MANSFIELD — Ohio’s newest U.S. representative resulting from a contentious special election toured one of Richland County’s co-working spaces on Monday afternoon.
Rep. Troy Balderson, a Republican representing Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, met with Idea Works President Jay Allred for a tour of the space. Afterwards he spoke with Richland Source about his new job in Congress as well as meeting the president on a campaign that garnered national attention.
Balderson was elected in an Aug. 7 special election choosing a replacement for Rep. Pat Tiberi, a Republican who resigned from office on Oct. 19, 2017. Balderson beat Democrat Danny O’Connor by a wide margin in Richland County, but by only a slim margin district-wide.
Balderson will fulfill Tiberi’s unexpired term ending on Jan. 3, 2019, with a rematch on the horizon. The two candidates face the special primary and general election for the unexpired term, and the regular May primary and November election for the term beginning in 2019.
The 12th Congressional District encompasses northern Franklin County suburbs and all of Delaware, Morrow and Licking counties. It includes only parts of Marion, Muskingum and Richland counties. Richland County is split between the 7th and 12th Districts; there are 50 Richland County precincts in the 12th Congressional District versus 84 total precincts in Richland County.
Balderson is no stranger to start-ups – he served on the board of a start-up incubator in Muskingum County, where a handful of people went on to start successful businesses of their own. As such, he said he was impressed with the facilities offered at Idea Works in downtown Mansfield.
“These type of environments are great for start-ups, it gives them the opportunity to get out of their home and develop their small business,” he said. “It gives you a quiet environment to work, but also makes you feel good to come into a bright, clean area. You want to be here.”
Ohio’s economic future is a key focus for Balderson, less than two months into his new role. Some of Ohio’s assets he’d like to take advantage of include the state’s central location from east of the Mississippi to the eastern seaboard, as well as a large energy portfolio with advancements in natural gas and clean energy.
“From a manufacturing standpoint, we can do a lot of that here in Ohio – we have the resources, the expertise, and the educational outlets,” Balderson said. “We’re figuring out our new niche of what we can do, and that’s making Ohio so much more innovative. People know Ohio is open for business – that’s why we’re bouncing back.”
Currently Balderson is balancing learning his new role in Congress with continuing to campaign for his upcoming rematch against Danny O’Connor in November. Campaigning has served as a great resource to meet new people, he said, while working as the representative for the 12th Congressional District is much more nuanced.
“From the official side, now I can go in somewhere and understand what they’re doing, understand their struggles and issues and what makes them successful or unsuccessful, and what I can do for them from an official side,” Balderson said. “It’s kind of like making a wish list for the 12th Congressional District.”
Balderson also hopes to build relationships with other members of Congress on both sides of the partisan divide, and work closely with other members of Congress with similar values who serve districts similar to Ohio’s 12th.
So far, the campaign this time around has taken a much different cadence. Balderson expected a degree of national attention during the first race – he didn’t, however, expect personal attention from the president. In fact, he found out that President Donald Trump had officially endorsed him in the race via a Saturday night tweet.
“That was a shock,” Balderson said. “I found out I got the official tweet on a Saturday evening, someone had sent me the screenshot and I thought it was my buddies making something up.”
Balderson was endorsed by President Trump at a rally at Olentangy Orange High School the Saturday before the election. One thing that surprised him when meeting the president in person was his kindness towards kids and families, taking the time to meet as many people as possible before heading into the official rally.
“That was a side of him we don’t see, and I didn’t expect that,” Balderson said.
Leading up to the next election, Balderson is keeping his head down and focusing on the work ahead. He knows he has big shoes to fill after Tiberi’s 17-year tenure as the 12th District’s congressman, and he knows he has a long road ahead of him.
“I knew all along how it was going to be, I knew it was going to be tough, but I like it to be hard,” Balderson said. “It brings out the best in you when you really have to focus and it makes you appreciate it so much more.”
