SCOOP: Former CIA officer, Air Force veteran launches GOP campaign for Dem-held Ohio district

First on Fox: Eric Conroy, a U.S. Air Force veteran and former CIA case officer, announced his campaign to represent Ohio’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday. 

Speaking with Fox News Digital ahead of his announcement, the Cincinnati native said southwest Ohio deserves a “common-sense advocate” in Washington, D.C., who can help the city reach its full potential. 

Conroy criticized incumbent Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman as “anything but” that common-sense decision maker for Ohioans, tying Landsman’s policy record to President Joe Biden’s progressive agenda. 

“This is decision-making more along the lines of an AOC or a Nancy Pelosi and not someone from Southwest Ohio,” Conroy said of the second-term Democrat. 

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Ohio, once a reliable swing state, has shifted to the right over the past few election cycles. Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, a businessman and political outsider, defeated longtime incumbent Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2024, securing a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. 

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On the campaign trail, Moreno also tied his Democrat opponent’s voting record to Biden’s, capitalizing on Ohio’s conservative shift. 

Conroy blamed the Democratic Party’s “lack of initiative, lack of foundation, and lack of any real ideas” for Ohio’s red wave. 

“Greg Landsman has been a part of that problem and a part of that party that has really failed to address any day-to-day issues that people are encountering. Instead, they are focused on promoting a far-left agenda, which does not put money back in their pockets or help them solve day-today issues,” he explained. 

Landsman was elected to represent Ohio’s 1st District in 2022, unseating former GOP Rep. Steve Chabot. The Democrat won his re-election campaign last year against Republican challenger Orlando Sonza, an Army veteran and former Hamilton County prosecutor. 

Conroy said he would bring a multi-faceted approach to representing Cincinnati in Washington, D.C., given his experience growing up locally, nationally in the U.S. Air Force, and internationally at the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, leading intelligence missions around the world. 

“I’m running for Congress because I’ve seen the threats we face abroad and the struggles families face here at home. It’s time for new leadership that will stand up to the extremes, restore common sense, and fight to make sure the American Dream stays within reach for every Ohioan,” Conroy said. 

Core among Conroy’s campaign promises are a commitment to building the economy, supporting law enforcement and securing the border. The Republican has also vowed to protect Social Security and Medicare, a hot-button issue heading into the 2026 midterm elections as Democrats seize on Republicans’ Medicaid reform included in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”