Mike Carey

Republican U.S. Representative for Ohio's 15th District, first elected in a 2021 special election.

Key facts

A former coal-industry lobbyist, Trump-endorsed in his first run; re-elected 2024 with about 56.5%.
His district takes the Franklin County suburbs outside Columbus (Grove City, Hilliard, Dublin) plus rural counties to the west and south.
2026: faces Democrat Don Leonard. The seat's Cook PVI eased from R+6 to R+4 after the 2025 remap, making it the most competitive Columbus-area U.S. House seat — though still Republican-favored.

His under-60% margin and single-digit district lean make OH-15 the local counterweight to the packing in OH-3. See Columbus 2026 Elections.

Ohio's 3rd Congressional District election, 2026 — Ballotpedia (retrieved 2026-07-05)
Ohio's 15th Congressional District — Ballotpedia (retrieved 2026-07-05)
OH-15 2026 race rating — Cook Political Report (retrieved 2026-07-05)
These are Ohio's new congressional districts — News 5 Cleveland (retrieved 2026-07-05)
Ohio Redistricting Commission unanimously passes congressional map, further GOP advantage — Ohio Capital Journal (retrieved 2026-07-05)
Michele Reynolds — Ballotpedia (retrieved 2026-07-05)
Christine Cockley — Ballotpedia (retrieved 2026-07-05)
Michael Stinziano — Ballotpedia (retrieved 2026-07-05)
Meet Your Commissioners — Franklin County — Franklin County, Ohio (retrieved 2026-07-05)
Magistrate Kelly Green — Ohio Association of Magistrates (retrieved 2026-07-05)
Columbus voters easily pass community crisis-response amendment (Issue 5) — WOSU (retrieved 2026-07-05)
LinkUS sales-tax levy increase passes (Issue 47) — WOSU (retrieved 2026-07-05)
2026 General Election Candidates (Franklin County, revised June 16, 2026) — Franklin County Board of Elections (retrieved 2026-07-05)
May 5, 2026 Primary Election Certified Candidates (Franklin County) — Franklin County Board of Elections (retrieved 2026-07-05)
Election Info — Franklin County Board of Elections — Franklin County Board of Elections (retrieved 2026-07-05)