Mike Turner

Mike Turner grew up in Dayton with a father who spent more than 40 years in manufacturing and a mother who taught elementary school.¹ He attended Dayton public schools and Belmont High School, later built a local law practice, and is the father of two daughters, Carolyn and Jessica.²

His education took him through Ohio Northern, law school at Case Western Reserve and an MBA at the University of Dayton, followed much later by a Georgetown doctorate in urban economic development.¹ His legal career included more than 17 years in practice and opening his own firm in 1991, specializing in real estate and corporate law.¹ He served as Dayton's mayor from 1994 to 2002 before entering Congress in January 2003.¹³

Turner chaired the House Intelligence Committee in the previous Congress and became a prominent Republican supporter of military assistance to Ukraine.⁴ Speaker Mike Johnson removed him from that chairmanship in January 2025, saying the committee needed a fresh start.⁵ His continuing priorities include defense investment and Wright-Patterson, with recent work advocating for a new intelligence facility at the base.⁶

In his reelection campaign, Turner emphasizes military and manufacturing employment, border enforcement and support for service members, including their child custody rights.² He faces Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker, an Air Force veteran and nurse practitioner, in a race where both national security and the cost of daily life have become central questions for Dayton area voters.⁷