U.S. House, Ohio 4th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Ohio's 4th Congressional District?
Jim Jordan has the strongest record in Ohio's 4th Congressional District. Jim Jordan scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Jim Jordan's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Joshua Kolasinski (6 of 15 criteria) and Tracey Tackett (6 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Jim Jordan
58 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 44
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 44
Democratic
Joshua Kolasinski
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Independent
Tracey Tackett
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 69
- 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.
Jim Jordan
- Mark against2026-01-14
Filed a periodic transaction report on Jan. 14, 2026 disclosing a spouse stock sale of $50,001 to $100,000 made Oct. 27, 2025, past the STOCK Act's 45-day deadline.
Source: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20033803
- Unresolved2018-07
Former Ohio State wrestlers said in 2018 that he knew of team doctor Richard Strauss's abuse while an assistant coach and did not report it; he denies it, and his former head coach defended him.
Where it stands: No official body has made a finding against him; he denies the accusation. Not scored.
Sources: Dayton Daily News, July 2018 (Wayback archive), CNN, July 11, 2018
- On the record2024-04-12
Voted for a warrant-requirement amendment and against final passage of the FISA reauthorization, opposite Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 114, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 119, 2024
- On the record2021-01-06
Voted Yea on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electors.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
- On the record2020-12
Signed the House members' amicus brief supporting Texas v. Pennsylvania.
Source: Texas v. Pennsylvania, amicus brief of 126 Representatives
- Credit2023 to 2026
Chairs the House Judiciary Committee.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Joshua Kolasinski
- On the record2026-10
Said that if elected he would hold an in-person town hall every quarter.
Source: Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026
Tracey Tackett
- On the record2026-10
Proposes forming an Independent Caucus in Congress if elected.
Source: Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026
- On the record2023
Elected to the Springfield City Commission in 2023; serves as assistant mayor.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Jim Jordan. His 2025 annual financial disclosure was filed May 11, 2026. A periodic transaction report filed Jan. 14, 2026 disclosed an Oct. 27, 2025 spouse stock sale, past the 45-day deadline (see Record). No House Ethics or FEC finding found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076961, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20033803, House Committee on Ethics site search for Jordan, FEC administrative fines search
Joshua Kolasinski. Filed a House candidate financial disclosure on June 8, 2026; campaign 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
Tracey Tackett. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Jim Jordan. On April 12, 2024 voted for the Biggs warrant amendment to the FISA reauthorization and against final passage, opposite Majority Leader Scalise on both votes.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 114, 2024, House Clerk Roll Call 119, 2024
Joshua Kolasinski. No public record found.
Tracey Tackett. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Jim Jordan. No public record found.
Joshua Kolasinski. No public record found.
Tracey Tackett. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Jim Jordan. Served six years each in the Ohio House and Ohio Senate and in Congress since 2007. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding found. A 2018 accusation about his time as an Ohio State assistant coach is unresolved (see Record).
Sources: Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026, House Committee on Ethics site search for Jordan
Joshua Kolasinski. No public record found.
Tracey Tackett. Elected to the Springfield City Commission in 2023 and serves as assistant mayor. No formal conduct finding found.
Source: Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Jim Jordan. Voted Yea on both January 2021 objections to certified electors (Arizona and Pennsylvania) and signed the December 2020 House amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021, Texas v. Pennsylvania, amicus brief of 126 Representatives
Joshua Kolasinski. No public record found.
Tracey Tackett. Holds sworn local office as a Springfield city commissioner since her 2023 election. No misuse-of-office finding found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Jim Jordan. In the U.S. House since January 2007 (10 terms) after six years each in the Ohio House and Ohio Senate.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jim Jordan, Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026
Joshua Kolasinski. Owns and operates Flex Biomedical LLC, which installs, maintains and repairs medical equipment. Has never held elected office.
Source: Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026
Tracey Tackett. Springfield city commissioner since her 2023 election and assistant mayor, owner of a small business for 12 years and development manager for the Glen Helen nature preserve.
Source: Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Jim Jordan. Chairs the House Judiciary Committee and serves on Oversight and Government Reform.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Joshua Kolasinski. Published positions in general terms, including a single-payer option, a stock trading ban and term limits.
Source: Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026
Tracey Tackett. Published priorities in general terms (public safety, roads, energy costs, local control) and a plan to form an Independent Caucus.
Source: Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Jim Jordan. Publishes issue pages and columns on his House site and answered Springfield News-Sun and Richland Source election questions. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, Springfield News-Sun, Oct. 1, 2026, Ballotpedia, Jim Jordan
Joshua Kolasinski. Publishes priorities on his campaign site and answered Richland Source and Springfield News-Sun questions. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, Springfield News-Sun, Oct. 1, 2026, Ballotpedia, Joshua Kolasinski
Tracey Tackett. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey, publishes issue pages on her campaign site and answered Richland Source and Springfield News-Sun questions.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Tracey Tackett, Campaign site, Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Jim Jordan. Grew up in Champaign County and lives in Urbana. About 18 percent of itemized individual contributions by state came from Ohio through June 30, 2026 (FEC by-state totals).
Sources: Springfield News-Sun, Oct. 1, 2026, Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Joshua Kolasinski. Raised in Ohio and has lived in Delaware since 2012. Itemized individual contributions through June 30, 2026 total $1,500, all from Ohio (FEC).
Tracey Tackett. Lives in Springfield, where she was elected to the city commission in 2023 and says she has worked in the community for more than 20 years. No FEC filing found.
Sources: Richland Source, Oct. 3, 2026, Campaign site
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Jim Jordan. 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
Joshua Kolasinski. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no administrative fine found.
Tracey Tackett. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Jim Jordan. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.009 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 2.446, below expectations. GovTrack lists no enacted bill with him as primary sponsor.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Joshua Kolasinski. No public record found.
Tracey Tackett. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Jim Jordan. Missed 268 of 12,745 roll call votes, 2.1 percent, from January 2007 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Joshua Kolasinski. No public record found.
Tracey Tackett. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Jim Jordan. His House site offers help with federal agencies and small businesses. No published casework totals found.
Source: Office site
Joshua Kolasinski. No public record found.
Tracey Tackett. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Jim Jordan. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index, 118th Congress (2023): score -2.12156, rank 436 of 436, last in the House.
Joshua Kolasinski. No public record found.
Tracey Tackett. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Jim Jordan. No public record found.
Joshua Kolasinski. No public record found.
Tracey Tackett. 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 4th Congressional District?
Jim Jordan has the strongest record in Ohio's 4th Congressional District. Jim Jordan scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Jim Jordan's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Joshua Kolasinski (6 of 15 criteria) and Tracey Tackett (6 of 15 criteria) have 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 4th Congressional District in 2026?
Jim Jordan (Republican, incumbent), Joshua Kolasinski (Democratic), Tracey Tackett (Independent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Jim Jordan a good candidate for Congress?
Jim Jordan scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 44 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 44 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Joshua Kolasinski a good candidate for Congress?
Joshua Kolasinski has public evidence on 6 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 Tracey Tackett a good candidate for Congress?
Tracey Tackett has public evidence on 6 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.