Allison Russo

Allison Russo has lived in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Russo earned a B.S. in microbiology from the Mississippi University for Women in 1998, a master's degree in epidemiology from the University of Alabama, Birmingham in 2000, and a doctorate in health policy from George Washington University in 2014. Her career experience includes working in health policy as a research analyst at The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence, research analyst for the Science Applications International Corp, senior healthcare analyst for Axiom Resource Management, senior research leader for Thomson Reuters, and research director for Kenell and Associates.[1][2][3]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Allison Russo is a current State Representative who flipped a seat in 2018 from Republican to Democrat and was the Democratic Leader for the Ohio House of Representatives from January 2022 to June 2025. Russo has a strong track record of fighting for working families and public education, protecting one person one vote, advocating for reproductive rights, and fighting for labor protections. She has the experience needed on day one to protect voting rights from attacks by politicians in the state legislature and DC who want to hold onto power. Russo also served on the Ohio Redistricting Commission from 2022-2023, where she repeatedly fought for fair maps, was able to negotiate a state legislative map that gained two Democratic seats in the 2024 election to restore the citizen referendum power, gave Democrats a pathway to break the Republican supermajority in 2026, and stopped Republicans from re-drawing more gerrymandered maps this decade under a rigged redistricting process. Russo’s strategic and strong leadership in the Ohio House has been credited with helping to defeat the August 2023 Issue 1 “60% power-grab” and preserving citizen-led direct democracy; enshrining reproductive freedom in the Ohio Constitution in November 2023 with 57% support from voters; passing and funding the historic Fair School Funding Plan; and increasing state funding for child care services for working families and wages for direct support professionals who care for Medicaid-eligible Ohioans.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Russo is running for Secretary of State because she believes that power must be restored to the people of Ohio by ensuring they have access to the full power of their vote. Issues such as gerrymandering, biased ballot language, and added hurdles to access the ballot all serve to diminish the power of voting and allow politicians in charge to hold onto power at the expense of everyday Ohioans. Russo will be a Secretary of State who puts voters first. She believes that the best way to represent the diverse interests of all voters is to conduct the duties in a fair and unbiased manner, ensuring every candidate and every ballot issue has the same fair opportunity to come before voters, and that every voter has their voice heard and counted.Russo is the most experienced candidate running for Ohio Secretary of State in 2026. While the Secretary of State is the state’s chief elections officer, the Ohio General Assembly establishes election laws. Allison’s experience as a legislator and as the Ohio House Democratic Leader are critically important in navigating the needs of Ohio voters and election workers through the legislative and state budget process. Russo has served on key legislative committees where changes to election and voting laws are debated and has introduced and co-sponsored legislation related to improved election funding, voting access, data privacy and security, campaign finance, and support for Ohio’s election workers.As Secretary of State, restoring trust and transparency to our election process will be one of Russo’s top priorities. She is committed to honesty and integrity in responding to disinformation that only serves to undermine public confidence in our election processes. She will prioritize restoring transparency to our elections by making clear all of the checks and balances that exist to ensure fair and secure elections. As Secretary of State, Russo will be committed to fair and easy-to-understand ballot language, consistent in the oversight of election integrity and campaign finance, and clear in the directives issued to Ohio’s 88 County Boards of Elections for election operations.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Since taking office, Russo has served on key legislative committees—Finance, Health, General Government, Constitutional Resolutions, State& Local Government, and the Ohio Redistricting Commission—giving her a clear view of both how good policy gets made and how politicians try to bend the rules to keep power. She understands that government only works for people when it is fully accountable and transparent, which relies on Ohioans having their voices heard at the ballot box. As Secretary of State, Russo believes increasing voter participation and voter education should be key duties of the office. Ensuring that eligible Ohioans are informed about how, when, and where to vote is essential to a strong representative democracy.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

EMILYs List, 314 Action Fund, Vote Mama, Matriots, SMART-TD, IUPAT District Council 6, the Lima Building & Construction Trades Council, Dayton Building & Construction Trades Council, Columbus Central Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council, Greater Cincinnati Building & Construction Trades, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Baptist Ministerial Alliance of Columbus & Vicinity, and dozens of current and former state and local elected officials.

Allison Russo did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Allison Russo did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Allison Russo did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

Allison Russo did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.