U.S. House, Ohio 11th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Ohio's 11th Congressional District?
Shontel Brown has the strongest record in Ohio's 11th Congressional District. Shontel Brown scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Shontel Brown's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Mike Kirchner (5 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 · incumbent
Strongest record
Shontel Brown
On the ballot as Shontel M. Brown
68 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 60
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 56
Republican
Mike Kirchner
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 5 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
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.
Shontel Brown
- On the record2026
Voted Nay on passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, when Democratic Leader Jeffries voted Yea.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026
- On the record2025-06
Voted Nay on the June 2025 motion to table a resolution to impeach President Trump, when Democratic Leader Jeffries voted Yea.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 175, 2025
- Credit2021 to 2026
Missed 5 of 2,556 House roll call votes from November 2021 to September 2026, per GovTrack.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
- Credit2015 to 2021
Served on the Cuyahoga County Council for District 9 from 2015 to 2021 before winning a November 2021 special election to the House.
Source: Ballotpedia, Shontel Brown
Mike Kirchner
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Shontel Brown. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed Aug. 13, 2026 after an extension. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078356, House Committee on Ethics site search for Shontel, FEC administrative fines search
Mike Kirchner. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Shontel Brown. Voted Nay on the June 2025 motion to table a Trump impeachment resolution and Nay on passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, both when Democratic Leader Jeffries voted Yea.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 175, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 45, 2026
Mike Kirchner. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Shontel Brown. Her office announced open in-person town halls in Cleveland on Oct. 12, 2023 and Feb. 20, 2025, and a constituent coffee in April 2025. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: Office site, event page, Office press release, Feb. 20, 2025, Office site, event page
Mike Kirchner. Publishes a schedule of open public walk-or-talk meetings across the district in October 2026. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Source: Campaign site, Walk or Talk
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Shontel Brown. Served on the Cuyahoga County Council from 2015 to 2021 and in Congress since November 2021. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Shontel Brown, House Committee on Ethics site search for Shontel
Mike Kirchner. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Shontel Brown. Has held sworn county and federal office since 2015; took her House seat Nov. 4, 2021, after the January 2021 electoral count. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Shontel Brown
Mike Kirchner. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Shontel Brown. In the U.S. House since November 2021, seeking a third full term, after six years on the Cuyahoga County Council.
Source: Ballotpedia, Shontel Brown
Mike Kirchner. Retired consultant with 30 years evaluating mostly pension plans at the Wyatt Company, later Towers Watson; applied mathematics graduate of the University of Akron. No public office held.
Source: Campaign site, About
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Shontel Brown. Ranking member of the Oversight subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation; publishes issue pages.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, Office site, home page
Mike Kirchner. Publishes a paper on Social Security (Old-Age and Survivors Insurance) funding; positions otherwise in videos, in general terms.
Source: Campaign site, OAS Paper
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Shontel Brown. Offers an email newsletter, a town hall sign-up and issue pages, and publishes annual district reports. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Mike Kirchner. Publishes a policy paper and holds open walk-or-talk meetings. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, OAS Paper, Campaign site, Walk or Talk, Ballotpedia, Mike Kirchner
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Shontel Brown. Born in Cleveland and served six years on the Cuyahoga County Council. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 69 percent of itemized individual contributions from Ohio.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Shontel Brown, FEC contribution totals by state
Mike Kirchner. Says he lives in Highland Heights in Cuyahoga County; he is from Tiffin. No FEC in-state contribution data.
Source: Campaign site, About
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Shontel Brown. 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
Mike Kirchner. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Shontel Brown. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.087 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.526, below expectations. No bill enacted as sponsor shown on GovTrack.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Mike Kirchner. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Shontel Brown. Missed 5 of 2,556 roll call votes, 0.2 percent, from November 2021 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Mike Kirchner. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Shontel Brown. Offers constituent appointments at satellite locations in six communities across the district plus a Beachwood office. No published casework totals found.
Mike Kirchner. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Shontel Brown. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.00691 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 334 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Mike Kirchner. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Shontel Brown. No public record found.
Mike Kirchner. 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 11th Congressional District?
Shontel Brown has the strongest record in Ohio's 11th Congressional District. Shontel Brown scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Shontel Brown's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Mike Kirchner (5 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 11th Congressional District in 2026?
Shontel Brown (Democratic, incumbent), Mike Kirchner (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Shontel Brown a good candidate for Congress?
Shontel Brown scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 60 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Mike Kirchner a good candidate for Congress?
Mike Kirchner has public evidence on 5 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.
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.