Who are 2 Democrats competing to challenge Jim Jordan in Ohio's 4th Congressional District?

Democrats Steve Thomas and Tamie Wilson are competing in the March 19 primary for their party's nomination for Ohio's 4th Congressional District seat.

The winner will face unopposed Republican incumbent Jim Jordan in the Nov. 5 general election. The 4th District includes Delaware, Union, Allen, Ashland, Auglaize, Champaign, Hardin, Logan, Marion, Morrow, Richland and Shelby counties.

Steve Thomas

Steve Thomas, 69, of Powell, was born and raised in Virginia but has lived in Ohio for 30 years. He holds a master's degree in computer science from American University in Washington and a bachelor's degree in government from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Thomas moved to the Buckeye state in 1994 and served as vice president of research and development for Legent Corp., a Virginia-based software company. After learning the company was being sold a year later, Thomas and three others founded Pathlore Software, a digital learning software company. During the company's heyday, Thomas said it created more than 250 high-paying jobs. The business was sold to SumTotal Systems in 2005 for $48 million.

Thomas, who describes himself as "a moderate Democrat," said he is running for the 4th Congressional District seat because he wants to bring economic development and job opportunities to the district and because he believes Jordan is not properly representing the district's interests.

He said he plans to assist farmers by eliminating trade barriers and assist his district by investing in infrastructure. He said he will accomplish this by first prioritizing building relationships with those in the House, Senate and the executive branches.

"(As a freshman congressman) you have to build relationships as opposed to going in like a fireball and trying to beat everybody up," Thomas said. "If I can do that, then I can find out where the grant money is, where other opportunities are for the district."

Thomas said that his plans and priorities for the 4th Congressional District are not "headline, attention-grabbing political theater" or "sexy politics" but rather are "what a congressman should be doing." He took several jabs at Jordan, saying the Republican has done nothing for the district and is only there to serve Donald Trump.

When asked why the 4th Congressional District has continued to support Jordan, Thomas said the people there "vote their values," even if it means voting against their best interests.

"Their values are conservative and Christian-based. We Democrats don't talk about that," Thomas said. The district is 66.7% Republican, according to Dave's Redistricting, an interactive website that breaks down demographic and voting details for districts throughout the country.

But Thomas said he believes he can better represent the people in the 4th Congressional District, particularly farmers because he can relate to their struggles as a person who has started business from scratch.

"I've woken up at 2 a.m. in cold sweats, wondering where I'm going to find money to pay people who work for me," he said.

Thomas said he has a better chance of winning the seat in November than his Democratic opponent, Tamie Wilson, who lost to Jordan by a large margin in the 2022 election, because of her emphasis on progressive issues. He said his moderate stance will be more attractive to 4th Congressional District voters across the political spectrum.

"I stand a much better chance of reaching a lot more people," Thomas said.

Tamie Wilson

Tamie Wilson, 51, grew up in the part of Westerville in Delaware County. She attended Otterbein University and Ohio Dominican University, studying both psychology and marketing, although she did not earn a degree from either institution. She wears multiple hats as an entrepreneur, business strategist, inspirational teacher and speaker in personal and professional development.

This is Wilson's second try for the 4th Congressional District seat. She defeated Jeffrey Sites in the May 2022 Democratic primary by 644 votes, according to Ballotpedia. In the November 2022 general election, she received a little over 30% of the votes in a lopsided loss to Jordan.

Wilson said in an interview with The Dispatch that she is throwing her hat in the ring again for the 4th Congressional District seat because Jordan is "a person of low character" who is mired in controversies — including the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol and the scandal over sexual assaults of student athletes at Ohio State University, where Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach.

This election try will also be different, Wilson said, because she has more name exposure in the district compared to her last bid and because she has taken the time to be involved in the community and can better empathize with its struggles. She also believes her common sense campaign of looking after the district's voters rather than simply playing politics in Congress will garner more support in the district.

"(Jordan) is anti-American and anti-government," said Wilson. "He doesn't do anything for anyone except for Trump."

Wilson also pointed to Jordan's voting record, noting he has constantly voted against the best interests of those in the 4th Congressional District on matters such as the national infrastructure bill and the CHIPS Act that has helped attract Intel to central Ohio.

Asked why she thinks those in the district have still voted for Jordan, Wilson said they see him "yelling at the government," but they do not realize that he is only "doing it for the show."

When speaking of her opponent Steve Thomas, Wilson noted that Thomas is now trying to make himself out as a moderate while campaigning, yet Thomas told the Shelby Area Democratic Club in November, "I consider myself a progressive Democrat," according to a story in The Mansfield News Journal.

Wilson said she believes she can better relate to the people of the 4th Congressional District than Thomas. Touting her childhood growing up on her uncle's farm, she said she better understands "farm life" and that her experience in different industries allows her to relate to everyday people.

Wilson said she has been working on eight bills to address issues of voters in the 4th Congressional District. According to a media handout Wilson provided to The Dispatch, her priorities if elected are:

• Improving services and support for senior citizens

• Enhancing resources and assistance for veterans

• Addressing and combating domestic violence issues

• Strengthening and safeguarding the Social Security system

• Reducing taxes for individuals and businesses

• Increasing measures to combat domestic terrorism threats

• Supporting cybersecurity legislation that will provide support and resources for law enforcement

• Supporting a Comprehensive Sexual Abuse Prevention and Accountability Act, which aims to protect students and athletes from sexual abuse in educational institutions through stricter policies and accountability

Wilson said she has already been in contact with "businesses and builders" to address issues such as affordable housing and jobs within the 4th Congressional District. She has also made it a point through her campaign to say she would pass legislation to benefit African Americans in her district and at a national level by expanding voting rights, addressing job and economic development opportunities and improving educational opportunities through more funding for historically Black colleges and universities.

Wilson said she didn't want to elaborate because if she were to divulge specifics, Jordan could find out and "sabotage her plans." Even if a voter asked her to explain, she said she would not for the same reason.

@ShahidMeighan

smeighan@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who are the Democratic candidates for Ohio's 4th Congressional District?