Christina Knickerbocker leads Mike Turner in OH-10 race

DAYTON — Election Day is now over, and some major changes are coming to several key positions in the Miami Valley.

The race for Ohio’s 10^th Congressional District put incumbent Mike Turner about 5,000 votes shy of Democratic challenger Christina Knickerbocker.

The Associated Press has yet to call the race, but Knickerbocker is declaring victory.

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News Center 7’s Xavier Hershovitz spent the day in Montgomery County, where this could end with a big change in how part of the Miami Valley is represented in Congress.

Voters were counted late into the night at the Montgomery County Board of Elections, and if the results hold, it could mean Turner, who has been a lawmaker for decades, may no longer be in office.

Turner has represented the 10^th Congressional District since 2002. He has served 12 terms in the House and was seeking a 13^th term.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ELECTION 2026: Ohio 10th Congressional District race not called yet

Knickerbocker is currently leading in the votes, but during a watch party on Tuesday night, she declared victory.

“As an Air Force veteran and a mom of two young kids, I was so tired of watching families suffer needlessly because policies were built to hurt them, not protect them. And that is when I decided I needed to do something about it and run for Congress. Tonight, I am so honored that the voters have placed their trust in me to represent this beautiful community,” Knickerbocker said.

She continues by saying, “I’m already meeting with people across the district and in DC because there is so much work to do.”

This race is close, and there are many people whom she will represent who did not vote for her.

“It’s actually making sure to run a campaign and being a candidate and representative that actually meets with the people they are elected to represent,” Knickerbocker said.

She has spent much of her campaign focused on affordability – something she says she will be focused on in Washington too.

“Much of my campaign has been focusing on common ground issues, so that we can work across the aisle to actually bring progress to this community,” Knickerbocker said.

She will be a freshman in Washington.

Dr. Kevin Sims, Political Science Professor at Cedarville University, said, “Mike Turner has a lot of influence on Capitol Hill. The people in the Republican Party know him and the people in the Democratic Party know him.”

He continued by saying that Congress rewards seniority, which means less desirable committee assignments, less influence, and just needed time to adjust to the new role.

Sims said Knickerbocker “will bring some new things, some new ideas to use. I think a lot of it’s going to depend on how aggressive she is.”

Under Ohio law, there is an automatic recount when a race is within a half of a percentage point, which the margin in this race is much larger than that right now.

A candidate can request a recount once a race has officially been called.

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