State Representative

District: Ohio House District 65

Vote for 1; 2-year term. District 65 includes parts of Ashtabula and Trumbull counties. Use the address lookup to identify your district and confirm your official sample ballot.

Candidate list checked 2026-10-11 against Ashtabula County BOE

Candidates (2)

Candidate statements, official records, and guide summaries are labeled below. A linked source identifies the basis for that specific claim; a pending label means the claim has not yet been individually checked.

Compare all 2 candidates side by sideOpen comparison

Each candidate is shown in the same column so you can scan their backgrounds, statements, records, and sourced views in one place. On a small screen, scroll the table sideways.

About ballot issue views: A candidate's stated position appears only when we have a source for it. An empty entry means this guide has not added a sourced statement; it does not mean the candidate is undecided.

All candidates for State Representative compared by background, campaign statements, voting record, and sourced ballot issue views.
Compare	John Barbo Democrat	David Thomas Republican Incumbent
Background	Geneva City Council President and a second-term council member; science teacher and department chair at Geneva High School, where he says he is in his 29th year. He is running for Ohio House District 65. John Barbo campaign biography · City of Geneva City Council roster Evidence type: candidate statement · Campaign-reported background; the city roster independently confirms his council seat and presidency.	Incumbent State Representative for District 65, serving his first House term. Previously served as Ashtabula County Auditor and Austinburg Township Fiscal Officer. The district includes portions of Ashtabula and Trumbull counties. Ohio House official biography: David Thomas Evidence type: official record · The Ohio House biography confirms his first House term, District 65, prior county auditor service, and Austinburg Township fiscal-officer service.
Campaign statements	Ideastream published this candidate's responses as submitted and says responses were not uniformly fact-checked. Fully implement Ohio's bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan; says this could reduce reliance on local school levies. Ideastream Public Media, Ohio House District 65 candidate responses (submitted as written) · John Barbo campaign priorities Evidence type: candidate statement · Candidate response; Ideastream says responses were published as submitted and were not uniformly fact-checked. His campaign site also lists this priority. End Ohio's EdChoice voucher program. Ideastream Public Media, Ohio House District 65 candidate responses (submitted as written) Evidence type: candidate statement · Candidate response published by Ideastream; not independently verified as a policy outcome. End tax breaks for data centers, give communities information and decision-making power over proposed projects, and prevent their electricity costs from being passed to Ohioans. Ideastream Public Media, Ohio House District 65 candidate responses (submitted as written) · John Barbo campaign priorities Evidence type: candidate statement · Candidate response and campaign priority; these links support what he says he would do, not the factual framing around data-center tax breaks. Address cost-of-living pressures through SNAP and WIC, local agriculture, child-care affordability, utility bills, and housing supply. Ideastream Public Media, Ohio House District 65 candidate responses (submitted as written) Evidence type: candidate statement · Candidate response published by Ideastream; not an independently verified policy plan. Improve transparency by keeping constituents and local officials involved and opposing major bill changes added after debate. Ideastream Public Media, Ohio House District 65 candidate responses (submitted as written) Evidence type: candidate statement · Candidate response published by Ideastream; not an independently verified policy plan.	Ideastream reports that it contacted every candidate three times but did not receive a response from this candidate. That describes this guide's outreach; it does not mean the candidate has no public positions.
Voting record	This guide does not include votes from the Ohio General Assembly for Barbo. The City of Geneva lists his current council seat; this guide has not compiled the council roll-call record. City of Geneva City Council roster · Ohio House District 65 candidate responses, Ideastream Public Media Evidence type: editorial summary · This describes the guide's record coverage. The Ohio House vote history is not provided; the City of Geneva roster confirms his local council seat. Serves on Geneva City Council; this guide has not compiled a comparable roll-call record from council. City of Geneva City Council roster Evidence type: official record · The City of Geneva lists Barbo on City Council. This guide has not audited council roll-call votes.	Primary-sponsored bills include HB 61 (homestead exemption and owner-occupancy tax credit), HB 124 (property-tax sales-assessment ratio studies), HB 129 (limits reallocation of certain school property-tax millage), and HB 158 (utility-billing transparency). Sponsorship does not by itself show a bill became law. Ohio House official primary-sponsored bills: David Thomas Evidence type: official record · The Ohio House identifies these as primary-sponsored bills; sponsorship does not mean enactment.
Stated views on ballot issues	No source-backed candidate statement on a ballot issue has been added to this guide.	No source-backed candidate statement on a ballot issue has been added to this guide.
Research sources	Ashtabula County BOE official 2026 candidate list (revised 9/15/26) Ideastream Public Media 2026 District 65 voter guide John Barbo campaign priorities John Barbo campaign biography City of Geneva City Council	Ashtabula County BOE official 2026 candidate list (revised 9/15/26) Ohio House of Representatives: David Thomas biography and district Ohio House of Representatives: David Thomas legislation Ideastream Public Media 2026 District 65 voter guide

John Barbo Democrat

View John Barbo’s candidate profile and sources

Ideastream published this candidate's responses as submitted and says responses were not uniformly fact-checked.

Mark as my choice

Background

Geneva City Council President and a second-term council member; science teacher and department chair at Geneva High School, where he says he is in his 29th year. He is running for Ohio House District 65. John Barbo campaign biography · City of Geneva City Council roster Evidence type: candidate statement · Campaign-reported background; the city roster independently confirms his council seat and presidency.

Campaign Promises & Positions

Fully implement Ohio's bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan; says this could reduce reliance on local school levies. Ideastream Public Media, Ohio House District 65 candidate responses (submitted as written) · John Barbo campaign priorities Evidence type: candidate statement · Candidate response; Ideastream says responses were published as submitted and were not uniformly fact-checked. His campaign site also lists this priority.
End Ohio's EdChoice voucher program. Ideastream Public Media, Ohio House District 65 candidate responses (submitted as written) Evidence type: candidate statement · Candidate response published by Ideastream; not independently verified as a policy outcome.
End tax breaks for data centers, give communities information and decision-making power over proposed projects, and prevent their electricity costs from being passed to Ohioans. Ideastream Public Media, Ohio House District 65 candidate responses (submitted as written) · John Barbo campaign priorities Evidence type: candidate statement · Candidate response and campaign priority; these links support what he says he would do, not the factual framing around data-center tax breaks.
Address cost-of-living pressures through SNAP and WIC, local agriculture, child-care affordability, utility bills, and housing supply. Ideastream Public Media, Ohio House District 65 candidate responses (submitted as written) Evidence type: candidate statement · Candidate response published by Ideastream; not an independently verified policy plan.
Improve transparency by keeping constituents and local officials involved and opposing major bill changes added after debate. Ideastream Public Media, Ohio House District 65 candidate responses (submitted as written) Evidence type: candidate statement · Candidate response published by Ideastream; not an independently verified policy plan.

Voting Record

This guide does not include votes from the Ohio General Assembly for Barbo. The City of Geneva lists his current council seat; this guide has not compiled the council roll-call record. City of Geneva City Council roster · Ohio House District 65 candidate responses, Ideastream Public Media Evidence type: editorial summary · This describes the guide's record coverage. The Ohio House vote history is not provided; the City of Geneva roster confirms his local council seat.
Serves on Geneva City Council; this guide has not compiled a comparable roll-call record from council. City of Geneva City Council roster Evidence type: official record · The City of Geneva lists Barbo on City Council. This guide has not audited council roll-call votes.

Stated Views on Ballot Issues

No source-backed candidate statement on a ballot issue has been added to this guide. That does not mean the candidate is undecided.

Promise vs. Record

This guide does not compare Barbo’s sourced candidate responses to a state legislative vote history. The City of Geneva roster confirms his council seat, but local council votes are not included here. Ohio House District 65 candidate responses, Ideastream Public Media · City of Geneva City Council roster Evidence type: editorial summary · This limits the comparison to sourced candidate responses; a separate audit of local council votes is not included.

Candidate research sources:

David Thomas Republican Incumbent

View David Thomas’s candidate profile and sources

Ideastream reports that it contacted every candidate three times but did not receive a response from this candidate. That describes this guide's outreach; it does not mean the candidate has no public positions.

Mark as my choice

Background

Incumbent State Representative for District 65, serving his first House term. Previously served as Ashtabula County Auditor and Austinburg Township Fiscal Officer. The district includes portions of Ashtabula and Trumbull counties. Ohio House official biography: David Thomas Evidence type: official record · The Ohio House biography confirms his first House term, District 65, prior county auditor service, and Austinburg Township fiscal-officer service.

Voting Record

Primary-sponsored bills include HB 61 (homestead exemption and owner-occupancy tax credit), HB 124 (property-tax sales-assessment ratio studies), HB 129 (limits reallocation of certain school property-tax millage), and HB 158 (utility-billing transparency). Sponsorship does not by itself show a bill became law. Ohio House official primary-sponsored bills: David Thomas Evidence type: official record · The Ohio House identifies these as primary-sponsored bills; sponsorship does not mean enactment.

Stated Views on Ballot Issues

No source-backed candidate statement on a ballot issue has been added to this guide. That does not mean the candidate is undecided.

Promise vs. Record

The listed bill sponsorships show legislative activity; they do not establish his position on every issue or whether sponsored bills became law. Ohio House official primary-sponsored bills: David Thomas Evidence type: editorial summary · Editorial reading of the official sponsorship list; this does not establish his position on every issue or whether a sponsored bill became law.

Candidate research sources:

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