Rachel Baker seeks re-election to Ohio House District 27

Rachel Baker, a Democrat representing Ohio House District 27 since 2023, is seeking re-election on Nov. 3, 2026. She faces Republican Nancy Aichholz.

District 27 covers several east-side communities, including Indian Hill, Terrace Park, Madeira, Anderson Township, Newtown, Amberley, Silverton, Wyoming, Reading, Lockland, Lincoln Heights, Woodlawn and parts of Columbia Township, Symmes and Springfield Township, according to Baker's campaign website.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Ohio House of Representatives, District 27
Education: Bachelor's degree in psychology, University of Michigan (1996); master's degree in social work, University of Michigan (1999); bachelor's degree in nursing, University of Cincinnati (2003); doctorate in nursing research, University of Cincinnati (2006)
Family: Mother of three children, according to her campaign website

Experience and public service

Baker has served as the District 27 state representative since 2023 and is the ranking member of the Ohio House Medicaid Committee, according to the Ohio House of Representatives website.

Outside the Statehouse, Baker works as a nurse researcher at TriHealth. She teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and Mount St. Joseph University and as an adjunct instructor at Xavier University, according to BallotReady profile data. She previously worked as a research associate at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center from 2012 to 2016.

Baker said on her campaign website that she volunteers as a court-appointed child advocate, known as a CASA, providing support for children experiencing abuse and neglect.

In her first three years in office, Baker said she was a primary sponsor of several bills: HB452, which she said was signed into law and sets standards to decrease the risk of workplace violence in health care settings; HB141, which she said creates daycares for children with medical complexities; and HB448, which she said requires prescription drug rebates be passed on to patients rather than kept by insurance companies or pharmacy benefit managers. She also said she passed a bill to modernize the adoption process in Ohio within her first six months in office.

On the issues

Baker has outlined positions on several policy areas on her campaign website:

Health care: Baker said she supports safe staffing of hospitals and adequate health care resources for nurses. She said she will advocate for mental health resources, stating on her website, "I will continue to advocate for mental health resources to address the ongoing and heightened mental health issue in our state."

Education: Baker said she advocates for early childhood education, less emphasis on standardized testing and more focus on child growth and learning. She said she opposes bans and censorship in public classrooms and wants to address what she calls unconstitutional funding of public education.

Reproductive rights: Baker said she opposes obstacles to reproductive health care access, including abortion and contraception access.

Economy and wages: Baker said she supports a livable minimum wage and equal pay regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, ability status, or gender identity.

Environment: Baker said she supports transitioning the state away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions and preserving green spaces. She also said Ohioans deserve transparent and affordable utilities.