Fred Strahorn Explained

Fred Strahorn
Office:Minority Leader of the Ohio House of Representatives
Term Start:January 5, 2015
Term End:February 6, 2019
Predecessor:Tracy Maxwell Heard
Successor:Emilia Sykes
State Senate1:Ohio
District1:5th
Term Start1:March 31, 2009
Term End1:December 31, 2010
Predecessor1:Tom Roberts
Successor1:Bill Beagle
State House2:Ohio
District2:39th
Term Start2:January 7, 2013
Term End2:December 31, 2020
Predecessor2:Clayton Luckie
Successor2:Willis Blackshear Jr.
Term Start3:January 3, 2001
Term End3:December 31, 2008
Predecessor3:Tom Roberts
Successor3:Roland Winburn
Birth Date:20 March 1965
Birth Place:Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Education:Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University
Ohio State University (BS)
Sinclair Community College

Frederick W. Strahorn[1] (born March 20, 1965) is an American Democratic politician who served in the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 39th District, which consists of much of Dayton, Ohio. He served as the Minority Leader for the 131st Ohio General Assembly and 132nd Ohio General Assembly.

Life and career

Strahorn served as a member of the Wright State University Board of Trustees, a position that ended in 2013.[2] He attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and graduated with a B.A. in aviation management from Ohio State University.[3] He also attended Sinclair Community College for real estate coursework.

Strahorn won his election to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2000 and was re-elected in 2002, 2004 and 2006. Strahorn was term limited out of running again in his previous district, but chose to run for election in a different district in 2012.

In 2008, Strahorn received the Dayton Unit NAACP President's Award from civil rights activist Derrick Foward, the president of the Dayton NAACP.

The following year, Strahorn was appointed to the Ohio Senate to replace Tom Roberts, who had been appointed to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, but lost election to a full term to Republican Bill Beagle.

Return to the Ohio House of Representatives

Strahorn was chosen as the Democratic candidate for the position on August 12, 2012, at the Montgomery County Democratic headquarters, with a vote of 41–1.[4]

First elected in November 2012, Strahorn defeated his opponent, Jeffrey Wellbaum, with over 80% of the vote in a traditionally Democratic district. The two competed to fill the position that had been vacated in January 2013 by Clayton Luckie, who had earlier announced his withdrawal from the election following the news that he was being investigated on criminal charges.[5]

Strahorn soundly won re-election in 2014 with over 75% of the vote. His opponents were Jeff Dalton, Republican, and William Pace, an independent perennial candidate.[6] [7]

On November 18, 2014, Strahorn was elected as Minority Leader of the Ohio House by the Democratic Caucus. Strahorn stated that he would work on trying to make clear the Democratic Party's message to voters, commenting "I know that we have work to do with the general public with communicating what our party really stands for." He was reelected to the position in 2016.[8]

Circa 2016, Strahorn gave an impassioned labor rights speech, denouncing the union busting tactics of Moraine, Ohio's Fuyao Glass America plant and praising workers who choose to unionize with the UAW. His speech was featured in 2019 documentary film American Factory.[9]

Electoral history

Election results
YearOfficeElectionVotes for Strahorn%OpponentPartyVotes%OpponentPartyVotes%
2000Ohio House of RepresentativesGeneral22,41168.96%Brian L. WhitakerRepublican7,95624.48%Logan MartinezIndependent2,1326.56%
-2002General19,72571.81%Martin ArbagiRepublican7,74428.19%
2004General33,32570.17%Glenn JonesRepublican14,16429.83%
2006General23,52374.17%Martin ArbagiRepublican8,19225.83%
2010Ohio SenateGeneral47,68149.15%Bill BeagleRepublican49,33950.85%
2012Ohio House of RepresentativesGeneral37,83182.99%Jeffrey L. WellbaumRepublican7,75617.01%
2014General16,34477.5%Jeffrey DaltonRepublican3,89118.41%William PaceIndependent8954.24%
2016General27,558100%
2018General26,879100%

Personal life

He is a member of the Baptist faith and has one daughter.

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/45773/frederick-strahorn VoteSmart - Fred Strahorn
  2. News: Ohio lawmakers sworn in for General Assembly . Jackie . Borchardt . . January 7, 2013 . January 14, 2013.
  3. http://www.wright.edu/about/leadership/board-of-trustees/fred-strahorn Wright State University Board of Trustees - Fred Strahorn
  4. http://www.progressohio.org/blog/2012/08/strahorn-selected-as-democratic-candidate-for-39th-ohio-house-district.html Progress Ohio blog
  5. News: Bischoff. Laura. State Rep. Luckie Had to Face Trial on 22 January 2012. December 20, 2012. December 20, 2012. February 9, 2013. https://archive.today/20130209193454/http://www.whiotv.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/state-rep-luckie-set-to-face-trial-jan-22/nTbyy/. dead.
  6. News: County Commission race a squeaker, Beagle wins, AP says. November 4, 2014. November 6, 2014. Dayton Daily News.
  7. News: Election Insider - Your Vote 2014 (Summary of poll results). November 6, 2014. Dayton Daily News.
  8. News: Strahorn picked to lead Ohio House Democrats. Laura. Bischoff. Dayton Daily News. November 18, 2014. November 19, 2014.
  9. Web site: Hood . Nathanael . August 25, 2019 . American Factory Review: A horrifying look at Small Town America caught in the crosshairs of global labor rights . September 12, 2023 . The Young Folks.