Three candidates are seeking to represent the 4th Congressional District of Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democratic candidate Shannon Freshour, incumbent Republican Jim Jordan and Libertarian Steven Perkins will face off on the November ballot.
Freshour, a litigation paralegal, said her family has deep roots in the Marysville community.
She said her family has lived in Mill Valley since its inception, her brother worked at East Liberty for 27 years and her nieces attended Marysville public schools.
“This is home,” she wrote in a statement to the Journal-Tribune.
Freshour said she personally understands how access to early education, affordable health care and job training “can shape a person’s destiny.”
She explained that her mother relied on welfare to support her and her brother after leaving an abusive marriage. Her mother enrolled in a job training program and became a medical secretary while waitressing and bartending.
Later on, Freshour said she was one of the first students in Ohio to enroll in Head Start.
She said the program “sparked my love of learning” and led her to attend Trinity College then earn a graduate degree from Johns Hopkins University.
“We are living the American Dream because Ohioans took a chance on us,” Freshour said.
Now, she said she works to boost others up to “repay the debt that I feel I owe Ohioans for their faith in my family.”
In her professional career she said she works with people through their toughest moments in life.
“I advocated for them, helping get them the care they needed and the justice they deserve,” Freshour said.
She said this experience has also taught her how lawmaking affects people in their day-to-day lives.
As a congressperson, she said she will fight to provide Ohioans with the opportunities that were given to her family.
“I pledge to fight for Union County and to ensure that we receive the support that we need to continue moving forward,” Freshour said.
Jim Jordan, who currently serves in the U.S. House of Representatives, said he is seeking reelection to continue his work in government.
“It is a great honor to represent the families and taxpayers of our district in Congress and I’m running to continue fighting for the time-honored values we share which include limited government, free markets, individual liberty, hard work and personal responsibility,” he wrote in a statement to the Journal-Tribune.
He said his record as a congressperson indicates that he will work for the best interests of the American people.
In his committee roles, he said he has fought against “big, intrusive government as well as big business.”
Jordan said his opposition to big government can be seen in the way his office has operated throughout his tenure.
“I have also led by example in working toward smaller, more efficient government, cutting our own office budget and returning nearly $3 million of unspent money back to the treasury,” he added.
If reelected, Jordan said he will focus on what he believes are the three biggest challenges: “COVID-19, threats against law enforcement and out-of-control federal spending.”
He said he is concerned about the ways the pandemic is impacting public health.
To combat its effects, he said he would like to give local leaders a voice in shaping the COVID-19 response policies that impact their communities.
Additionally, he said he will continue to stand with local law enforcement agencies.
Jordan said he will also work to police how tax dollars are being spent within the federal government.
“In my oversight role I will continue to work to identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in federal programs to protect people’s hard-earned tax dollars,” he said.
Libertarian candidate Steven Perkins could not be reached for comment.