(Sept 4, 2026 UPDATE) The 2026 Equality Ohio Candidate Scorecard examines multiple critical races, including the statewide elections for Governor, U.S. Senate, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and the Ohio Supreme Court, as well as key congressional and Statehouse contests across the state, helping Ohioans make informed choices at the ballot box this November. 

“Ohio’s LGBTQ+ communities are counting on voters to show up for them this election,” said Dwayne Steward, CEO and Executive Director of Equality Ohio and the Equality Ohio Education Fund. “This scorecard is a tool to help people see who is committed to equality and who is standing in the way of it. Every vote is a statement about the kind of Ohio we want to build.”

The 2026 scorecard evaluates candidates based on their legislative record, as applicable, plus overall career track records, public statements, campaign platforms and other accomplishments. Judicial candidates were evaluated with the additional criteria of their rulings, independent from partisan politics. Candidates are scaled on an A-F letter grade, with eight (8) candidates receiving the top designation of “Champion of Equality”: Jennifer Brunner (Ohio Supreme Court), Allison Russo (Secretary of State), Greg Landsman (CD01), Emilia Sykes (CD13), Christine Cockley (HD06), Mike Baker (HD52), Jeff Givan (HD78), and Arienne Childrey (HD84).

(Sept 15, 2026 UPDATE): Equality Ohio has updated our 2026 Candidate Scorecard. Included are updated scores and details of the records of elected officials and candidates across Ohio.

Candidate scores are intended to provide voters with information, not serve as an endorsement or punishment. We assess all candidates in our scorecard on a variety of factors related to their support for LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion, including their legislative record (if they have previously held office), overall career track record, public statements, campaign platform, and other accomplishments. 

Highlights from the updated scorecard:

• Swapping in Cliff Winkel for Nathan Manning in the House District 52 race. Manning recently announced his departure from the race after being appointed to the Ninth District Court of Appeals. 
• The addition of 8 more races at the state and federal level 
• Some score adjustments based on refined metrics and recent candidate updates

Equality Ohio has updated Dr. Amy Acton’s score from an ‘A’ to a ‘B’ to acknowledge harm to transgender communities. 

Dr. Acton made harmful remarks related to transgender people back on June 30, 2026. In response, we placed her score under review and requested that she engage directly with Equality Ohio and transgender community leaders. Members of her campaign engaged with us, but the meeting we requested with Dr. Acton has not happened.

The Acton campaign has updated their website to include LGBTQ anti-discrimination to their campaign platform. We have confirmed the campaign has met with LGBTQ leaders and parents of transgender children. 

Her campaign also wrote to the press that she “will always stand up for Ohioans, including the LGBT community. As governor, she is committed to standing up to discrimination and ensuring all Ohioans receive equal protection under the law.” She went on to affirm that healthcare decisions should be between a patient and their provider. 

We have not been able to confirm meaningful engagement directly with transgender communities. 

The ‘B’ now reflects the concern about support of trans Ohioans, alongside her broader record and positions. A ‘B’ means “insufficient record but supportive public statements.”

Dr. Acton’s comments didn’t happen in a vacuum. They’re part of a broader pattern of politicians using trans people as a scapegoat, often based on data that’s simply false. This is a distraction from the issues most voters want addressed. Dr. Acton’s new grade reflects the harm of their comments, based on the same standards used across every candidate we grade.

We will keep showing up for transgender Ohioans in every space we’re in, and we’ll keep working with candidates and elected officials of every party, now and in the future, to build stronger leadership on LGBTQ+ equality. We encourage any candidate who wants to have those conversations now to email us at policy@equalityohio.org.