WASHINGTON, D.C. — 100 days in, freshman Ohio Congressman Greg Landsman is gradually adjusting to life on Capitol Hill.

What You Need To Know

  • Freshman Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman spent his first 100 days in Congress trying out a uniquely transparent approach to the job

  • In an interview with Spectrum News, Landsman explained that holding town halls, discussing his votes, and even posing for photographs to explain his tattoos is his attempt to build trust with his constituents

  • Landsman beat longtime Republican Congressman Steve Chabot in a race that got national attention last year
  • He’s already gearing up for a tough reelection fight in 2024

The former Cincinnati City Council member and teacher campaigned on a platform of restoring normalcy to Washington and ending the chaos. How does he think it’s going so far?

“I mean, look, I think there is some hope,” Landsman said with a smile in a recent interview with Spectrum News.

After beating longtime Republican Rep. Steve Chabot in a nationally-watched race last year, Landsman’s time in office started out in an unusual way – participating in the historic and lengthy vote to elect a House Speaker.

The Democrat regularly accuses Republican leaders of being extreme and chaotic, but said this about his fellow freshmen in both parties.

“The folks that I got elected with in 2022, really to a person, are all very normal folks who I think will represent a kind of new generation of really normal leaders,” Landsman said.

So far, he’s been assigned to serve on the House Small Business and Veterans’ Affairs Committees. Landman has also introduced legislation to cap the cost of insulin for children, cosponsored a rail safety measure after the derailment in East Palestine, and signed on to several gun safety bills.

Following the mass shooting this month at a Nashville school, Landsman, a former educator, tweeted, “Ban these f–cking weapons and get them out of our country.”

“Yeah, I think it was a normal reaction. I think that's how most of us are feeling right now,” he told Spectrum News.

Landsman has tried hard to be transparent with voters.

He’s already held five in-person town halls, released videos explaining his policy positions, and published a 100-day tracker on his website so constituents can see what he and his staff are actually up to. 

His transparency extended to posing for photos in the Cincinnati Enquirer to explain the meaning behind his tattoos. 

“In addition to wanting to be a new type of national leader – fully transparent, accountable, bipartisan, reliable – to me, this is at the heart of fixing politics and restoring trust,” Landsman said of his approach.

He’s also joined the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and has personally met with at least eight of his GOP colleagues to try to form relationships.

It’s an acknowledgment that Landsman’s Southwest Ohio district remains competitive and could be redrawn this year to be even tougher for the Democrat to win reelection.

Landsman has wasted no time preparing for that next election – he announced Tuesday he has raised $420,000 so far.

He hopes constituents will appreciate his efforts to be upfront, open, and accessible.

“I'm committed to doing it really, really well so that people get the help they need. And, you know, if you do that, people will return you,” Landsman said.