Ending Gerrymandering in Ohio: Dr. Bryan Hambley on the Fight for Fair Elections and Secretary of State 2026

On this episode of Purple Political Breakdown, host Radell Lewis sits down with Dr. Bryan Hambley, Cincinnati leukemia physician and Democratic candidate for Ohio Secretary of State in the May 5, 2026 primary. Bryan grew up on a small family farm, trained as a blood cancer doctor at UC Health, and launched his outsider campaign in January 2025, well before the filing deadline, because he has watched his patients and Ohio communities suffer under a broken, gerrymandered democracy.

Radell and Bryan go deep on the three core responsibilities of the Secretary of State: drawing fair districts, writing honest ballot language, and setting voting policies that work for every Ohioan. Bryan lays out why he believes gerrymandering is wrong no matter which party does it, how the 2023 unconstitutional maps carved Lincoln Heights out of Cincinnati's congressional district, and why Ohio needs an independent redistricting commission similar to the ones already working in Idaho and Michigan. He breaks down how current Secretary of State Frank LaRose used intentionally misleading ballot language to defeat the 2024 redistricting amendment, why he handed over the last four digits of every Ohio voter's Social Security number to the Department of Justice, and why Ohio made a mistake pulling out of the ERIC voter roll system.

The conversation also covers the rising musical chairs problem with term-limited Republicans like Treasurer Robert Sprague hopping offices, the threat of a Vivek Ramaswamy governorship, corporate PAC money as a cancer on Ohio's democracy, same-day and automatic voter registration, making Election Day a holiday, ranked choice voting in Lakewood and Cleveland Heights, business filing fee reform (proposing a drop from $99 to $75), and Bryan's position on universal, simple, affordable healthcare for Ohioans.

Whether you are tracking the 2026 Ohio midterms, trying to understand the Democratic primary matchup between Bryan Hambley and former House Minority Leader Allison Russo, or just want a straightforward explainer on how the Secretary of State shapes elections in Ohio, this episode gives you what you need to cast an informed vote on May 5.

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Learn more about Bryan's campaign at hambleyforohio.com.

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Keywords: Ohio Secretary of State 2026, Bryan Hambley, May 5 Democratic primary, gerrymandering Ohio, independent redistricting commission, Frank LaRose, Allison Russo, Robert Sprague, corporate PAC money, ranked choice voting, ERIC system, voter rolls Ohio, Lincoln Heights, Ohio midterms, ballot language, voting rights, Cincinnati Democrat, leukemia doctor, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ohio politics, Purple Political Breakdown, Radell Lewis.

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