| Ohio's 12th congressional district | |
|---|---|
.svg)  Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 | |
| Representative | |
| Population (2024) | 812,727[1] |
| Median household income | $78,547[1] |
| Ethnicity |
|
| Cook PVI | R+16[2] |
Ohio's 12th congressional district is aUnited Statescongressional district in central Ohio, coveringAthens County,Coshocton County,Fairfield County,Guernsey County,Knox County,Licking County,Morgan County,Muskingum County andPerry County along with parts ofDelaware,Holmes andTuscarawas counties.[3] The district includes communities east ofColumbus includingZanesville,Cambridge, andMount Vernon. It is currently represented byTroy Balderson, a member of theRepublican Party. Balderson took office following aspecial election held on August 7, 2018, to replace Rep.Pat Tiberi, who had resigned on January 15, 2018. Balderson was then re-elected in the2018 general election two months later.[4][5]
From 2003 to 2013 the district included eastern Columbus, including most of its heavily African-American neighborhoods. The district also took in most of its northern suburbs, includingWesterville. It was one of two districts that split the state's capital city, the other being the15th District. For most of the time from the 1980s to the 2000s, it was considered to be less Republican than the 15th, in part due to its large black population. However, redistricting after the 2010 census drew nearly all of the 15th's black constituents into the3rd District, while the 15th was pushed into more exurban and Republican areas north and east of the capital.
It has been in Republican hands since 1920, except for an eight-year stretch in the 1930s and a two-year term in 1980 where theDemocratic Party held the seat; in both instances the Democratic incumbent was later defeated by a GOP challenger. In the 2004 presidential electionGeorge W. Bush narrowly won the district againstJohn Kerry, 51% to 49%.[6] However, in the 2008 presidential election, Democratic candidateBarack Obama won the 12th district by a margin of 53% to 46%. After the 2011 redistricting cycle, the district has since been won in larger margins by Republican presidential candidates.[7]
In the 2018 special election, Balderson was endorsed by prominent Republicans includingPresident Donald Trump,Governor of OhioJohn Kasich (who represented the 12th from 1983 to 2001), and former Rep. Tiberi. The Democratic candidate wasDanny O'Connor. The winner was not immediately clear following the unexpectedly competitive August 7 election.[5] Only on August 24 was Balderson officially declared the winner of the special election, which witnessed a significant swing away from the Republican Party as Balderson won with a margin of less than 1%, while fellow Republican Trump had carried the district by 11% in the2016 presidential election.[5] In 2020 the district swung heavily back to the Republicans as Balderson won by over 14%.
| Year | Office | Results[8] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | McCain 54% - 43% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 56% - 44% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 62% - 33% |
| Senate | Portman 67% - 29% | |
| 2018 | Senate | Renacci 56% - 44% |
| Governor | DeWine 60% - 37% | |
| Secretary of State | LaRose 61% - 37% | |
| Treasurer | Sprague 63% - 37% | |
| Auditor | Faber 57% - 39% | |
| Attorney General | Yost 63% - 37% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 65% - 34% |
| 2022 | Senate | Vance 63% - 37% |
| Governor | DeWine 72% - 28% | |
| Secretary of State | LaRose 70% - 30% | |
| Treasurer | Sprague 69% - 31% | |
| Auditor | Faber 69% - 31% | |
| Attorney General | Yost 71% - 29% | |
| 2024 | President | Trump 66% - 33% |
| Senate | Moreno 60% - 36% |
| Year | Office | Results[9] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | McCain 57% - 41% |
| 2012 | President | Romney 59% - 41% |
| 2016 | President | Trump 63% - 32% |
| Senate | Portman 68% - 27% | |
| 2018 | Senate | Renacci 57% - 43% |
| Governor | DeWine 61% - 36% | |
| Attorney General | Yost 64% - 36% | |
| 2020 | President | Trump 64% - 35% |
| 2022 | Senate | Vance 63% - 37% |
| Governor | DeWine 71% - 29% | |
| Secretary of State | LaRose 69% - 30% | |
| Treasurer | Sprague 68% - 32% | |
| Auditor | Faber 69% - 31% | |
| Attorney General | Yost 70% - 30% | |
| 2024 | President | Trump 65% - 35% |
| Senate | Moreno 59% - 37% |
For the118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the2020 census), the district contains all or portions of the following counties, townships, and municipalities:[10]
Athens County(24)
Coshocton,County(28)
Fairfield County(31)
Guernsey County(28)
Holmes County(14)
KnoxCounty(30)
Morgan County(18)
Muskingum County(36)
LickingCounty(41)
Perry County(26)
The following chart shows historic election results.
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Arthur P. Lamneck: 43,845 | √John C. Speaks: 62,247 | Enoch B. Eubanks: 1,481 |
| 1922 | H. Sage Valentine: 37,875 | √John C. Speaks (Incumbent): 47,265 | William Garminden (SL): 632 |
| 1924 | Lowry F. Sater: 41,291 | √John C. Speaks (Incumbent): 58,705 | |
| 1926 | H. S. Atkinson: 31,724 | √John C. Speaks (Incumbent): 41,119 | |
| 1928 | Carl H. Valentine: 50,216 | √John C. Speaks (Incumbent): 82,574 | |
| 1930 | √Arthur P. Lamneck: 59,330 | John C. Speaks (Incumbent): 43,840 | |
| 1932 | √Arthur P. Lamneck (Incumbent): 63,135 | John C. Speaks: 62,704 | |
| 1934 | √Arthur P. Lamneck (Incumbent): 63,396 | John C. Speaks: 50,386 | |
| 1936 | √Arthur P. Lamneck (Incumbent): 88,222 | Grant P. Ward: 64,766 | |
| 1938 | Arthur P. Lamneck (Incumbent): 62,026 | √Jonn M. Vorys: 64,409 | |
| 1940 | Arthur P. Lamneck: 87,115 | √John M. Vorys (Incumbent): 91,767 | |
| 1942 | Arthur P. Lamneck: 40,290 | √John M. Vorys (Incumbent): 56,558 | |
| 1944 | Forrest F. Smith: 82,503 | √John M. Vorys (Incumbent): 97,856 | |
| 1946 | Arthur P. Lamneck: 45,779 | √John M. Vorys (Incumbent): 74,691 | |
| 1948 | Robert M. Draper: 87,770 | √John M. Vorys (Incumbent): 95,575 | |
| 1950 | John W. Guy: 65,860 | √John M. Vorys (Incumbent): 117,396 | |
| 1952 | George T. Tarbutton: 81,665 | √John M. Vorys (Incumbent): 134,693 | |
| 1954 | Jacob F. Myers: 59,210 | √John M. Vorys (Incumbent): 94,585 | |
| 1956 | Walter J. Shapter Jr.: 79,597 | √John M. Vorys (Incumbent): 128,682 | |
| 1958 | Walter J. Shapter Jr.: 84,470 | √Samuel L. Devine: 100,684 | |
| 1960 | Richard E. Liming: 90,894 | √Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 140,236 | |
| 1962 | Paul D. Cassidy: 60,563 | √Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 130,316 | |
| 1964 | Robert L. Van Heyde: 118,299 | √Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 146,971 | |
| 1966 | Bob Shamansky: 39,140 | √Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 70,102 | |
| 1968 | Herbert J. Pfeifer: 51,202 | √Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 106,664 | |
| 1970 | James W. Goodrich: 60,538 | √Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 82,486 | |
| 1972 | James W. Goodrich: 81,074 | √Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 103,655 | |
| 1974 | Francine Ryan: 70,818 | √Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 73,303 | |
| 1976 | Francine Ryan: 89,424 | √Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 90,987 | William Roger "Bill" Moss (I): 15,429 |
| 1978 | James L. Baumann: 61,698 | √Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 81,573 | |
| 1980 | √Bob Shamansky: 108,690 | Samuel L. Devine (Incumbent): 98,110 | |
| 1982 | Bob Shamansky (Incumbent): 82,753 | √John Kasich: 88,335 | Russell A. Lewis (L): 3,939 |
| 1984 | Richard S. Sloan: 65,215 | √John Kasich (Incumbent): 148,899 | |
| 1986 | Timothy C. Jochim: 42,727 | √John Kasich (Incumbent): 117,905 | |
| 1988 | Mark P. Brown: 50,782 | √John Kasich (Incumbent): 204,892 | |
| 1990 | Mike Gelpi: 50,784 | √John Kasich (Incumbent): 130,495 | |
| 1992 | Bob Fitrakis: 68,761 | √John Kasich (Incumbent): 170,297 | |
| 1994 | Cynthia L. Ruccia: 57,294 | √John Kasich (Incumbent): 114,608 | |
| 1996 | Cynthia L. Ruccia: 78,762 | √John Kasich (Incumbent): 151,667 | Barbara Ann Edelman (N): 7,005 |
| 1998 | Edward S. Brown: 60,694 | √John Kasich (Incumbent): 124,197 | |
| 2000 | Maryellen O'Shaughnessy: 115,432 | √Pat Tiberi: 139,242 | Charles Ed Jordan: 1,566 Nick Hogan (L): 4,546 Gregory B. Richey (N): 2,600 |
| 2002 | Edward S. Brown: 64,707 | √Pat Tiberi (Incumbent): 116,982 | |
| 2004 | Edward S. Brown: 122,109 | √Pat Tiberi (Incumbent): 198,912 | |
| 2006 | Robert N. Shamansky: 126,573 | √Pat Tiberi (Incumbent): 198,723 | |
| 2008[13] | David Robinson: 152,234 | √Pat Tiberi (Incumbent): 197,447 | Steven Linnabary (L): 10,707 |
| 2010[14] | Paula Brooks: 110,307 | √Pat Tiberi (Incumbent): 150,163 | Travis Irvine (L): 8,710 |
| 2012[15] | Jim Reese: 134,614 | √Pat Tiberi (Incumbent): 233,874 | |
| 2014[16] | David Tibbs: 61,360 | √Pat Tiberi (Incumbent): 150,573 | Bob Hart (G): 9,148 |
| 2016[17] | Ed Albertson: 112,638 | √Pat Tiberi (Incumbent): 251,266 | Joe Manchik (G): 13,474 Write-in: 156 |
| 2018 (Special)[18] | Danny O'Connor: 102,648 | √Troy Balderson: 104,328 | Joe Manchik (G): 1,165 |
| 2018[19] | Danny O'Connor: 161,251 | √Troy Balderson (Incumbent): 175,677 | Joe Manchik (G): 4,718 Write-in: 71 |
| 2020 | Alaina Shearer: 182,847 | √Troy Balderson (Incumbent): 241,790 | John S. Stewart (L): 13,035 |
| 2022 | Amy Rippel-Elton: 84,893 | √Troy Balderson (Incumbent): 191,344 | |
| 2024 | Jerrad Christian: 119,738 | √Troy Balderson (Incumbent): 260,450 |
40°14′22″N82°36′49″W / 40.23944°N 82.61361°W /40.23944; -82.61361
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