First Democrat enters race for Wenstrup's seat. He's a former reporter

A former reporter became the first Democrat in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup.

Joe Wessels, 49, of Loveland filed his statement of candidacy on Sunday for the 2nd Congressional District, a district that runs from Cincinnati's eastern suburbs in Clermont County across 15 counties in southern Ohio.

Wenstrup announced in November that he would retire from Congress when his current term expires, saying he wanted to spend more time with his wife and two children.

Wessels is running as a Democrat for the open seat. At least five Republicans have declared.

"It's an opportunity," Wessels said. "Yes, while it's a very Republican district in the past, it's an opportunity to show people they've not been served well."

Who is Joe Wessels?

Some may know Wessels from his bylines over the years. He worked as a news aide and freelancer for The Enquirer in the late 1990s. He later went on to write stories for the Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati Business Courier and CityBeat in the 2000s. Most recently, in 2018, he started Loveland Local News covering the town where he lives.

Wessels also manages his own public relations firm and has worked in communication roles for various local organizations, most recently with the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, a job he left this month to run for Congress.

For Wessels, this isn't his first foray into politics. He ran for Northwest School Board in Colerain Township in 1993 at the age of 19. He lost, coming in ninth out of 11 candidates. He also worked as the communication director for former Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus, who unseated longtime Republican Rep. Steve Chabot in 2008 and served one term.

"It was a very eye-opening experience and very motivating," Wessels said about working on Driehaus's campaign. "It showed you can really make a change. Beating Steve Chabot in 2008, nobody thought we could do it."

Can a Democrat win?

Any Democratic candidate faces steep odds in the 2nd Congressional District.

It is the most Republican district of Ohio's 15, based on the 2020 presidential race results. President Donald Trump beat Joe Biden by about a 3-to-1 margin.

Wenstrup himself beat his most recent Democratic challenger, Samantha Meadows, in 2022 by the same margin.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who is the Democrat running for Brad Wenstrup's seat?