Four candidates are running in Ohio’s 1st Congressional District’s Republican primary.
The candidates are former CIA officer Eric Conroy, former businesswoman Holly Adams, nonprofit CEO Rosemary Oglesby-Henry, and dentist Steven Erbeck.
Republican voters in the Southwest Ohio district will cast their ballots in Ohio’s Primary Election on May 5.
Ohio Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman of Cincinnati is running for reelection and will face Damon Lynch IV in the Democratic primary.
The Cook Political Report labels this district’s race as a toss-up.
The Ohio Redistricting Commission unanimously passed a new congressional map in October, increasing the Republican advantage in the state 12-3. Republicans currently hold 10 out of 15 Ohio U.S. Congressional districts.
Holly Adams
Adams was born and raised in Hamilton. She earned a business and marketing degree from Bowling Green State University and worked nearly three decades in sales.
She worked with TPUSA Faith, part of Charlie Kirk’s organization, from 2022 to 2024.
“I believe we need leaders with a big heart who put people over politics,” Adams said in her campaign video.
“I’m running to make our communities safer, protect your wallet, secure your border, protect law enforcement and bring accountability back to Washington.”
Eric Conroy
Conroy grew up in Cincinnati, attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as an intelligence officer overseas and became a captain in the Air Force. He then joined the Central Intelligence Agency and served as a case officer.
“I’ve fought in dangerous and distant places, but my mind was always on home,” Conroy said in his campaign video. “Now the threats may be different, but the stakes are just as high.”
Steven Erbeck
Erbeck was born and raised in Mason and is a fourth-generation dentist. He has degrees from Ohio State University and New York University’s College of Dentistry.
“I’m not a career politician,” he said in his campaign video. “I’m a small business owner who knows what it takes to create jobs and raise a family and build something that lasts. Greater Cincinnati deserves bold, conservative leadership, grounded in real world experiences with ideas that support President Trump and help families and businesses thrive.”
Rosemary Oglesby-Henry
Oglesby-Henry is from Cincinnati and graduated from Mount St. Joseph University. She founded Rosemary’s Babies Co., which promotes self-sufficiency for teen parents. She is the owner of Petals Playhouse & Activity Center, an indoor playground.
“I know what it’s like to not have,” she said in her campaign video. “… I also understand what resilience is, what faith is, what it means to push forward beyond anything else. That’s what makes me very different from the other candidates. I know what it’s like and I have the grit to be able to sit at the table and make things happen.”
Questionnaire
The Ohio Capital Journal sent a questionnaire to all of the Republican candidates and all of the candidates except Erbeck sent back responses.
The candidates’ answers to the questionnaire have been shortened for brevity.
Why are you running for Ohio’s 1st congressional district?
Adams: “I am running for Congress because I don’t believe Greg Landsman represents the values of Ohio’s First District. … President Trump has begun the hard work of fixing the damage done during the Biden years, but that work is not finished. We still have to tame inflation, secure our border, strengthen our military, and stop the radical agenda coming out of Washington. I’m running because I believe the job isn’t done yet—and I’m ready to help finish it. And sometimes, when Washington has made such a mess of things, it takes a woman willing to roll up her sleeves and clean it up.”
Conroy: “I’m running because Southwest Ohio deserves a representative who actually works for them … I spent my career in Special Operations and as a CIA Case Officer completing missions that protected this country. Now I want to bring that same commitment and discipline to Congress — to fight for lower taxes, safer communities, strong borders, and an economy that works for working families in this district.”
Oglesby-Henry: “I’m running for Congress because I believe leadership should be measured by results, not titles. … The approach I’m bringing to Congress is the Rosemary Red Standard governance built on measurable return on investment, accountability, and local solutions that actually work. This campaign is rooted in a simple mission: Babies. Businesses. Ohio First. I’m running to flip this seat Rosemary Red so Southwest Ohio has leadership that understands what it means to build something that works by a candidate who was Made in Ohio but Built Different.”
What’s one thing you want voters to know about you that they can’t learn from reading your biography?
Adams: “What voters may not see on a resume is how seriously I take the responsibility of representing this district. I’m not running for Congress to build a political career or to use this office as a stepping stone to something else. I’m running because I believe public service is a calling.”
Conroy: “I grew up in a blue-collar household on Cincinnati’s West Side, where you learned the value of hard work, personal responsibility and love of country before you learned anything else. That never left me. I wasn’t born into privilege or connections. Everything I’ve achieved came from the values this community instilled in me, and those are the values I’ll carry into Congress every single day.”
Oglesby-Henry: “I have lived through many of the challenges families in this district face: poverty, instability, and violence in the communities where I grew up. Those experiences shaped how I approach leadership and public service. I didn’t learn these issues from policy briefings. I learned them from life.”
The Cook Political Report labels this district’s race a toss-up. Can you talk about the importance of this race and why it is important for you to flip the district Republican?
Adams: “Ohio’s First District is one of the most competitive seats in the country, and it could very well determine which party controls the House of Representatives. That’s why this race matters not just to Southwest Ohio, but to the entire nation. … This race is about restoring common sense leadership and making sure our district has a voice in Washington that truly represents our values.”
Conroy: “This race matters enormously, both for Southwest Ohio and for the country. … The people of this district are conservative at heart. They believe in hard work, personal responsibility, safe communities, and American strength.”
Oglesby-Henry: “This race matters because the district deserves leadership focused on practical solutions rather than partisan positioning. … My campaign centers on the Rosemary Red Standard, a policy framework built on measurable outcomes. It focuses on strengthening families, expanding Main Street business ownership, developing workforce housing, preparing workers for the digital economy, and delivering preventive health and food access services more efficiently.”
This is your first time running for office — what would you say to voters who might characterize you as inexperienced politically?
Adams: “I’m not a career politician—and I believe that’s a strength, not a weakness. I come from the real world where decisions have consequences, budgets have to balance, and results actually matter. I understand what families and small businesses in Southwest Ohio are dealing with because I live it too.”
Conroy: “I’d say they’re right. … But I have led men and women on military assignments, run high-risk intelligence operations in hostile environments, and made consequential decisions under pressure where the cost of failure was measured in lives, not poll numbers. That’s not inexperience. That’s a different kind of experience.”
Oglesby-Henry: “Voters today are looking for a different kind of experience. … What (Washington) needs more of are builders: people who understand what it takes to start something, sustain it, and make it work long-term.”