Ohio 15th District Voter Guide: Carey, Leonard and Barrington on the Cost of Living and Housing
Four candidates are on the Nov. 3 ballot in Ohio's 15th Congressional District, according to the Franklin County Board of Elections: Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Carey of Columbus, who has held the seat since 2021; Democrat Don Leonard, a former Ohio State University professor from west Columbus; Libertarian Brennan Barrington; and Gary Josephson, who has no party label. The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares where Carey, Leonard and Barrington stand on the cost of living and housing.
Carey's campaign says the redrawn district now includes all of Highland, Fayette, Madison and Pickaway counties, plus parts of Clark, Franklin and Miami counties. Wikipedia's summary of the new map says it takes in western, southern and some northern Columbus suburbs, including Dublin, Hilliard and Grove City. Carey was re-elected in 2024 with 56.5 percent of the vote under the old lines, according to Wikipedia's summary of the results.
The Franklin County Board of Elections' certified candidate list, revised Oct. 16, lists Josephson as a candidate without a party label and Samuel Ronan as a certified write-in candidate. Write-in names do not appear on the printed ballot.
Why the Cost of Living and Housing Are Issues in Ohio's 15th District
The Cook Political Report rates the race Lean Republican in its Oct. 23, 2026 ratings, after WOSU reported on Oct. 5 that Cook had it at Likely Republican. Inside Elections rates it Likely Republican, a rating it set on Oct. 1, 2026. Sabato's Crystal Ball lists it as Likely Republican, as of Sept. 29, 2026, according to Wikipedia's ratings table.
Every public poll The Digital Free Press found was conducted by Hart Research, a Democratic firm, for House Majority PAC, a group that works to elect Democrats, or for Leonard's campaign. The most recent, taken Oct. 9 to 12 among 503 likely voters, had Leonard at 48 percent and Carey at 45 percent, according to Wikipedia's polling table. An August poll for Leonard's campaign had Carey at 41 percent, Leonard at 37 percent and Barrington at 10 percent. No independent or Republican poll was found.
On the cost of living, the TDFP video says Carey "supports extending and expanding tax relief for working families and small businesses." It says Leonard "wants a Medicare type public option and lower private health insurance costs" and "says no Ohio family should spend more than 7% of monthly income on quality child care." It says Barrington "would oppose tariffs and foreign wars, which he says raise prices," and "supports deregulating housing, education, and child care to increase supply, rather than subsidized demand."
On housing, the video says Carey "backs a new middle-income housing tax credit and expanding the low-income housing tax credit to encourage more affordable rental homes." It says Leonard "supports a 21st century GI bill for housing," with "public investment and doubling the rate of starter home construction." It says Barrington "supports easing high-rise construction and spare room rentals where people want to live" and "would tax land appreciation profits more and regular capital gains less to discourage speculation."
Mike Carey (Republican, Incumbent)
Carey serves on the House Ways and Means Committee. Before Congress, he spent more than 20 years working for one of the nation's largest privately owned energy companies, his campaign site says; WOSU describes him as a former coal lobbyist. WOSU reported that Carey had not answered its interview requests, and the Troy Area Chamber of Commerce reported receiving no response to its candidate questionnaire.
On the cost of living, Carey's House website says: "After years of stubborn inflation, American families and small businesses need tax relief to make ends meet today and plan for tomorrow." In January, he voted to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits. "Close to 45,000 Ohioans in our district currently have these plans, and I want to make sure that they do not lose access to a plan that they have relied on as Congress continues addressing the high cost of health care," he said in a statement, adding that "the failed Obamacare policies" had raised premiums.
On housing, Carey's House website says he introduced the Workforce Housing Tax Credit Act, "which will establish the first-ever middle-income housing tax credit, which is expected to finance 344,000 affordable rental homes." It says he supported the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, "which expanded the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit from 9 percent to 12.5 percent."
Don Leonard (Democrat)
Leonard taught city and regional planning at Ohio State and served in the Peace Corps, his campaign site says. He told the Troy Area Chamber of Commerce he "was raised by a single mother and was lifted up by government programs like Medicaid." Republican mailers attack him over his arrest at a March 28 "No Kings" protest in Grove City, WOSU reported; asked whether he stands by his actions that day, Leonard told WOSU, "One hundred percent."
On the cost of living, Leonard told WOSU: "What we see in America right now is an economy that no longer works for the people that create wealth." His campaign site says "one job should be enough to buy a home, raise a family, and retire with dignity," and calls for "universal healthcare, affordable childcare, paid family leave." He told the Troy chamber that helping small businesses "means we must end the reckless tariff policies that have added costs to small businesses."
On housing, Leonard told the Troy chamber that instead of tax abatements for data centers, "we can innovate with upgrades to our public transit systems and build new affordable starter homes to solve the problem of a housing shortage. That is why I would co-sponsor a 21st century GI Bill for housing that would provide good union jobs and public investment in our area."
Brennan Barrington (Libertarian)
Barrington holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Ohio State University, his campaign site says. He told the Troy chamber that he, unlike the major-party candidates, would not spend hours a day raising campaign money.
On the cost of living, Barrington's campaign platform says "President Trump's capricious tariffs, and his unconstitutional and unnecessary war on Iran, have caused major economic disruptions and hence higher prices," and that ending them "is low-hanging fruit for lowering the costs of consumer goods." He told the Troy chamber that small businesses are helped by "reducing taxes, regulation, and arbitrary interference with commerce."
On housing, his platform says "we do not have a rise in 'cost of living'; we have a rise in the cost of housing." It says "any federal funding should be conditioned on eliminating legal barriers to high-density housing construction and use where demand for it exists," and that "subsidies and rent controls proposed by some left-wing candidates do not reduce the costs; they only shift them."
Where to Follow the Candidates
Mike Carey: @MikeCareyOH15 on X. Don Leonard: @donforohio on X. Brennan Barrington: barrington.lpo.org.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Ohio voters can check their registration and district at voteohio.gov. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: WOSU (Oct. 5, 2026): https://www.wosu.org/politics-government/2026-10-05/do-something-democrat-don-leonard-hopes-to-flip-the-script-in-ohios-15th-congressional-district ; Troy Area Chamber of Commerce, U.S. House District 15 voter guide: https://www.troyohiochamber.com/us-district-15-voter-guide/ ; Rep. Carey, priorities: https://carey.house.gov/priorities/ ; Rep. Carey, housing affordability: https://carey.house.gov/priorities/housing-affordability/ ; Rep. Carey, ACA tax credit statement (Jan. 8, 2026): https://carey.house.gov/2026/01/08/carey-statement-on-unaffordable-aca-subsidy-extension-vote/ ; Carey for Congress: https://www.careyforcongress.com/meet-mike-carey ; Don Leonard for Congress: https://donforohio.com/values ; Don Leonard, bio: https://donforohio.com/bio ; Barrington for Ohio, platform: https://barrington.lpo.org/platform/ ; Barrington for Ohio, about: https://barrington.lpo.org/about-me/ ; Franklin County Board of Elections, 2026 general election candidate list: https://vote.franklincountyohio.gov/getmedia/e0a4ca45-6893-45c1-8190-87696f8804b4/2026-General-Candidate-List-5 ; Cook Political Report House ratings: https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings ; Inside Elections House ratings: https://insideelections.com/ratings/house ; Wikipedia, 2026 U.S. House elections in Ohio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Ohio ; Ohio Secretary of State: https://www.voteohio.gov/
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