Republican Turner, 66, first won a congressional seat in November 2002 after his Dayton-area predecessor in Congress, Tony Hall, ended his own 23-year congressional career to serve as the U.N. special envoy for hunger issues.
A lifelong Dayton resident, Turner, an attorney, launched his political career by defeating Democratic Mayor Clay Dixon in November 1993, winning his first term as Dayton mayor.
The Cook Political Report has rated Ohio’s 10th Congressional district as a “solid R,” meaning a Republican candidate has a strong advantage here.
The report also says that “on paper,” that district should be the Democrats’ “best pick-up opportunity” in Ohio. But the rating added: “GOP Rep. Mike Turner has consistently won reelection by comfortable margins.”
In response to questions from the Dayton Daily News, Turner agreed his district is competitive.
“I think that’s what makes it an exciting and viable community, it’s what makes my voice so important,” he said. “I’m endorsed by Donald Trump but at the same time I think I’m able to balance my voice being important for the community and for representing all of the 10th District.”
Turner won the district by 18 points in 2024, beating Democratic challenger Amy Cox, an out-of-district scientist and former school teacher from Eaton. President Trump won the district by six points.
“He is a really tough target,” Erin Covey, who analyzes House races for the Cook Political Report, told the Dayton Daily News last month.
A Democrat from Cincinnati named Manuel Foggie withdrew petitions for the seat in December. More candidates may file by the Feb. 4 deadline for the Nov. 3 race.
In April the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) identified the 10th Congressional district as a “district in play” — a Republican-held district viewed as competitive.
The Dayton Daily News asked a representative of the DCCC for a reaction to Turner’s announcement.
“Democrats would probably only make a serious effort at flipping this seat if Turner retired,” the Cook report says.
Turner is not retiring, but he has had some challenging moments in the past couple of years. In February 2024, some urged Turner, then the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, to step down from the chairmanship over his public but initially non-specific warnings about classified national security threats. Observers outside Congress also urged House Speaker Mike Johnson at the time to replace him, news journal Politico then reported.
Last January, in a surprise shake-up that seized national attention, Johnson removed Turner from the high-profile Intelligence post.
Turner had been the top Republican on the committee since the start of 2023 when he had been chosen by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy for the role. He had served on the committee since 2015.
Turner had been Dayton’s first elected official to serve in a leadership role on a national security committee in the House.
The Belmont High School graduate has long been a prominent voice advocating for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and its missions. He is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and sits on the powerful Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Turner also engineered Dayton’s hosting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Spring Session from May 22 to 26 last year, marking the first time the U.S. has hosted the assembly since 2003.
Turner picked up his petition to run in November, according to the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
Primary elections are May 5 (early in-person voting starts April 7) and the general election is Nov. 3, with early in-person voting starting Oct. 6.
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