Shontel Brown
Shontel Brown, a Democrat who has represented Ohio's 11th congressional district since winning a 2021 special election, seeks reelection in 2026 against Republican Mike Kirchner, a retired consulting actuary.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Shontel Brown.
- Born
- June 24, 1975
- Birthplace
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Education
- Cuyahoga Community College (Associate of Science in business management)
Wilberforce University (Bachelor of Science in organizational management)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Shontel Brown was born on June 24, 1975. She earned an Associate of Science degree in business management from Cuyahoga Community College and a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational management from Wilberforce University. Before holding office she founded Diversified Digital Solutions, a marketing support company. Brown is a Baptist.
Career
Shontel Brown entered elected office at the local level, winning a seat on the Warrensville Heights City Council in 2011 and holding it for three years.
In 2014 she was elected to the 9th District seat on the Cuyahoga County Council, succeeding C. Ellen Connally, in a district that includes Warrensville Heights, Bedford, Shaker Heights, Orange and part of eastern Cleveland.
In 2017 she was elected chair of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, defeating State Senator Sandra Williams and Newburgh Heights Mayor Trevor Elkins, and became the first woman and the first African American to hold the post.
After Marcia Fudge resigned from the House on March 10, 2021, to become Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Brown won the Democratic primary and the November 2 special election, and she was sworn in on November 4.
She then defeated former state senator Nina Turner in the May 3, 2022, Democratic primary. Her committee assignments have included Agriculture, Oversight and Reform, and the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.
She belongs to the Congressional Black Caucus, the New Democrat Coalition and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
2026 race
Shontel Brown is the Democratic incumbent in Ohio's 11th congressional district, which takes in Cleveland and its inner suburbs, including Euclid, Cleveland Heights and Warrensville Heights. She was re-elected with 78.3% of the vote in 2024.
In the 2026 Democratic primary she won 85.5% of the vote against educator Ardelia Holmes and analyst Sean Freeman.
In the general election on November 3, 2026, she faces Republican Mike Kirchner, a retired consulting actuary who won his party's primary with 65.6% of the vote against general contractor James Hemphill.