Republicans back Cincinnati-area congressional candidate as part of play to pick off vulnerable Democrats

As Republicans look to shore up their hold on Ohio, they’ve added a Cincinnati-area congressional candidate to the 2026 “MAGA Majority” program, a nationwide initiative aiming to flip the map in their favor.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump endorsed Eric Conroy, an Air Force veteran and a former Central Intelligence Agency agent from Cincinnati, who is hoping to unseat U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, in Ohio’s First Congressional District race in November.

Now, the National Republican Congressional Committee has added Conroy to what was formerly known as the NRCC’s Young Guns program. Under the initiative, the NRCC will provide candidates with early support and strategic resources to increase their visibility in districts with vulnerable Democrats.

“Cincinnati-born Air Force veteran Eric Conroy defended America on overseas deployments and is now ready to fight for Ohio in Congress,” NRCC Spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement. “Conroy is set to flip Ohio’s 1st District red and be a bold, effective voice for southwest Ohio.”

Conroy, who was raised on the west side of Cincinnati, is one of 16 candidates across the country that the NRCC has added to its list. The list also includes at least one other candidate with a similar background as Conroy: Greg Cunningham, a Marine Corps veteran and former Albuquerque police officer, who is running in New Mexico and has also received a Trump endorsement.

Despite the national attention, Conroy must still win next month’s Republican primary, where he faces Holly Adams, Steven Erbeck, and Rosemary Oglesby-Henry. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Erbeck has dropped out of the race.

Two years ago, Landsman won reelection in 2024, picking up 56% of the vote to knock off his Republican challenger. However, Republicans believe they have a chance to win the district this year following last year’s redistricting.

Additionally, this year, Landsman has been facing a drumbeat of headlines about his record, including questions about his vote against funding the Department of Homeland Security and about his fundraising after revelations that he received an overwhelming majority of donations in the first fundraising quarter of 2026 from donors outside Ohio.

He must also navigate a primary challenger after Damon Lynch IV, the son and grandson of two Cincinnati civil rights activists and pastors, entered the race.

University of Cincinnati political scientist Dr. David Niven, a former speechwriter for two Democratic gubernatorial candidates, told The Cincinnati Enquirer that Landsman is likely to win in the Democratic primary.

“Incumbents who lose primaries lose them because they’re not paying attention, because they’re not working,” he told the newspaper.

“Landsman’s not sleepwalking through anything,” Niven added. “He takes both elections very, very seriously.”