]
Sykes was born and raised inAkron, Ohio.[1][43] She is the daughter of state senatorVernon Sykes and former state representativeBarbara Sykes, who successively held the same seat from 1982 to 2014. Between Vernon, Barbara, and Emilia, the Sykes family held the seat for 40 years.[44][45] Sykes grew up dancing and competing ingymnastics and made it to theAAU Junior Olympics, where she focused on thevault.[46] She graduated fromFirestone High School.[47]
Sykes initially attendedTuskegee University, where she was the runner up Miss Tuskegee University. She filed a lawsuit against the university after it mistakenly honored her as the winner of the Miss Tuskegee University beauty pageant in 2006 and revoked her title after correcting it.[48] She then transferred toKent State University in Ohio,[49] where she graduatedmagna cum laude with aBachelor of Arts in psychology.[50] She received aJuris Doctor from theUniversity of Florida Levin College of Law and aMaster of Public Health from theCollege of Public Health and Health Professions.[51]
Sykes worked as a law clerk for the chief judge of theU.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Georgia.[50] Afterwards, she served as an administrative advisor in theSummit County fiscal office.[52]
Emilia Sykes is married to politicianKevin Boyce.[53] She is aBaptist.[1]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Emilia Sykes | 17,299 | 71.9% | Cynthia Blake | 6,082 | 28.1% | ||
| 2016 | Emilia Sykes | 35,154 | 77.1% | Gene Littlefield | 10,420 | 22.9% | ||
| 2018 | Emilia Sykes | 30,164 | 78.4% | Josh Sines | 8,329 | 21.6% | ||
| 2020 | Emilia Sykes | 36,251 | 76.8% | Henry Todd | 10,926 | 23.2% |
| Year | Votes | Pct | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Emilia Sykes | 149,816 | 52.7% | Madison Gesiotto Gilbert | 134,593 | 47.3% |
| 2024 | Emilia Sykes | 197,461 | 51.1% | Kevin Coughlin | 188,996 | 48.9% |
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| Ohio House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minority Leader of theOhio House of Representatives 2019–2021 | Succeeded by Kristin Boggs Acting |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOhio's 13th congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 354th | Succeeded by |
