Democrat Joyce Beatty is running for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives in Ohio's 3rd Congressional District on Nov. 3, 2026.

She faces Republican Cleophus Dulaney.

Beatty has held the seat since 2013, according to BallotReady. In Congress, she serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and holds the ranking member post on its Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions, according to her congressional biography.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio 3rd Congressional District
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in speech from Central State University; master's degree in counseling psychology from Wright State University (1975); completed doctoral coursework at the University of Cincinnati, finishing all requirements except the dissertation. Honorary doctorates from Ohio Dominican University, Capital University, Central State University and The Ohio State University.
  • Community involvement: Active in The Links, Inc.; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; the National Coalition of 100 Black Women; the Columbus Urban League; and the American Heart Association, where she previously served on the board and as a national spokesperson, according to her congressional biography.

Experience and public service

Beatty served in the Ohio House of Representatives representing District 27 from 1999 to 2008, according to BallotReady. During that time she became the first female Democratic House leader in Ohio's history, according to her congressional biography.

She also worked as senior vice president of outreach and engagement at The Ohio State University, according to BallotReady.

In Congress, Beatty chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2021 to 2023. She serves as associate chair of the Democratic National Committee and a member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, according to her congressional biography.

Beatty said she introduced a bill modeled after the NFL's "Rooney Rule." It guarantees at least one gender-diverse candidate and one racially or ethnically diverse candidate are interviewed for Federal Reserve Regional Bank president vacancies. She calls it the "Beatty Rule," according to her campaign website.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Beatty's campaign website and her responses collected by BallotReady.

Healthcare: Beatty said she supports expanding and strengthening the Affordable Care Act and continuing to invest in medical research, therapies and technologies. She also said she supports expanding Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Education: Beatty said she is working to reduce the cost of college, increase investment in public schools, address student loan debt and expand access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Civil rights and voting: Beatty said she is committed to making it easier for Americans to vote. She said she supports eliminating barriers that prevent all Americans, especially LGBTQ+ Americans, from enjoying full equality under the law and in our society.

Criminal justice: Beatty said she believes the country should embrace rehabilitation and restorative justice and reject harsh and ineffective treatment of nonviolent criminals.

Immigration: Beatty said she supports finding a pathway to full citizenship for undocumented immigrants and DREAMers.

Endorsements

The following endorsements were reported by BallotReady and attributed to the endorsing organizations:

  • AFSCME
  • AFL-CIO
  • American Israel Public Affairs Committee
  • Congressional Black Caucus PAC
  • Democratic Majority for Israel PAC
  • End Citizens United
  • Humane Society of the United States
  • National Women's Political Caucus
  • Ohio Democrats

Candidate responses were collected by BallotReady and drawn from Beatty's campaign website. The Upper Arlington-Grandview Record provides this profile as a voter resource and does not endorse candidates.