Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan is making an early endorsement in a battleground House race to help defeat a vulnerable Democratic incumbent, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.
Jordan, chairman of the influential House Judiciary Committee, announced his support Thursday for Republican candidate Kevin Coughlin who is running to take on incumbent Democratic Ohio Rep. Emilia Sykes for a second time. Coughlin, an Ohio businessman and former state senator, narrowly lost to Sykes in 2024, and the expected rematch contest is expected to be a top pick-up opportunity for House Republicans during the midterms.
“Kevin Coughlin is exactly the kind of guy we need in the United States Congress,” Jordan told the DCNF. “I tell folks all the time that we make this job way too complicated. What did you tell the voters you were going to do when you ran? If elected, go do what you said. That’s what Kevin does. That’s why I am supporting him, and that’s why the voters should support him.”
Coughlin is the only declared Republican candidate in the race thus far.
Jordan and an array of other Republican lawmakers, including Speaker Mike Johnson, backed Coughlin during his first run against Sykes. He came within roughly two percentage points — less than 10,000 votes — of defeating Sykes in November.
Ohio’s 13th congressional district had the closest presidential election result of any congressional district with former Vice President Kamala Harris besting President Donald Trump by less than a tenth of a percentage point.
Coughlin accused Sykes of putting Democratic Party priorities ahead of constituents in the northeast Ohio district in his campaign launch announced April 2.
“In the first days of her second term, she voted to shut down the government and refused to join bipartisan efforts to bring the NASA headquarters – and thousands of jobs – to Northeast Ohio,” Coughlin said in a statement shared with the DCNF announcing his candidacy. “We need a Member of Congress who will stand with President Trump to fight for our community, our safety and to provide reliable leadership with real solutions.”
Sykes’ seat is rated as one of ten “toss-up” districts held by Democratic incumbents, according to early analysis from the Cook Political Report. The seat’s demographics could change to favor one party over the other due to the Ohio state legislature slated to pursue mid-decade redistricting later this year.
The congresswoman, first elected in 2022, is one of 26 Democrats that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) — House Republicans’ campaign arm — is seeking to defeat in 2026.
The NRCC launched a digital advertising campaign on Friday targeting Sykes and other House Democrats for voting against a GOP budget blueprint. The resolution will unlock up to $175 billion in new border security funding and will allow for a permanent extension of the expiring provisions of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
The Democratic incumbent recently drew controversy for forming a joint fundraising committee with left-wing firebrand Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
“We encourage all vulnerable House Democrats to also lean on Congresswoman Crockett!” the House GOP leadership-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund said in a statement following Sykes’ decision to jointly enlist campaign contributions with Crockett.
“I’m honored by Congressman Jordan’s support, and by the unity Republicans in Ohio are demonstrating behind our campaign,” Coughlin told the DCNF. “From our time serving together in the legislature to today, Congressman Jordan has been a steady, constructive, conservative voice who is not afraid to take on the establishment. We need more people of principle who are able to get stuff done in Congress. That’s Jim Jordan, and I’m honored to have his support.”
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