SHElection!: Ohio's 13th Congressional District

Ohio 13 might be the most competitive congressional SHElection! match up in the country right now. The race for Ohio’s 13th Congressional district is between Ohio State representative Emilia Sykes and Trump-backed attorney Madison Gesiotto Gilbert, who disagree on everything from the economy to abortion to who won the 2020 election...

Trump was able to carry Ohio both in 2016 and 2020 by about eight points. Until 2022, because of redistricting, Akron was broken apart, diluting its power and leaving political representation in the hands of people with less of a connection to the area. This cycle, Akron and nearby Summit City are fully intact on the redrawn maps, making over half of this voting district (51%) Democrat and 47% Republican. Most national polling deems the race a toss-up, but an early October FiveThirtyEight poll showed Gesiotto Gilbert with an "85 % chance of winning."

Gesiotto Gilbert, was Miss Ohio USA in 2014. She's married to Marcus Gilbert, the former NFL offensive tackle, and notably, she gave birth during the campaign cycle. Gesiotto Gilbert used to author a column about millennial politics called The Millennial Mindset at the Washington Times. She has no legislative record to uncover given the fact that she's never served in office, but she does have an interesting professional life as a conservative attorney and self-described business owner.

According to POLITICO, last year, she reported earning $24,000 as a contributor to conservative media outlet, The First. Gesiotto Gilbert also lists herself as the owner of a pageant consultancy called Pageant Precision. The consultancy's website no longer operates, and social media findings show that the company hasn't posted anything since 2017. POLITICO also reports that the Gilberts own The Gesiotto Gilbert Foundation, which the couple launched a week before Gesiotto Gilbert declared her candidacy. It describes itself as an organization “dedicated to cultivating the benevolent power of communities across Ohio and strengthening the state through innovative community initiatives, programs and services.” It also has no website, and state business filings list Pageant Precision as its mailing address. 

Ohio state representative Emilia Sykes comes from a family of politicians. Sykes mother, Barbara, served on city council and in the Ohio House; her father as a state senator. Indeed, a Sykes has represented some part of Akron, Ohio for more than 4 decades now. In 2014, Emilia Sykes became the first Black woman under 30 to join the Ohio State House. She served as Minority Leader of the Ohio State House and started an organization called #WeBelongHere to emphasize the importance of Black women’s political representation. Anna Starver, political reporter for USA Today's Ohio Bureau, noted that Sykes has signed legislation into law that deals with women's issues in particular. She passed a bill protecting victims of dating violence during the pandemic, pushed for Ohio lawmakers to prioritize helping Black Ohioans, and in policymaking, she focuses on things like health care. 

We hear from Wendy Smooth, Senior Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence and a Professor of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at the Ohio State University and Anna Staver, a political reporter for USA Today network’s Ohio Bureau.

The highly competitive race for Ohio’s 13th Congressional district, a seat left vacant by congressman Tim Ryan who is running for Senate, is between Ohio State representative Emilia Sykes and Trump-backed attorney Madison Gesiotto Gilbert. We hear from Wendy Smooth, Senior Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence and a Professor of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at the Ohio State University and Anna Staver, a political reporter for USA Today Network’s Ohio Bureau. Read the full article here.