Troy Balderson
Troy Balderson, a Republican former Ohio state senator who has represented Ohio's 12th congressional district since 2018, seeks reelection in 2026 against Democrat Jerrad Christian, an IT specialist.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Troy Balderson.
- Born
- January 16, 1962
- Birthplace
- Zanesville, Ohio
- Education
- Zanesville High School (1980)
Muskingum College
Ohio State University
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Troy Balderson was born on January 16, 1962, and was raised in southeastern Ohio. He graduated from Zanesville High School in 1980 and attended both Muskingum College and the Ohio State University.
While a college student he started working as a mechanic at his family's car business, Balderson Motor Sales, and from 1987 to 2008 he was its vice president and general manager, the third generation of his family to run the company. The business closed in February 2018.
Balderson lives in Zanesville and has a son with his former wife, Angela, from whom he divorced in 2014.
Career
Troy Balderson entered the Ohio House of Representatives in 2008, winning the Republican primary for the 94th district with 67.6% of the vote and the general election with 54.01%. There he served on the Finance Committee and chaired its Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
In July 2011 he was appointed to the vacant 20th district seat in the Ohio Senate, and he won a full term on November 6, 2012, with 59.79% of the vote against Democrat Teresa Scarmack. In the Senate he chaired the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
After Representative Pat Tiberi resigned in January 2018, Balderson won the Republican primary for the 12th district with 29.2% of the vote and then defeated Democrat Danny O'Connor in the August 7, 2018, special election by 1,680 votes. He beat O'Connor again that November, 51.6% to 47.1%, and defeated businesswoman Alaina Shearer in 2020 with 55.2%. His House committee assignments include Science, Space, and Technology and Small Business.
2026 race
Troy Balderson is the Republican incumbent in Ohio's 12th congressional district, which covers the area east of the Columbus metro area, including Newark, Zanesville and Mount Vernon.
He was re-elected with 68.6% of the vote in 2024 and ran unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary, receiving 64,907 votes.
In the general election on November 3, 2026, he faces Democrat Jerrad Christian, an IT specialist and the party's 2024 nominee, who won his primary with 46.4% of the vote against community activist Daniel Crawford and bartender Jason Reynard.