U.S. House, Ohio 3rd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Ohio's 3rd Congressional District?
Joyce Beatty has the strongest record in Ohio's 3rd Congressional District. Joyce Beatty scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Joyce Beatty's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Cleophus Dulaney (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 · incumbent
Strongest record
Joyce Beatty
65 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 56
Republican
Cleophus Dulaney
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 44
- 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.
Joyce Beatty
- On the record2025-07-17
Voted against the GENIUS Act while Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted for it.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025
- On the record2021-07-15
Arrested for crowding, obstructing or incommoding during a voting-rights protest in a Senate office building; paid a $50 fine, and the House Ethics Committee closed the matter with no action.
- On the record2021-01-06
Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021
- Credit2023 to 2026
Ranking member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance and International Financial Institutions.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
- Credit2018 to 2026
Primary sponsor of four enacted bills, including the Trafficking Survivors Housing Act of 2021.
Source: GovTrack, enacted legislation
Cleophus Dulaney
- On the record2026-09
Told NBC4 he still believes the 2020 election was stolen.
Source: NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026
- On the record2026-09
State voter and property records show he lives outside District 3, in District 15.
Source: NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026
- On the record2024-02-22 to 2025-01-20
Charged in February 2024 with seven federal counts over Jan. 6, 2021, including assaulting officers and civil disorder; granted clemency on Jan. 20, 2025 before trial. He says he committed no violence.
Sources: Columbus Dispatch via Yahoo News, Feb. 24, 2024, WSYX ABC6, Feb. 23, 2024, NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Joyce Beatty. Her 2025 annual financial disclosure was filed May 12, 2026; no late periodic transaction report found. A 2021 House Ethics review of her protest arrest closed with no action (see Record). No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076774, House Committee on Ethics, Report 117-108, FEC administrative fines search
Cleophus Dulaney. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Joyce Beatty. Voted against the GENIUS Act in July 2025 when Democratic Leader Jeffries voted for it.
Source: House Clerk Roll Call 200, 2025
Cleophus Dulaney. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Joyce Beatty. No public record found.
Cleophus Dulaney. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Joyce Beatty. In the Ohio House for five terms and in Congress since 2013. The House Ethics Committee reviewed her July 2021 protest arrest and closed the matter without an investigative subcommittee; no censure or reprimand found.
Sources: House Committee on Ethics, Report 117-108, NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026
Cleophus Dulaney. 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.
Joyce Beatty. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors (Arizona and Pennsylvania). No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
Cleophus Dulaney. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Joyce Beatty. In the U.S. House since January 2013 (seven terms) after five terms in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Joyce Beatty, NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026
Cleophus Dulaney. Owns two furniture companies and a home flooring business per state business records reported by NBC4. No public office.
Source: NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Joyce Beatty. Ranking member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance and International Financial Institutions.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026
Cleophus Dulaney. Campaign site and NBC4 interview describe priorities in general terms (cost of living, immigration, evictions and housing).
Source: NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Joyce Beatty. Offers an e-mail mailing list, publishes issue-tagged news on her House site and gave NBC4 a campaign statement. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026, Ballotpedia, Joyce Beatty
Cleophus Dulaney. Publishes a campaign statement on his site and gave NBC4 an interview. No questionnaire answers found.
Source: Campaign site
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Joyce Beatty. Lives just inside District 3 in Columbus, a former Ohio State University administrator and five-term state representative. About 56 percent of itemized individual contributions by state came from Ohio through June 30, 2026 (FEC).
Sources: NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Cleophus Dulaney. State voter and property records show he lives several blocks outside District 3, in District 15 (NBC4). The Constitution requires state, not district, residence.
Source: NBC4 via AOL, Sept. 22, 2026
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Joyce Beatty. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, coverage dates, FEC administrative fines search
Cleophus Dulaney. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Joyce Beatty. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.388 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.543, rated as meeting expectations. Primary sponsor of four enacted bills, including H.R. 3709 in the 119th Congress.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation
Cleophus Dulaney. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Joyce Beatty. Missed 237 of 7,608 roll call votes, 3.1 percent, from January 2013 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Cleophus Dulaney. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Joyce Beatty. Her House site offers federal agency help and lists district office locations. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site
Cleophus Dulaney. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Joyce Beatty. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index, 118th Congress (2023): score -0.83806, rank 297 of 436. Negative, not bottom quarter.
Cleophus Dulaney. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Joyce Beatty. No public record found.
Cleophus Dulaney. 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 3rd Congressional District?
Joyce Beatty has the strongest record in Ohio's 3rd Congressional District. Joyce Beatty scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Joyce Beatty's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Cleophus Dulaney (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 3rd Congressional District in 2026?
Joyce Beatty (Democratic, incumbent), Cleophus Dulaney (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Joyce Beatty a good candidate for Congress?
Joyce Beatty scores 65 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Cleophus Dulaney a good candidate for Congress?
Cleophus Dulaney 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.
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.