Mike Turner
Mike Turner, a Republican who served as mayor of Dayton from 1994 to 2002 and has represented Ohio's 10th congressional district since 2013, seeks reelection in 2026 against Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Mike Turner.
- Born
- January 11, 1960
- Birthplace
- Dayton, Ohio
- Education
- Belmont High School (1978)
Ohio Northern University (Bachelor of Arts in political science, 1982)
Case Western Reserve University (Juris Doctor, 1985)
University of Dayton (Master of Business Administration, 1992)
Georgetown University (Doctor of Liberal Studies in urban economic development, 2022)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Mike Turner was born on January 11, 1960, in Dayton, Ohio, to Vivian and Ray Turner. His mother was a teacher for Huber Heights City Schools, and his father, after serving in the military, worked as a member of IUE Local 801 for 42 years. Turner was raised in East Dayton with one sister.
He graduated from Belmont High School in 1978, earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Ohio Northern University in 1982 and a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University in 1985, and later received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dayton in 1992.
In 2022 he completed a Doctor of Liberal Studies in urban economic development at Georgetown University. Before entering politics he practiced law with local firms and businesses in the Dayton area.
Career
Mike Turner began his political career in city government, winning election as mayor of Dayton in 1993 over incumbent Richard Clay Dixon. As mayor he focused on attracting business and redeveloping vacant brownfield sites, and he supported the construction of the Schuster Center downtown. He was reelected in 1997 and lost to state senator Rhine McLin in 2001, 51.6% to 48.4%.
In 2002, after Democrat Tony P. Hall left Congress, Turner won the 3rd district seat with 58% of the vote. Redistricting renumbered his district as the 10th in 2012.
In the House he has served on the Armed Services Committee, where he advocated for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and he was president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from 2014 to 2016.
He chaired the House Intelligence Committee from 2023 until Speaker Mike Johnson removed him from the post on January 15, 2025. He is a member of the Republican Governance Group.
2026 race
Mike Turner is the Republican incumbent in Ohio's 10th congressional district, which encompasses the Dayton metro area, including Dayton and its surrounding suburbs, as well as Middletown.
He was re-elected with 57.6% of the vote in 2024 and ran unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary, receiving 44,286 votes.
In the general election on November 3, 2026, he faces Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker, a U.S. Air Force veteran who won a six-candidate primary with 32.7% of the vote, and Libertarian Thomas McMasters, a former mayor of Huber Heights.