Rachel Baker seeks re-election to Ohio House District 27

Rachel Baker, a Democrat, is seeking re-election to Ohio House District 27 in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Republican Nancy Aichholz.

District 27 includes Anderson Township, Terrace Park, Newtown, Indian Hill, Amberley, Lincoln Heights, Lockland, Madeira, Reading, Silverton, Woodlawn, Wyoming and parts of Columbia Township, Symmes and Springfield Township, according to Baker's campaign website.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Ohio House of Representatives, District 27
Education: Bachelor's degree in psychology, University of Michigan (1996); master's degree in social work, University of Michigan (1999); bachelor's degree in nursing, University of Cincinnati (2003); doctorate in nursing research, University of Cincinnati (2006)
Family: Mother of three children, according to her campaign website

Experience and public service

Baker has served as state representative for District 27 since 2023, according to her BallotReady profile. She serves as ranking member of the Ohio House Medicaid Committee, according to the Ohio House of Representatives.

Outside the Statehouse, Baker works as a nurse researcher at TriHealth and holds adjunct teaching positions at the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University and Mount St. Joseph University, according to her BallotReady profile. She previously worked as a research associate at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center from 2012 to 2016.

Baker said on her campaign website that she volunteers as a court-appointed child advocate, known as a CASA, providing support for children experiencing abuse and neglect.

In her first three years in office, Baker said she was a primary sponsor of three bills: HB452, which she said was signed into law and sets standards to decrease the risk of workplace violence in health care settings; HB141, which she said creates daycares for children with medical complexities; and HB448, which she said requires prescription drug rebates be passed on to patients rather than kept by insurance companies or pharmacy benefit managers. She also said she passed a bill to modernize the adoption process in Ohio during her first six months in office.

On the issues

Baker outlines policy priorities on her campaign website:

Health care: Baker said she supports safe staffing of hospitals and adequate health care resources for nurses. She said she will advocate for mental health resources, stating on her website, "I will continue to advocate for mental health resources to address the ongoing and heightened mental health issue in our state."

Education: Baker said she supports early childhood education, less emphasis on standardized testing and more focus on child growth and learning. She said she opposes bans and censorship in public classrooms and wants to address what she calls unconstitutional funding of public education.

Reproductive rights: Baker said she opposes obstacles to reproductive health care access, including abortion and contraception. She stated on her campaign website that she believes politicians should be kept out of family medical decisions.

Economy and wages: Baker said she supports a livable minimum wage and equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, ability status or gender identity.

Environment: Baker said she supports transitioning Ohio away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions and preserving green spaces. She said Ohioans deserve transparent and affordable utilities.