Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat, is running for reelection to represent Ohio's 3rd Congressional District in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Republican Cleophus Dulaney.

The district covers parts of the Columbus metro area, including New Albany and Gahanna.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio 3rd Congressional District
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in speech from Central State University; master's degree in counseling psychology from Wright State University (1975); completed all doctoral requirements except the dissertation at the University of Cincinnati, according to her congressional biography. She holds honorary doctorates from Ohio Dominican University, Capital University, Central State University and The Ohio State University.
  • Community involvement: Active in The Links, Inc.; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; the National Coalition of 100 Black Women; the Columbus Urban League; and the American Heart Association, where she previously served on the board and as a national spokesperson, according to her congressional biography.

Experience and public service

Beatty has represented Ohio's 3rd Congressional District since 2013, according to BallotReady profile data. Before that, she served in the Ohio House of Representatives for District 27 from 1999 to 2008. During her time in the Ohio House, she became the first female Democratic House leader in Ohio's history, according to her congressional biography.

She previously worked as senior vice president of outreach and engagement at The Ohio State University, according to BallotReady.

In Congress, Beatty serves as ranking member of the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions on the House Committee on Financial Services. She chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2021 to 2023 and serves as associate chair of the Democratic National Committee and a member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, according to her congressional biography.

Beatty said on her campaign website that she was the first African American woman to chair the Columbus Urban League Board. She also said she introduced a bill modeled after the NFL's "Rooney Rule" requiring that at least one gender-diverse candidate and one racially or ethnically diverse candidate be interviewed for Federal Reserve Regional Bank president vacancies. Her campaign calls it the "Beatty Rule."

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Beatty's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire responses. They reflect the candidate's own stated views.

Healthcare: Beatty said she supports expanding and strengthening the Affordable Care Act and continuing to invest in medical research. She also said she supports expanding Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Economy and education: Beatty, who describes herself as a small business owner, said she has supported legislation for a livable wage and equal pay. On education, she said she is working to reduce college costs, increase investment in public schools, address student loan debt and expand access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

Civil rights and voting: Beatty said she is committed to making it easier for Americans to vote. She said she supports full equality for LGBTQ+ Americans and eliminating barriers to equal treatment under the law.

Immigration: Beatty said she supports a pathway to full citizenship for undocumented immigrants and DREAMers.

Criminal justice: Beatty said she believes the country should embrace rehabilitation and restorative justice and reject harsh and ineffective treatment of nonviolent offenders.

Endorsements

The following endorsements were reported by BallotReady, credited to the endorsing organizations:

  • AFSCME
  • AFL-CIO
  • American Israel Public Affairs Committee
  • Congressional Black Caucus PAC
  • Democratic Majority for Israel PAC
  • End Citizens United
  • Humane Society of the United States
  • National Women's Political Caucus
  • Ohio Democrats

Candidate responses and issue positions were drawn from the candidate's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire data. The New Albany-Gahanna Beacon did not interview the candidate for this profile.