Ohio’s 4th congressional district is enormous. It stretches from the state’s western border with Indiana, through Lima and Mansfield, through Delaware and Marysville, down to Springfield, and back up to Sidney. It encompasses all of Logan and Champaign counties.

Republican Jim Jordan has held the seat since 2007, although the shape and size of the district has changed over the years. For the Nov. 3 General Election, incumbent Rep. Jordan is facing two opponents – the assistant mayor of Springfield, and a man who has never held public office before.

JORDAN

Jim Jordan is a 1982 graduate of Graham High School in Urbana, and attended college at the University of Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Capital University. He served as a state representative and senator from 1995 to 2006, before being elected to Congress.

U.S. Rep. Jordan is seen as a firebrand conservative and was a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus in 2015. His voting record is closely allied with President Trump’s agenda, and he has an 87 percent score from the Heritage Foundation. The Congressman spoke with the Chronicle in early October.

Congressman Jordan recognizes affordability concerns of constituents, and offered solutions in the way of tax cuts and mortgage portability. He said that cost of living and inflation would have been much worse under a Kamala Harris administration.

When asked about Iran and high gas prices, he said hopefully the Straits of Hormuz would be open soon. However, he was adamant that Iran is the “worst regime on the planet”, and cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. He gave examples of Iran executing its own citizens for being critical of the government.

Rep. Jordan was challenged by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins in May 2026 about Trump’s campaign promise of $2 per gallon gas. His response was “that’s life and dealing with the world we live in.”

Regarding data centers, Rep. Jordan said he co-sponsored the Ratepayer Protection Act (HR 9340) in July. The law would help shield families and small businesses from paying the energy costs of massive data centers. Ohio Senator Jon Husted sponsored the Senate version of the bill, although it failed to pass.

Rep. Jordan said that communities should negotiate harder with data-center operators for their benefit, but also pointed to the dangers of AI and China. He was concerned with the dangers of warrantless searches regarding Flock cameras, and highlighted special prosecutor Jack Smith obtaining 2.5 years of the congressman’s phone records.

Regarding immigration, the congressman has said on several occasions that there have been zero illegal border crossings under the Trump administration. One of the committees he serves on is the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is responsible for allocating resources for ICE.

He mentioned that the 10 million illegal immigrants that came in during Joe Biden’s term increased the cost of living for everybody.

The Chronicle asked Jordan about the tight balance of power in the U.S. House, and the prospect of Democrats taking control in January. He noted that he was campaigning in 33 states to prevent that from happening, and pointed to the scenario of Democrats controlling the presidency and Congress in 2028. He was concerned that Democrats would change the structure of the American government, by packing the Supreme Court and eliminating Congress in favor of a parliamentary system. He said the Democrat party was being taken over by radical socialists who hate America.

Jordan said he endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy for governor, and called Amy Acton’s policies during the pandemic “ridiculous” and anti-liberty. He pointed to the example of her orders closing down golf courses, which he said was the epitome of social distancing.

KOLASINSKI

Josh Kolasinski is a small business owner who’s been in Delaware since 2012, and also spoke with the Chronicle in early October. He decided to run for Congress on the Democrat ticket because nobody else declared their candidacy.

He said he wanted to start with a higher office because national politics is in the news more, and a greater source of frustration for citizens. Ideologically, he said he is more of an independent and has voted for both parties throughout his life.

Kolasinski said that he had a reform agenda, and is a signatory for the “Take BAC Congress” initiative, which among other things advocates for congressional term limits. He also envisions an electronic voter forum, a repository of ideas and legislation that would originate from voters across the country.

When asked about the cost of living, Kolasinski proposed that a “Medicare for All” single-payer healthcare model would have the biggest impact on affordability. His logic was that healthcare insurance premiums and the cost of countless government programs would be streamlined into a central system.

Regarding Iran and gas prices, he said the two issues were inextricably linked. He characterized the Iran conflict as a “colossal mistake”, and said that Iran was nowhere near obtaining a nuclear weapon. Rather than an abrupt and dangerous immediate exit from the war, Kolasinski proposed that greater minds than those of President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth should come together with solutions.

He stated that he agreed with the concept of the gas-tax holiday, but also said it was a Republican “prop” and band-aid solution.

On technology topics, Kolasinski proposed size limits on data centers, and that corporations should be forced to give back to communities – even adding their own electricity to the power grid. He said that he champions the Bill of Rights, and wants Flock camera surveillance abolished nationwide, quoting Benjamin Franklin: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

On immigration, Kolasinski wants more oversight of ICE, along with more transparency. He characterized ICE as a militarized police force, and advocates for massive reform. He proposed enforcing only active deportation orders, instead of targeting entire groups as a whole (Somalians for example). He said that America has an unsavory history of unfairly targeting minority immigrants.

Regarding the governor race, Kolasinski supports Democrat Amy Acton. He said she grew up poor, and is not in the race to enrich herself. He accused Vivek Ramaswamy of profiting from a failed drug during his business venture. He said that Acton exemplifies the spirit of Christianity, quoting Christ from the Bible: "whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me."

When asked about his opponents, Kolasinski remarked that Jordan has been in

Congress for 20 years and started the Tea Party movement, but that republicans have offered no solutions for healthcare. He accused Jordan of being a “rubber stamp” for Trump and forever wars. He also questioned why Jordan did not follow republican Thomas Massie in voting for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

He said he appreciates independent Tracey Tackett being in the race, and hopes she will pull votes from Jordan. He mentioned that while Tackett was a courageous candidate, she is largely unknown outside of Springfield.

TACKETT

Independent Tracey Tackett provided written responses to the Chronicle. Tackett was born and raised in Springfield. She attended Wittenburg University and Ohio State, and is currently serving as assistant mayor of Springfield.

She believes her experience in local government makes her uniquely qualified for Congress, and has a desire to send more power and resources back to the local level.

Tackett said that Republicans and Democrats are both part of the nation’s problems, and that many Americans feel politically homeless. She has accepted the endorsement of the Forward Party, a new centrist political party with limited ballot access. She believes that an independent caucus in Congress would be a powerful fulcrum to force Republicans and Democrats to work together.

Regarding Iran and gas prices, Tackett wants Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to declare war. She advocates for maintaining a strong national defense, and strengthening foreign alliances. She sees electrification and more diverse energy sources as the solutions for high gas prices. On inflation, she wants a massive reduction of federal debt and breaking down trade barriers with other countries.

Tackett supports the development of data centers, saying that abandoned industrial sites in the rustbelt are ideal locations. She says that tax revenue and high-paying jobs resulting from data centers are important to communities.

Regarding Flock cameras, Tackett mentioned her endorsement from the Fraternal Order of Police. She supports a reasonable balance between public safety and privacy, “recognizing the risks while also weighing the good that technology can do.” She supports the development of nuclear energy, along with natural gas and solar, stating an overarching goal of abundant energy and reduced pollution.

Tackett accused Jordan of “adopting unpopular positions because he led a small minority of extremists.” She has several ideas for reforming Congress as an independent, including more robust debating of bills, and more government accountability coupled with transparency.

There are three candidates with three very different sets of ideas, wanting to represent a district of nearly 5000 square miles. The Chronicle encourages readers to do their own research and vote on Nov. 3. The candidate campaign sites are as follows:

jimjordanforcongress.com

joshuaforohio.com

traceytackett.org