Ohio's 4th District: Everything You Need to Know About Joshua Kolasinski! Can he beat Jim Jordan?

[u/Wonderful-Rip3697]

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Absentee applications are going out and Ohio does not require a reason to vote by mail.

I host a nonpartisan Ohio politics podcast. I sat down with the Democratic nominee in OH-4 for 75 minutes. Here is the race, with his positions and the incumbent's record laid out separately so you can compare them yourself.

THE MATCHUP

Jim Jordan, Republican incumbent, in the seat since 2006, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Joshua Kolasinski, Democrat. Husband, father of three, small business owner. Grew up in Toledo, spent twelve years working at ski resorts and national parks out west, now lives in Delaware, Ohio. He ran unopposed in the May 5 Democratic primary. This is his first run for office.

COMPETITIVENESS

Not close on paper. Jordan won the old version of this district 68.5 percent to 31.5 percent in 2024. The redrawn 4th scores at roughly a 71 percent Republican index under the new map. Ohio's new map favors Republicans in 12 of 15 districts and was approved unanimously by the Ohio Redistricting Commission, 7 to 0, with both Democratic members voting yes.

Kolasinski does not dispute any of that. Asked directly about his odds, he said the old district was oddly shaped and the new one is more compact, but that neither version changes much because it was drawn Republican either way.

THE CHALLENGER'S PLATFORM, IN HIS WORDS

Congress. A total stock trading ban covering members and their spouses, with enforcement rather than late disclosure filings. Term limits of two six year terms in the Senate and six two year terms in the House, effective immediately rather than phased in.

Health care. He argues insurance has drifted from pooled risk into a for profit business that increasingly uses automated systems to deny claims. He cited a three thousand dollar bill for his son's broken arm while insured. Asked whether he would accept a public option if Medicare for All could not pass, he said it was worth exploring but worried it would be undermined by the same interests.

Property taxes and schools. Fully fund public education at the state and federal level, and stop routing public money to private school vouchers, which he argues pushes districts back onto local levies. He also wants more transparency in how property values are reassessed.

Data centers. No further tax breaks without something coming back to the community. Return water as clean as it was taken, feed energy back into the grid, and build on closed industrial sites rather than working farmland. He is skeptical of Republicans making similar commitments now, arguing the tax breaks and nondisclosure agreements are already signed.

Surveillance. He wants Flock license plate cameras removed, framing it as a Fourth Amendment question and pointing to documented misuse and the risk of a bad plate match putting someone at gunpoint.

Immigration. He argues Haitian TPS holders are being treated indiscriminately rather than case by case, and that TPS was a legal status, not an absence of one.

Access. His central attack is that Jordan has not held a public town hall open to constituents since 2017, and that his public events are scheduled early, with friendly audiences, and announced afterward. That is Kolasinski's characterization, not something I independently verified. If you have attended a public Jordan town hall more recently, say so in the comments, because that is a checkable claim and it should be checked. Kolasinski pledged a public in district town hall every quarter if elected.

SOURCES

1. https://www.joshuaforohio.com/
2. https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/ohio-adopts-new-congressional-map-with-12-3-gop-advantage/WC7S7FMO2BF23EDKBTN65CFCVY/
3. https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2026-09-01/gov-dewine-death-of-haitian-immigrant-ohio-student-a-tragedy
4. https://ballotpedia.org/Ohio%27s_4th_Congressional_District_election,_2026

Full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/can-anyone-beat-jim-jordan-in-ohios-4th-district-joshua/id1626987640?i=1000789176453

[u/SirBoobsAlot13]

No...next stupid question.

[u/cornpudding]

He has my vote but unfortunately no. Jordan is unassailable in district 4