Ingram seeks reelection to Ohio Senate District 9 seat

State Sen. Catherine D. Ingram, a Cincinnati Democrat, is running for reelection to Ohio State Senate District 9 in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Republican Linda Matthews.

Ingram has served in the District 9 seat since 2023, according to BallotReady. Before that, she represented District 32 in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023, where she chaired the Finance Committee. She also served as president and vice president of the Cincinnati Board of Education.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Ohio State Senate, District 9
Education: Master of business administration, University of Cincinnati (1990); bachelor's degree in business administration and management, University of Cincinnati; high school diploma, Woodward High School
Occupation: Realtor at Comey & Shepherd (2013–present), according to BallotReady

Experience and public service

In the Ohio Senate, Ingram serves as ranking member on the Primary and Secondary Education Committee, the Higher Education Committee and the Workforce Development Committee, according to her Ohio Tuition Trust Authority biography. She also sits on the Finance, Health and Medicaid committees and serves on the Controlling Board.

Before entering the legislature, Ingram taught as a university lecturer at Northern Kentucky University from 2001 to 2011 and as an adjunct instructor at Thomas More College from 2013 to 2015, according to BallotReady.

Her civic record is extensive. Board roles include the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, the Ohio School Boards Association, the Mayerson Human Resource Academy, the Great Rivers Girl Scout Council, the Greater Cincinnati Black Achiever Award program, Leadership Cincinnati and the Ohio Tuition Trust Authority.

In 2000, Ingram was named to the Ohio School Boards Association's All-Ohio School Board, one of five board members statewide to receive the honor. She was also recognized in the 2003-04 edition of Who's Who in Black Cincinnati, received the United Way/Community Chest Outstanding Service Award and the Delta Sigma Theta Achieving Women Award.

On the issues

The following positions are Ingram's own statements, provided through BallotReady questionnaire responses.

Education: Ingram said "the great equalizer is having free and public education." She called for equitable resources and accountability for school districts, saying a focused commitment to those goals "can support education and our children for generations to come."

Social services and elder care: Ingram said Ohio has an aging population that requires "support, acknowledgement of care and resources." She said the goal should be delivering a higher quality of life for older residents, adding that aging "is a privilege that must accompany care, resources, strategies, investment and a long-term outlook."

Housing: Ingram said homeownership remains "the dream" and that the path to it runs through accessible and equitable housing. She called for efforts to "produce access and give opportunities for all housing."