Brennan Barrington
Libertarian
Member of the Libertarian Party of Ohio's central committee; Ohio State University aerospace engineering graduate
Loading race…
U.S. House · Nov 3, 2026
U.S. House race in Ohio’s 15th district
Incumbent: Mike Carey, running for re-election.
Ohio rotates the order of candidates on the ballot, so they are listed alphabetically; Gary Josephson and Samuel Ronan are declared write-in candidates and are not listed.
The 3 candidates
Mike Carey
RepublicanIncumbentU.S. Representative for Ohio's 15th district since 2021; former energy company executive and military officer
Don Leonard
DemocraticFormer Ohio State University professor of city and regional planning; former Peace Corps volunteer
Where they stand
What each candidate says they support or would do, on the issues they campaign on. Summaries use the same neutral words for everyone and link to the candidate’s own words.
AI verified
Researched with AI and confirmed by a second, independent AI check. Our editors haven’t reviewed it yet. How we verify
Immigration
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
Supports admitting all immigrants willing and able to support themselves, except known criminals and other dangerous people, while making them ineligible for federal benefits and requiring male entrants to pay a refundable deposit on the order of tens of thousands of dollars.
RepublicanMike Carey
Voted for the Laken Riley Act, which raised penalties for immigrants in the country illegally who commit crimes and made them easier to deport, and supported $175 billion for border security in the 2025 tax law.
DemocraticDon Leonard
Supports securing the border and respecting immigrants, and says he rejects the culture wars.
Budget
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
Supports eliminating the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Education and Homeland Security, the FDA, FEMA and the TSA, and ending federal grants to state and local governments.
RepublicanMike Carey
Supports cutting what he calls needless spending and waste; voted to codify spending cuts identified by the Department of Government Efficiency and voted for Medicaid work requirements in the 2025 tax law.
DemocraticDon Leonard
No published position found.
Health care
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
Supports ending Medicare payment for treatments that fail a cost-effectiveness test, making Medicare pay for itself, letting people opt out of it, and repealing federal laws requiring hospitals to treat patients regardless of ability to pay; supports keeping Medicaid for children.
RepublicanMike Carey
No published position found.
DemocraticDon Leonard
Supports universal health care, affordable child care, paid family leave and support for people caring for an aging parent or a disabled loved one.
Crime & justice
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
Supports eliminating federal laws restricting what drugs people possess, use and sell, except substances used mainly to harm others.
RepublicanMike Carey
Voted for the HALT Fentanyl Act; supports the Protect and Serve Act to make knowingly causing or trying to cause serious bodily injury to a police officer a federal crime, and was an original cosponsor of bills to let police agencies use COPS grants to recruit and retain officers and to create an EMS grant program.
DemocraticDon Leonard
No published position found.
Taxes
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
Supports taxing inflation-adjusted profits from home sales and rent increases at a high rate, cutting capital gains and income taxes, ending special tax exemptions, and a carbon tax with revenue largely returned to citizens as a dividend.
RepublicanMike Carey
Says he worked to write and pass the 2025 tax law he calls the Working Families Tax Cuts, citing no taxes on tips or overtime, a tax deduction for seniors on Social Security and making the 2017 tax cuts permanent.
DemocraticDon Leonard
No published position found.
Ethics
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
No published position found.
RepublicanMike Carey
Says members of Congress should treat one another with civility and respect despite policy differences; partnered with Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty to create the Civility and Respect Caucus.
DemocraticDon Leonard
Supports getting money out of politics; says democracy should mean "one person, one vote," not "one dollar, one vote."
Elections & democracy
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
Supports ranked-choice voting for Senate elections, filling each state's House seats by proportional representation instead of winner-take-all districts, and expanding the size of the House.
RepublicanMike Carey
No published position found.
DemocraticDon Leonard
No published position found.
Defense
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
Would propose barring military operations in another country unless Congress specifically authorizes them, and a constitutional amendment to reclaim Congress's war powers; says he would vote against military spending not aimed at protecting Americans on U.S. soil.
RepublicanMike Carey
No published position found.
DemocraticDon Leonard
No published position found.
Guns
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
Opposes all federal restrictions on making and owning weapons other than weapons of mass destruction, including the ban on selling new machine guns to civilians; opposes a federal mandate for concealed-carry reciprocity.
RepublicanMike Carey
No published position found.
DemocraticDon Leonard
No published position found.
Social Security & Medicare
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
No published position found.
RepublicanMike Carey
Says he is committed to strengthening Social Security; as vice chairman of the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee he called for a hearing on overpayment notices, and he helped pass the Social Security Fairness Act for retired public employees.
DemocraticDon Leonard
No published position found.
Veterans
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
No published position found.
RepublicanMike Carey
Introduced the bipartisan Veterans HSA Access Act so disabled veterans injured in non-service-related incidents can keep contributing to health savings accounts while receiving VA benefits, and voted for the PACT Act to expand care for veterans exposed to toxic substances.
DemocraticDon Leonard
No published position found.
Infrastructure
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
No published position found.
RepublicanMike Carey
Says he has directed federal funds to local projects, including a $25 million grant for roads and bridges on Alum Creek Drive in Franklin County and water infrastructure improvements in Sidney and Bloomingburg.
DemocraticDon Leonard
No published position found.
Economy & cost of living
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
No published position found.
RepublicanMike Carey
No published position found.
DemocraticDon Leonard
Says every full-time job should support a full life, and that national action should start with the biggest costs for working families: health insurance, owning a home, child care and retirement.
Civil rights
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
No published position found.
RepublicanMike Carey
No published position found.
DemocraticDon Leonard
Says everyone deserves to live free from fear of discrimination, violence or government harassment and deserves equality and fairness under the justice system.
Technology
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
No published position found.
RepublicanMike Carey
No published position found.
DemocraticDon Leonard
Says data center development should protect water supplies, strengthen the electric grid, create good local jobs and earn the community's trust.
Foreign policy
LibertarianBrennan Barrington
No published position found.
RepublicanMike Carey
No published position found.
DemocraticDon Leonard
Opposes being drawn into what he calls "dumb wars with bad allies"; supports leading with diplomacy and restoring Congress's constitutional authority over the decision to go to war.
Who’s on the ballot: sources
- ListMadison County Board of Elections: Statewide/District Candidates for the November 3rd, 2026 General Election(opens in a new tab)
- ListFranklin County Board of Elections: 2026 General Election Candidates (revised October 16, 2026)(opens in a new tab)
- ListSpectrum News 1: Breaking down the race for Ohio's 15th Congressional District(opens in a new tab)
- ListWikipedia: 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio(opens in a new tab)