U.S. House, Ohio 10th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Ohio's 10th Congressional District?
Mike Turner has the strongest record in Ohio's 10th Congressional District. Mike Turner scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Kristina Knickerbocker at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Mike Turner's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Thomas McMasters (4 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic
Kristina Knickerbocker
50 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Libertarian
Thomas McMasters
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 58
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Mike Turner
67 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 56
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 69
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Kristina Knickerbocker
- On the record2026
The Montgomery County Republican Party filed three complaints against her campaign in 2026, including one to the FEC and one to the Justice Department over a financial disclosure report; her campaign called the claims false.
Where it stands: Unresolved; the FEC lacked a quorum when one complaint was filed; reported only by the Dayton Daily News and Journal-News (same owner), so notable, not open (R2); the campaign says the Ethics Committee set her disclosure deadline as April 5.
Source: Journal-News, Aug. 5, 2026
- Credit2015 to 2025
Served in the Air Force from 2015 to 2025, as a major and nurse with the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and later in the Reserve.
Thomas McMasters
- Creditby 2016
Served as mayor of Huber Heights, an elected office.
Source: WYSO, Nov. 3, 2016
Mike Turner
- On the record2026-06-29
The Montgomery County Democratic chair filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Conduct on June 29, 2026 alleging his campaign spent over $55,000 on restaurants; his campaign called them legitimate campaign expenditures.
Where it stands: Pending with the Office of Congressional Conduct, which does not publish complaints; one established outlet group (Dayton Daily News) reports it, so it is notable, not open (R2).
Source: Dayton Daily News, July 2026
- On the record2025-01-15
Removed by Speaker Mike Johnson as chair of the House Intelligence Committee for the 119th Congress in January 2025.
Source: CNN, Jan. 15, 2025
- On the record2021-01-07
Voted Nay on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes on Jan. 6 to 7, 2021, when Leader McCarthy voted Yea.
- Credit2025
Voted Nay on the No Rogue Rulings Act in 2025, the only Republican to do so, and Yea on the 2026 Ukraine Support Act against Speaker Johnson's vote.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 98, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 207, 2026
- Credit2023-03-20
Sponsored the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, enacted as S. 619 and signed March 20, 2023.
- Credit2023
Ranked 26th of 436 House members on the Lugar Center Bipartisan Index for 2023.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Kristina Knickerbocker. House candidate financial disclosure filed April 5, 2026 and campaign reports on file with the FEC. No FEC administrative fine or official finding found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075090, FEC administrative fines search
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed May 15, 2026. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075610, House Committee on Ethics site search for Turner, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Kristina Knickerbocker. No public record found.
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. Voted Nay on the January 2021 elector objections when Leader McCarthy voted Yea, Nay on the 2025 No Rogue Rulings Act as the only Republican, and Yea on the 2026 Ukraine Support Act when Speaker Johnson voted Nay.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 98, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 207, 2026
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Kristina Knickerbocker. No public record found.
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Kristina Knickerbocker. Served ten years as an Air Force officer, reaching major, with no conduct finding found.
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. Mayor of Dayton from 1994 to 2002 and in Congress since 2003, including chairing the Intelligence Committee. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Michael Turner, House Committee on Ethics site search for Turner
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Kristina Knickerbocker. Served in the Air Force from 2015 to 2025, including the Reserve. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Thomas McMasters. Served in the Air Force from 1989 to 2009. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Thomas McMasters
Mike Turner. Voted Nay on the January 2021 objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electors and on the January 2005 objection to Ohio's electors. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 7, Jan. 6, 2005
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Kristina Knickerbocker. Air Force nurse officer at Wright-Patterson for a decade and a neuro-oncology nurse practitioner at the Ohio State University Medical Center. No public office held.
Thomas McMasters. Former mayor of Huber Heights, an elected office, after twenty years of Air Force service.
Mike Turner. In the U.S. House since January 2003 and earlier mayor of Dayton.
Sources: GovTrack, Michael Turner, Ballotpedia, Michael Turner
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Kristina Knickerbocker. Survey answers set out priorities on veterans and health care costs in general terms.
Thomas McMasters. Survey answers describe general positions on war, the military and taxes.
Source: Ballotpedia, Thomas McMasters
Mike Turner. Sits on the Armed Services and Oversight committees after chairing the Intelligence Committee in 2023 to 2024; publishes issue pages.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Ballotpedia, Michael Turner, Office site, home page
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Kristina Knickerbocker. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Thomas McMasters. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Source: Ballotpedia, Thomas McMasters
Mike Turner. Offers an email newsletter and publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Michael Turner
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Kristina Knickerbocker. Says her Air Force service brought her to the Miami Valley about a decade ago. FEC by-state totals show about 19 percent of itemized individual contributions from Ohio.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Kristina Knickerbocker, FEC contribution totals by state
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. Born in Dayton and served as its mayor. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 70 percent of itemized individual contributions from Ohio.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Michael Turner, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Kristina Knickerbocker. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Kristina Knickerbocker. No public record found.
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.693 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 2.455, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: his COVID-19 Origin Act was enacted as S. 619, signed March 20, 2023.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 1376 (118th Congress)
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Kristina Knickerbocker. No public record found.
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. Missed 383 of 15,180 roll call votes, 2.5 percent, from January 2003 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Kristina Knickerbocker. No public record found.
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. District office in Dayton and help with federal agencies and federal grants. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Kristina Knickerbocker. No public record found.
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 1.01815 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 26 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Kristina Knickerbocker. No public record found.
Thomas McMasters. No public record found.
Mike Turner. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Ohio's 10th Congressional District?
Mike Turner has the strongest record in Ohio's 10th Congressional District. Mike Turner scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Kristina Knickerbocker at 50, as of October 9, 2026. Mike Turner's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Thomas McMasters (4 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Ohio's 10th Congressional District in 2026?
Kristina Knickerbocker (Democratic), Thomas McMasters (Libertarian), Mike Turner (Republican, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Kristina Knickerbocker a good candidate for Congress?
Kristina Knickerbocker scores 50 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 50 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Thomas McMasters a good candidate for Congress?
Thomas McMasters has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Mike Turner a good candidate for Congress?
Mike Turner scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 56 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Ohio race scored, the trailing candidate's path to victory, and the Ohio 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.