CINCINNATI — A 13-term Republican congressman from Cincinnati is facing one of his toughest reelection campaigns yet.

Rep. Steve Chabot has defied the odds before, but this time he faces Democratic Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Landsman in a newly drawn district that supported Joe Biden over Donald Trump in 2020.

Since the 1990s, Chabot has been knocking on voters’ doors throughout southwest Ohio. He’s running for a 14th term, arguing Republicans must take back the House to stop Democrats.

“We need to reverse those policies. The things that I stand for, I believe, would reverse those policies,” Chabot told Spectrum News in a recent sit-down in his campaign headquarters.

The full interview with Rep. Steve Chabot can be viewed below or click here to read a full transcript.

Landsman, the Democrat, feels his party is just getting started.

The councilman said he’s focused on local issues that matter, while Chabot pays more attention to politics in D.C.

“We have the ability, this November, to elect somebody who’s going to be focused entirely on Cincinnati and the region. And we haven’t had that,” Landsman told Spectrum News at his campaign office.

The full interview with Greg Landsman can be viewed below or click here to read a full transcript.

For the last 10 years, Ohio’s 1st Congressional District has been anchored in Warren County and part of Hamilton County. It produced enough Republican votes to counterbalance the parts of Democratic-leaning Cincinnati in the district.

But the new 1st District, created by redistricting, now includes the entire Queen City, giving Democrats a 2% registration edge.

Landsman hopes his work as a councilman will translate into votes, but Chabot is trying to use it against him.

Chabot accuses Landsman of trying to defund the Cincinnati Police Department in 2020, as protests broke out after George Floyd was murdered, because he proposed shifting $200,000 to a police accountability program. Records show Landsman has consistently voted to increase the city’s police budget.

Chabot also highlights that Landsman was involved in the so-called “Gang of Five” text message scandal, where he and four other council members violated Ohio’s open meeting act by privately texting about city business.

“Most people know I had a very minimal role and took full accountability… it pales in comparison to voting to overturn an election moments after the attack on the Capitol,” Landsman said.

Landsman referenced Chabot voting against certifying Pennsylvania’s electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021, after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol.

Chabot said he condemns the violence on that day, but he stands by a claim that courts have rejected.

“That doesn’t change the fact that in Pennsylvania, in particular, there were unconstitutional actions which took place there and I didn’t think in good faith that we could certify those electors,” Chabot said.

Does he agree with Trump’s baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen?

“That’s not a term that I’ve ever used, but I do think that there were irregularities in that election cycle,” Chabot told Spectrum News.

Landsman calls Chabot a threat to democracy and argues the district’s voters want democracy, and freedoms like the right to an abortion, protected.

He also knocks Chabot for voting against the bipartisan infrastructure law, which is expected to finally help fund an overhaul of the aging Brent Spence Bridge.

“People see him as somebody who just does what the party tells him to do. And that’s become quite dangerous,” Landsman said.

Chabot said the infrastructure bill, in his opinion, paved the way for Democrats to push through their climate and health care package, which he also opposed.

He defends signing onto a letter applying for funding for the Brent Spence Bridge from the bill he voted against.

“When legislation passes, it’s your responsibility as a member of Congress to do everything within your power to make sure that your district gets as much help as they possibly can,” Chabot said.

Khisha Asubuhi, who owns a small clothing business in Cincinnati that Landsman visited on a campaign stop, said Chabot has been in office for too long.

“I think it’s time for a change,” she said. “I mean, I’ve met him before. I don’t really know him like that. But I don’t know what he’s done that’s helped people like me.”

Troy Parker said Chabot played a big role in helping his labor and cleaning company stay afloat during the height of the pandemic, thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program that Chabot helped to create as the top Republican on the House Small Business Committee.

“All I can go on is the issues that I’ve dealt with him on. And he’s always been fair and open-minded,” Parker said, after meeting with Chabot for a check-in.

How many voters feel like Asubuhi, and how many agree with Parker, will determine who represents the district beginning in January.