2020 primary election preview: Three Democrats seek to challenge Jim Jordan for U.S. House seat

Shannon Freshour Age: 45 Party: Democratic Education: Trinity College, bachelor's degree in political science and art history; Johns Hopkins University, master's degree in American government Job history: Litigation paralegal for 20+ years Website: shannon4ohio.com Mike Larsen Age: 59 Party: Democratic Education: Bachelor's degree in political science Family: Larsen lives in Plain City with his wife and teenage daughter. He also has a grown daughter and three grandchildren living in Missouri. Job history: Worked for more than two decades as a television writer and producer. Larsen wrote for a dozen shows, including "The Drew Carey Show;" "Ellen;" "Two Guys & a Girl;" and "Real Time with Bill Maher." From 2008 to 2012, Larsen left writing to work for Congresswoman Jackie Speier in Washington, D.C. Website: ohiomike2020.com Jeffrey Sites Age: 53 Party: Democratic Education: associates's degree Ohio Institute of Photography & Technology Family: Daughter Emily Job history: Warehouse assistant manager, former military police officer Website: sitesforcongress.com Three Democratic candidates will face off in March to see who will be running against Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, to represent Ohio's 4th District in the U.S. House. The November ballot also will include independent Chris Gibbs and Libertarian Steven Perkins. The district represents Elyria, Amherst and Oberlin as well as other villages and townships in Lorain County. Sites did not respond to requests for information. What makes you the best candidate for this position? Freshour: I'm the most-qualified candidate in this race because I know firsthand what it means to live as a member of the working class. As the daughter of a hard-working single mom in Ohio, I learned how to count by helping my mom add up her waitressing tips. We regularly lived paycheck to paycheck and were on welfare. I'm running on protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act, strengthening unions and the working class and giving our children quality public education including universal pre-K. Moreover, I would fight to bring new good-paying jobs to the district. Larsen: Of the three Democrats in the primary, I believe I possess the experience and political skills to defeat Jim Jordan and represent our district. We have a real chance of defeating Jordan this year because of the well-funded Republican running as an independent in November, but only if we nominate someone who can go toe-to-toe with Jordan. I have decades of experience fighting for progressive causes, know the district well (I was Janet Garrett's 2018 communications director when she challenged Jordan), and have thousands of hours of public speaking experience. I've also coached candidates and officeholders in debate prep and media training. Sites: People in this district are fed up with Washington. We're tired of politicians claiming they're for the middle class but make policy for billionaires to march in lockstep for party and personal political gain. The middle class of the Ohio 4th needs representation who knows what ordinary families go through and will support real solutions for our families instead of clinging to one philosophy or another at our families' expense. I'm an average working father. I know what people like me want our leaders working on, and I know we want them to put our interests first through representation for our families' security and dreams. We need a practical, middle class voice, like mine, in Congress. What is the biggest challenge facing the district and how would you address it? Freshour: The odds are stacked against working people, and we all have a responsibility to fight to protect good-paying jobs, unions, the middle class and the American dream. Our current representative recently voted against the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would have given power back to the workers during labor disputes. I will fight to protect life-saving programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and SNAP. The current Republican leadership supports Trump's 2021 budget, which cuts nearly $2 trillion from these programs over the next decade. I will fight to protect the safety net and our residents. Larsen: Our biggest challenge is having a congressperson who doesn't care about his district. When I'm elected, I'll hold monthly town hall meetings and focus my office on the needs of my constituents. That's how Congresswoman Speier served her district, and I will duplicate that level of service here. I also will fight to remove battlefield weapons from our streets and schools, work to guarantee reproductive rights and make sure our tax dollars are brought back to the district to repair our failing infrastructure and expand broadband to small towns. Sites: Too many people are one unexpected expense away from disaster. I've been there. I was hurt while out of work and couldn't afford to see a doctor and have skipped medication to make ends meet. We need to make things a little easier for working families like mine and yours, offer not just a little more security, but a protected path for our children's future. We'll do it by bringing living wage jobs to this district with investments in infrastructure and the green economy, improving our health care system so it works for everyone, and making sure no one is worried about losing Social Security and Medicare. That will be my priority in Congress, to represent the interests of all families in the Ohio 4th, regardless of party affiliation. I will be true representative of the people of the Ohio 4th.