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 .
Still, Coughlin — like Sykes — enjoys widespread name recognition in the 13th District, which was redrawn in 2022 to put all of Akron in a single House district for the first time in decades. While the city's legacy as a traditional Democratic stronghold is a boon for Sykes, Summit County's closely divided suburbs and the GOP-heavy portions of Portage and northern Stark County pose enough of a threat that pollsters are expecting a tight race Nov. 5.
Here's what we know about the candidates, their history and where they stand on the issues.
Sykes, an Akron native, represented Ohio's 34th House District for eight years and was minority leader for three of them. She's the daughter of state Sen. Vernon Sykes and Akron Board of Education member Barbara Sykes, a former state representative. A member of the Sykes family has represented the area for decades.
Emilia Sykes has made public safety, affordable housing, women's rights to health care and bringing more jobs to the area priorities during her freshman term in the U.S. House.
In June, Sykes told the Beacon Journal that an amendment passed by voters codifying reproductive rights in the Ohio Constitution was important because "we gave people in this state an opportunity to speak up for themselves and they spoke loud and clear, and I'm happy to stand with them every step of the way."
Her official Congressional webpage says that Sykes supports "commonsense gun safety measures to protect our communities, including implementing universal background checks, enacting red flag laws, and banning dangerous assault weapons."
Sykes, who sits on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, was instrumental in landing $51 million in federal funds for Akron’s Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub.
When she announced in May that U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded over $23 million for the repair of public housing in the district, she said the investment "will help address the lack of affordable housing in our communities by providing funds to build, renovate and modernize housing for low-income families throughout the district.”
During a recent appearance at the Akron Press Club, Coughlin said he was no stranger to winning tight races, having won seven and flipped seats twice. He also said that he knows how to represent a split district.
"It's about not ignoring people; it's about listening to people — even those who don't agree with you," he said. "It's about delivering for people that you know are going to vote against you in the next election."
Coughlin told the Beacon Journal that, if elected, he won't support a federal abortion ban because he believes it's an issue best left up to the states.
"The beauty of democracy is that the voters get to make important decisions like these," Coughlin said. "I respect their decisions and the will of Ohio voters."
At his recent appearance at the Akron Press Club, Coughlin said gun violence is the result of addiction and mental health struggles, not access to firearms.
"I do not see in places where you have robust gun control that violence has gone down," Coughlin said. "If anything, criminals still have access to guns."
He said he's a supporter of the Second Amendment and it's language prohibiting the infringement of gun rights.
On housing, the federal government does a poor job providing for people. He said its involvement in all of the country's disparate housing markets makes housing less affordable.
"I would be in favor with block granting money down to state governments to work with locals to address this problem," Coughlin said.
Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Election 2024: Kevin Coughlin, Emilia Sykes battle over issues in Ohio 13th District race
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