Cincinnati Democratic Congressman Greg Landsman believes this election is "a referendum on the status quo."
The two-term congressman from Cincinnati's Mount Washington neighborhood is running for reelection against Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Eric Conroy this November.
Landsman said his opponent is "all in the status quo."
"He likes what's happening. I hate it," Landsman said. "[Trump] and others have gotten obscenely wealthy over the last couple of years, and everyone else is struggling."
The Enquirer sat down with Landsman at Echo in Hyde Park to talk about the election, his time in Congress and what he'd do with another term.
In an hour, three constituents stopped by the table to say hi.
“I didn’t expect to see my representative here!”
one woman said. One thanked him for his work. A couple stopped to say he has their vote.
Always interested in politics and policy
Landsman spent his childhood split between Cincinnati and Oxford, Ohio. A Talawanda High School government teacher got him interested in politics and policy early on.
"My dad took me to a couple of presidential libraries when I was in high school and I just loved it," he said. "I was really taken by the idea of people who take on these really big issues and find a way forward – these transformative leaders."
While a student at Ohio University, he met Ted Strickland and worked on his 1996 congressional campaign.
"He was so good at interacting with constituents and connecting with them, and then working on the issues that they talked about. He was not a D.C. guy. He was very much a district guy," Landsman said.
He worked on Strickland's reelection campaign in 1998 and then lived in Guatemala for a time and learned Spanish.
He taught high school Spanish at a public school in Virginia, then went to the Divinity School at Harvard for his master's degree in theology, partly because of Sept. 11. He said he wanted to be part of "a generation of leaders that understood better the role religion plays in our our lives and our politics."
"I wanted that to be part of my training. I didn't want to just go to law school. I just felt like we needed different kinds of people in politics," he said.
Landsman was elected to Cincinnati City Council in 2017 and served until he was elected to Congress in 2022. He was one of the so-called "Gang of 5," members who secretly conducted city business via text messages. He was never charged with any crime,and apologized.
Landsman plans to 'lock in' when it comes to economic struggles
Landsman sees the Social Security Fairness Act as one of his biggest accomplishments in Congress.
The act, which increased Social Security benefits for teachers, firefighters and police officers in many states, had been introduced in Congress multiple times since 2001 but died in committee year after year without a vote.
Landsman said he was inspired to work on a discharge petition to force a vote on the bill after a visit to the National Archives.
"They had the discharge petition from the 1964 Civil Rights bill. Because even though King and Johnson had agreed that they were going to pursue this historic piece of legislation, there was not a commitment from the speaker that they were going to put it on the floor," he said. "I swear to you, I thought to myself on the walk home that night, 'this is what we're gonna do for the Social Security fairness.'"
Landsman worked with Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Louisiana Republican Rep. Garret Graves, who led the discharge petition effort.
If given another term, he said he plans to "lock in" when it comes to turning the economy around.
"The big thing is you got to get everyone their health care back," he said, referencing health care cuts in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. "And then this next Congress is going to have to tackle the corporate consolidation, the vertical integration, as it's called in healthcare, where one company is charging you whatever they want."
Landsman not concerned about Democratic split on Israel-Hamas war
During his primary race against Damon Lynch IV, Lynch criticized Landsman for the donations he's received from the the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Landsman received $661,034 in individual contributions from people who donated via AIPAC this election cycle, according to filings with the Federal Elections Commission.
A split between Democratic voters on the Israel-Hamas war played out in Democratic primaries across the country, but Landsman said he's not concerned about party unity.
"People are frustrated with the conflict, as am I. It's awful," he said. "But I've never seen Democrats this united."
Drawing in big Democratic names
A few potential Democratic presidential candidates have dropped by Cincinnati to campaign with Landsman, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who visited in August and filmed a video with Landsman urging voters to support his reelection.
Landsman introduced Pete Buttigieg, the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, at the AFL-CIO Central Labor Council's Labor Day picnic at Stricker’s Grove in September. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was the special guest at a fundraiser for Landsman the same month.
How to vote
The election is Nov. 3. Early voting starts on Oct. 6. To check your voter registration and polling location, visit voteohio.gov.
Get to know Landsman
- One of his favorite places in Cincinnati: the Clifton Skyline.
- Favorite way to eat Cincinnati chili: 3-way.
- Favorite movie: Good Will Hunting.
Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What to know about Cincinnati Democratic Congressman Greg Landsman
