The battle to be the Akron area’s representative in Congress pits a Democrat who was one of her party’s leading voices in the Statehouse before heading to Capitol Hill against a Republican hoping to seal his political comeback.
And the Ohio 13th District race sits high on many a national watchlist as incumbent Emilia Sykes and challenger Kevin Coughlin square off in a tossup territory encompassing all of Summit County and portions of Stark and Portage counties.
Sykes won her election in 2022 against Republican challenger Madison Gesiotto Gilbert with 52.6% of the vote. Sykes is the first woman of color to represent the district. Previously, she represented Ohio’s 34th House District and served as minority leader.
This election marks Coughlin’s return to politics. He hasn’t held office for 14 years, having previously served in the state Senate and the state House of Representatives. Coughlin also served as clerk of the Stow Municipal Court. Since 2010, he’s been president of consulting firm Lexington Companies .