COLUMBUS, Ohio — A rare opportunity presenting itself in Ohio’s second congressional district this March. Republican U.S. Congressman Brad Wenstrup’s seat is up for grabs as he recently announced he will not seek reelection.

Political scientist Paul Beck said although both parties are eyeing the seat, the district is in favor of the Republican party.

What You Need To Know

• Ohio's second congressional district has 12 Republican candidates running 

• U.S. Congressman Brad Wenstrup is retiring, and his open seat is a path to Congress for candidates 

• The second congressional district has been predominantly Republican 

“It’s an open seat,” Paul Beck, professor emeritus at The Ohio State University said. “Which means both parties think they can win it for their party.” 

Whoever gets the seat could weigh heavily on the balance in Washington. At this time, 12 Republican candidates are already in the running to succeed Wenstrup. Many of the candidates have not previously run for public office before. However, there are a few candidates who have been elected to state office, such as Republican State Senators Shane Wilkin and Niraj Antani. 

“You have the potential for an interesting race from the perspective of control of Congress,” said Justin Buchler, political science professor at Case Western Reserve University. “So the important thing is going to be who gets it on or who gets the Republican nomination.” 

One recent candidate who is gaining attention is Republican Derek Myers, who is a former journalist. He has been scrutinized by people who say Myers posted a racist tweet aimed at Antani. The candidate has posted frequently on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“You have got Derek Myers who also is becoming more prominent partly because of the very controversial racist tweet that he put out on X recently about Antani running,” said Thomas Sutton, political science professor at Baldwin Wallace University. “Claiming he’s a foreigner because he lives outside of the district, but also making pretty strong allusions to his Indian-American heritage.”

Beck said candidates do not have to live in the district to run for a congressional seat.

“Now, voters are reluctant to vote for somebody who lives outside of a district and also the opposing candidates for the nomination,” Beck said.

Meanwhile, Beck said in the coming months, endorsements will become a very important factor to the future of the race. 

“Certainly, as we get into January and we begin to see who is endorsed there, Trump and his allies may weigh in to that race,” Beck said. “My guess is that there are a lot of candidates who would love to have the Trump endorsement. And the Trump endorsement, I think, will matter as Republican voters are fishing around for who they are to vote for in a crowded field of candidates.”