Here are the candidates Summit County voters will see on their May 5 primary ballots for federal office, including the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, with information provided to Signal Akron by the Akron Area League of Women Voters for our 2026 May 5 Primary Election Voter Guide.
Each of the candidates was asked to provide basic information and answer questions — if they did not return information it is noted. All of the responses to the questions are unedited and appear as they were submitted.
In a primary election, candidates from each political party are selected for the general election.
To see candidates for Summit County judge and Summit County Council, go here.
U.S. Senate
Represents the people of Ohio and the US in dealing with matters of national and international importance. The general welfare should be a prime concern.
No. to be elected: 1 | Salary: $174,000 | Term: Unexpired term ending 1-3-29
Sherrod Brown
Party: Democratic
Editor’s note: The candidate did not respond in time for publication. For the most up-to-date candidate responses, visit vote411.org.
Jon Husted
Party: Republican
Editor’s note: The candidate did not respond in time for publication. For the most up-to-date candidate responses, visit vote411.org.
Jeffery M. Kanter
Party: Libertarian
Editor’s note: The candidate did not respond in time for publication. For the most up-to-date candidate responses, visit vote411.org.
Ronald Kincaid
Party: Democratic
Website: kincaidforsenate.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KincaidForSenate
Education: BA in Economics, University of Kentucky (health‑economics capstone); continued studies in econometrics at Ohio State.
Training and experience: For more than 30 years, I worked as an IT consultant and small‑business owner helping Ohio companies solve technology and operational challenges, including consulting engagements in health care and health insurance. I’ve also spent decades advocating for families of children with autism, helping establish Medicaid waiver services that expanded access to care in Ohio. Today, I continue to serve by coaching Special Olympics athletes and supporting autism initiatives in our community.
Volunteer/community service: Special Olympics; Dr. Mary Trust for Autism
What changes would you make, if any, to voting and elections policy?
I believe voting should be simple, secure, and accessible for every eligible American. That means automatic voter registration so people are registered unless they choose not to be, and secure online registration so updating your information is quick and hassle‑free.
We should expand early voting nationwide, giving working families, students, and seniors real flexibility to cast a ballot. And we need a National Voting Day holiday, so no one in this country ever has to choose between their paycheck and their right to vote.
Finally, protecting our democracy means protecting our elections from big money. I support a constitutional amendment to end dark money and limit corporate influence, so voters — not hidden donors — decide our future.
How would you address concerns about the rising cost of living?
The cost of living is squeezing working families. My American Dividend Plan puts money back in people’s pockets with a guaranteed monthly payment to working‑class Americans.
We also need to stop making life more expensive through bad policy, including politically driven tariffs that raise prices and hit farmers hard.
Affordability means building a system where people aren’t punished by rising costs they can’t control, and my plan delivers that.
How would you reduce hyperpartisanship and promote civility?
We’ve reached a point where too much of our politics is about who gets credit instead of what actually works. It’s time to stop fighting over which party has the idea and start focusing on whether the idea solves a real problem.
I’ve spent my life working with people who didn’t agree with me at first. When I worked on Ohio’s Medicaid Waiver for children with autism, some parent groups were firmly opposed – dead set against actually. We listened, worked through concerns, and those same parents became our strongest allies.
That experience taught me something essential: when you treat people with respect and focus on solutions instead of sides, you can build coalitions that last. That’s the kind of politics I believe in, and it’s the kind I’ll fight for.
State your position on foreign policy and national security
America must lead the world by example — defending democracy, human rights, and the rule of law at home and abroad.
Our alliances, especially NATO, are strongest when America is steady and principled. Leadership also means using diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and international cooperation before force.
And in a world shaped by AI, cyber threats, and economic coercion, we must protect our digital infrastructure and strengthen our economic resilience. Leading by example keeps our country safe and our values intact.
What changes would you make, if any, to immigration policy?
America has always been strengthened by immigrants, and our policy should reflect that we welcome those who want to build a life here. At the same time, the system must be orderly and functional.
We need secure borders, modern technology, and significantly faster immigration hearings so people receive timely decisions instead of waiting years. Legal worker programs should be expanded and simplified so employers, including Ohio farmers who rely on seasonal labor, can hire lawfully.
Law enforcement should focus on serious criminals such as traffickers and gang leaders, not on sweeping actions that divide communities.
Smart immigration policy means combining humane values, efficient legal pathways, and strong but targeted enforcement.
William B. Redpath
Party: Libertarian
Website: billredpath.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BillRedpathForSenate
Twitter/X: @BillRedpath
Education: BA, Indiana University; MBA, The University of Chicago
Training and experience: Certified Public Accountant, Ohio & Illinois. Chartered Financial Analyst-Retired. Accredited Senior Appraiser, Business Valuation, American Society of Appraisers-Retired. Work Experience: Auditor or Accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co, Cincinnati; WISH-TV, Indianapolis; ABC & NBC, New York. Total: 5 years. Business Appraiser, specializing in Media & Telecommunications, with BIA Advisory Services, Washington, and Summit Ridge Group, New York & Chicago. Total: 38 years.
Volunteer/community service: Co-Editor, Ballot Access News and ballot-access.org. National Ballot Access Coordinator, Libertarian Party. Treasurer, Libertarian National Committee & Libertarian Party of Ohio. Former Chair, Libertarian National Committee.
What changes would you make, if any, to voting and elections policy?
A two party system is unnatural and only occurs through political repression, which we have in Ohio and the US because of very high signature requirements for non-R&D candidates to get on the ballot. Our Single Member Plurality (single member legislative districts, person with the most votes wins) voting system props up the two old and unpopular parties, because it boxes too many people into feeling they have to vote for “the lesser of two evils.” I support Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for single winner elections. But, elections for federal, state and local legislatures should be changed to either a system of “self-districting,” whereby voters select the district they want to be in, or a system with multimember districts elected through RCV. This would allow non-R&D candidates to be elected.
How would you address concerns about the rising cost of living?
Reduce Federal government spending. If not, we might have a debt crisis, the easiest response to which might be tolerating higher inflation.
End the Federal Reserve’s “dual mandate”: maximum employment and stable prices. Focus on an inflation rate no higher than 2% every year.
Repeal not just Trump’s tariffs, but all tariffs. I support a policy of unilateral free trade, which is a pro-consumer trade policy. We’re all consumers. It will also promote international peace.
President Trump just suspended the Jones Act, which is a protectionist maritime policy, for 60 days due to high oil prices. It should be totally repealed.
End product price support programs, like the sugar support system, which causes sugar to cost double the world average.
Terminate all corporate welfare and farm subsidies.
How would you reduce hyperpartisanship and promote civility?
I think hyperpartisanship and a lack of civility are largely due to the combination of our two party system, in which too many people feel they have to side with one of the two old parties, and the advent of social media and our highly siloed media platforms. Honestly, when was the last time you heard a real debate on either Fox News or MS NOW? I don’t think much can be done re: the media situation. There is a First Amendment, and Walter Cronkite isn’t walking through that door again. But, making changes to our electoral systems that would allow new and more diverse voices to be heard and elected to public offices will help the public understand that there are more than two opposing views to policy issues, which will give people alternative means to be politically effective.
State your position on foreign policy and national security
The United States now frequently behaves as a rogue nation, with its military attacks on several nations and threats to longtime allies, such as Canada and Denmark. This will make US citizens less safe over the long run.
I support a non-interventionist foreign policy, and only when the US homeland or territories are threatened, with very rare exceptions. That would allow us to cut the Defense budget.
We need to regain the moral high ground, with a renewed emphasis on human rights.
The Founders correctly made war declaration a committee decision. Congress must reassert its war powers.
The US should treat the Middle East with benign neglect. The “special relationship” with the government of Israel only leads the US into problems. We should treat Israel as we would any other allied nation.
What changes would you make, if any, to immigration policy?
I agree with Alex Nowrasteh of the Cato Institute:
“All immigration should be allowed except for a handful of people who fall into the categories of criminals, terrorists, the seriously ill, or others who would harm the life, liberty, and property of people here. Libertarian and classical liberal values, American Enlightenment values, our support of free market capitalism, and support for meritocracy all compel us to support free immigration.”
Open immigration would be the greatest anti-poverty program in history. Economist Michael Clemens has estimated that free immigration would increase the amount of global economic production, Gross World Product, by 50-150% – that’s $50-$150 trillion of extra production a year. The United States will benefit from a more open immigration system.
U.S. House District 13
Description: No. to be elected statewide: 15 | Salary: $174,000 | Term: 2 years
To represent the people of Ohio, their district, and the US in dealing with matters of national and international importance. The general welfare should be a prime concern
Margaret Elizabeth Briem
Party: Republican
Editor’s note: The candidate did not respond in time for publication. For the most up-to-date candidate responses, visit vote411.org.
Carey Coleman
Party: Republican
Editor’s note: The candidate did not respond in time for publication. For the most up-to-date candidate responses, visit vote411.org.
Sanjin Drakovac
Party: Republican
Editor’s note: The candidate did not respond in time for publication. For the most up-to-date candidate responses, visit vote411.org.
Neil Patel
Party: Republican
Editor’s note: The candidate did not respond in time for publication. For the most up-to-date candidate responses, visit vote411.org.
Kevin Siembida
Party: Republican
Editor’s note: The candidate did not respond in time for publication. For the most up-to-date candidate responses, visit vote411.org.
Emilia Sykes
Party: Democratic
Editor’s note: The candidate did not respond in time for publication. For the most up-to-date candidate responses, visit vote411.org.
