I recently sat down with former State House Minority Leader Allison Russo and Bryan Hambley. Both are Democrats running for Secretary of State here in Ohio.
Before I conducted these interviews, I reached out to y’all on Facebook and asked: if you were interviewing both candidates, what would you ask? Y’all gave me a strong list of questions. I compiled them and sent the exact same document to both campaigns, verbatim. Each campaign had about a week to review the questions in advance. During the interviews, both candidates were asked the same set.
There was only one deviation. During one live session, a viewer asked about the SAVE Act, so that question was included with Bryan. Other than that, the format was identical.
I also want to acknowledge both campaign teams. Isaac from Team Hambley and Jordan from Team Russo were professional, responsive, and easy to coordinate with. Both candidates showed up on time and engaged seriously with the questions. That matters ( and is more rare than you would imagine).
Below, you’ll find both full interviews, each about an hour long. Underneath each video is a written summary. Those summaries were generated using AI from the full transcripts.
Allison appears first, that is intentional. My standard going forward is simple: if an elected official is in the race, that person will be listed first. If no one currently holds elected office, I will list candidates alphabetically. I want a consistent rule so placement cannot be interpreted as favoritism.
Watch both. Compare answers. Evaluate how each candidate handles the same questions you submitted.
This is your primary.
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More to come.
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In this interview Ohio Secretary of State candidate and former House Minority Leader Allison Russo outlines her background in public health policy, her experience flipping a Republican-held state House seat, and her leadership during Ohio’s contentious redistricting battles. She explains the core responsibilities of the Secretary of State as Ohio’s chief elections officer, emphasizing election administration, collaboration with county boards of elections, and advocacy for voters. A central theme of the discussion is restoring public trust in elections through transparency, consistency, and resisting political interference at both the state and federal levels. Russo criticizes recent decisions to withdraw Ohio from the ERIC voter data-sharing system and raises concerns about voter roll maintenance practices, arguing they have created confusion and unnecessary barriers.
The conversation also covers the federal SAVE Act, which Russo describes as a restrictive voter registration measure rather than a simple voter ID bill, warning it would impose documentation and in-person requirements that could disenfranchise eligible voters. She defends her role in negotiating legislative district maps in 2023, framing the decision as strategic harm reduction that preserved key procedural tools like the citizen referendum. Additional topics include navigating a Republican supermajority, the importance of bipartisan and interstate cooperation among Secretaries of State, improving voter access and education, strengthening Democratic Party engagement through competitive primaries, and modernizing Ohio’s election infrastructure, including campaign finance transparency and county-level election website consistency.
In this interview Dr. Bryan Hambley, a leukemia physician from Cincinnati and Democratic candidate for Ohio Secretary of State, outlines his platform centered on election integrity, anti-gerrymandering reform, and restoring public trust in democracy. He emphasizes three core responsibilities of the office: oversight of redistricting and ballot language, administration of elections, and maintenance of voter rolls. Hambley sharply criticizes the current Secretary of State’s handling of ballot language, withdrawal from the ERIC voter data-sharing system, and partisan voter roll purges, arguing these actions undermine public confidence. He states that he would refuse to certify an invalid election only under lawful circumstances and insists the role should be exercised independently of partisan pressure.
A central theme of the discussion is gerrymandering, which Hambley describes as the “upstream problem” distorting Ohio politics and limiting policy progress, including healthcare reform. He calls for a renewed constitutional amendment to establish an independent redistricting commission and pledges to support honest ballot language. Hambley also advocates for expanded ballot access, local control over drop boxes, nonpartisan voter roll maintenance, and stronger campaign finance transparency, including rejecting corporate PAC money. Broadening the conversation, he critiques careerism in politics, urges Democrats to communicate more clearly about values and universal healthcare, and argues that rebuilding voter trust requires authentic engagement across all communities. He concludes on an optimistic note about Democratic competitiveness in 2026, emphasizing grassroots organizing and statewide outreach.
