Who are the Republicans running for Ohio’s 13th District?
As the May 3 primary approaches, seven Republicans are gearing up for an election that will decide which among them will face off against Democrat Emilia Sykes for the 13th Congressional District seat.
The slate of hopefuls runs the gamut: citizen candidates eager to shake up the status quo in Washington, moderates willing to reach across the aisle to mend the increasing partisan divide, attorneys who have worked on legislative policies, the architect of Ohio’s anti-abortion Heartbeat Bill and a former associate of Donald Trump who received the former president’s seal of approval.
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Though boundaries have shifted through a lengthy and ever-changing redistricting process, the 13th District seat is currently held by Democrat Tim Ryan, who is now campaigning for U.S. Senate. If boundaries are upheld, the 13th District will encompass the entirety of Summit County and parts of Stark and Portage counties.
State Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, is the lone Democrat in the race after John Impellizzeri, a Munroe Falls city councilman, dropped out around the filing deadline. Sykes, who represents Ohio’s 34th District in the Statehouse, stepped down as the House minority leader in December after a three-year tenure before announcing her bid for Congress.
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The Beacon Journal spoke to six out of the seven Republican candidates hoping to win the nomination in three weeks. Here’s who they are and what they’re campaigning on:
Madison Gesiotto Gilbert
Who she is: Madison Gesiotto Gilbert, 30, is a Canton attorney, former Miss Ohio USA and conservative political commentator. She previously served as co-chair of the national Women for Trump advisory board. She holds a political science degree from Ohio State University, where she went on to attend law school. She originally sought to challenge Marcy Kaptur in the 9th Congressional District, but boundaries shifted through redistricting and pushed her to the 13th.
Where she’s from: Canton
Her top issues: Gilbert did not respond to request for comment, but on her website, she lists stances on 16 issues, many of which fall in line with continuing or completing Trump’s policy objectives.
What differentiates her from other candidates: Gilbert is the only candidate in the district to receive an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Trump lauded her policies on border security, abortion, election integrity, the military and more.
Shay Hawkins
Who he is and why he’s running: Shay Hawkins, 47, is an attorney and previously worked as a tax and trade policy aide to former U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci. In 2020, he lost an election against state Rep. Phil Robinson in a district of Cleveland suburbs.
“This community has given me everything,” he said. “I am specially positioned to give back in the area that’s most critical in this community and that’s around jobs and economy.”
Where he’s from: Broadview Heights
His top issues:
- Jobs and economy: Hawkins worked on the 2017 Republican tax reform bill that outlined Opportunity Zone areas, which promote investment in distressed areas of the United States. He said he would work to expand those efforts.
- Inflation: Hawkins said dealing with inflation is “critical” and he would cut what he says is unnecessary spending in Congress.
- Energy: Hawkins was the staff director for the subcommittee on energy, natural resources and infrastructure within the Senate Finance Committee while working under former Sen. Scott. “We’ve got to become more energy independent,” he said. “I understand in a concrete way what it takes to get more us based energy from all sources into production as quickly as possible.”
What differentiates him from other candidates: “It’s my policy experience that sets me apart the most,” he said. “I’ve been working with members of Congress to improve the economy while I was on Capitol Hill and once I left the Hill.”
Santana King
Why he’s running: Santana King, 25, is the race’s youngest candidate and works as a defense contractor for the Navy. With a background in public service, he said he wants to run because “I have no ambition but to serve the public.”
Where he’s from: North Royalton
His top issues:
- Reforming Republican Party’s image: King said as a young, half-Hispanic, half-Black conservative, he hopes to give an “optical face lift” to the party to “ensure longevity of the party,” particularly for young people who will not identify as a Republican because of the “recent image and administration.”
- National security: Expressing concern over China’s threat to the United States, King advocated for increased national security and domesticating manufacturing and other industry that has left to overseas production.
- Energy: “We need to be energy independent to combat climate change, which is controversial to say,” he said. “I wish it wasn’t.”
What differentiates him from other candidates: “I’m the only candidate in the race whose life and career has focused on public service and national security,” he said. “If this election goes wrong, these candidates aren’t still going to be in public service or working in government like I will.”
Janet Folger Porter
Who she is and why she’s running: Janet Folger Porter, 59, is perhaps best known as the architect of the Heartbeat Bill, which prohibits abortions after a heartbeat can be detected about six weeks after conception. Folger Porter said she is running for Congress to “fight for your liberty as hard as I’ve fought for life.” She is the author of six books and founder and president of Faith2Action, an anti-abortion organization.
Where she’s from: Hinckley
Her top issues:
- Personal liberty and anti-vaccination mandates: She said she would work to remove funding from states that require COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition for employment, education, travel, medical treatment and the purchase of goods and services.
- Inflation: She said she would cut taxes to families, farmers and business owners, as well as funds to “enemies of America and enemies of Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East.”
- Education: She said she will introduce an “anti-indoctrination act,” which would cut federal funding to schools that instruct on critical race theory, gender identity and sexuality.
What differentiates her from other candidates: “If I were to say it in two words, I would say ‘actions’ and ‘results,’ ” she said. “Out of everybody (in the race), I know I have the most experience in how a bill becomes a law, having passed a lot that are now on the books.”
Dante Sabatucci
Who he is and why he’s running: Dante Sabatucci, 53, calls himself the race’s “citizen candidate.” Sabatucci runs three businesses, including a sales consulting firm, a property company and a baseball academy. An Army veteran who has lived in Stark and Summit counties his whole life, he said he feels he is tuned in to the wants and needs of the area.
Where he’s from: Cuyahoga Falls
His top issues:
- Election integrity: Sabatucci said he wants to strengthen anti-corruption laws and enforce a national voter identification law to increase voter confidence in elections. “If we don’t have the confidence that we have free and fair elections, then we don’t have a country,” he said.
- No vaccine mandates: Sabatucci said he is against “coercing” citizens into receiving the COVID-19 vaccination as a condition for employment.
- Financial reform: “We cannot continue along the lines of spending more than we bring in as a country,” he said. “The real threat is the debt.” He said he would work to balance the budget and stop borrowing money.
What differentiates him from other candidates: “I know the people here,” he said. “I know what we think about. I know what we’re frustrated about in Washington. … I have more experience than the other candidates not just in business, but in life.”
Ryan Saylor
Why he’s running: Ryan Saylor, 27, was motivated to launch his campaign by the belief that the United States “is not doing as well as it should be,” condemning career politicians and the economic state of the country. He works at Summa Health as a construction project engineer.
Where he’s from: Stow
His top issues:
- Accountability for elected officials and career politicians: Saylor says he supports term limits on “incompetent” and “corrupt” politicians in the federal government.
- Inflation: “Wages will never realistically keep up with inflation,” he said. “Everyone has a lower standard of living because they’re not generating the same wealth they were yesterday.”
- Bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.: Saylor expressed concern about exporting manufacturing overseas and “robbing jobs from Americans.” He said he would work to fix the trade deficit and bring manufacturing back to the United States.
What differentiates him from other candidates:…
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