EXCLUSIVE: NRCC launches ad blitz supporting Coleman, in bid to knock off Sykes in the 13th Congressional District

Republicans haven’t been coy about their aspirations to pick up the 13th Congressional District held by Emilia Strong Sykes.

Now, they’re making good on their promise, with the National Republican Congressional Committee launching paid digital ads in the district to help propel Carey Coleman across the finish line.

“Democrat Emilia Sykes voted for the largest tax hike in generations,” the ad’s narrator says. “Sykes wanted your hard-earned cash to fund her far-left agenda. She is extreme and completely out of touch with us. Enough is enough. Tell Amelia Sykes, stop raising taxes.”

When state lawmakers redrew Ohio’s congressional districts last year, pundits expected the legislature to pass a map with a 13th district more favorable to Republicans. However, the district that emerged appears to be slightly more favorable to Democrats.

“The new OH-13 map shifted from a [Kamala] Harris +0.1 district to a Harris +3.3 district after adding more Democratic-leaning areas in Portage County, including the college town of Kent, while removing parts of Stark County,” the NRCC said in a Nov. 10, 2025, memo. “While the district is slightly less favorable than before, it remains highly competitive and continues to trend toward the GOP.”

However, Republicans see an opening.

In the memo, Republicans noted that while Clinton and Biden carried the district by more than five points, Harris won it by three points. Additionally, Republican Mike DeWine won the district by 11 points in 2022, which they think augurs well for flipping it in November.

“Incumbent Emilia Sykes is increasingly vulnerable in this environment: her narrow 2022 win, alignment with national Democrats, and the district’s cultural and economic tilt toward Republican messaging leave her exposed,” the NRCC said in a Nov. 10, 2025, memo.

Last week, Coleman, a broadcaster in Northeast Ohio and a self-described civic leader, formally challenged Sykes, who has been in Congress since 2023, to three debates ahead of the November general election. The Sykes campaign has not responded to the request, the Coleman campaign told Ohio.News.

“For 25 years I sat behind a microphone and took live calls from the people of this district, with no script, no staff to interrupt, and no party committee to hide behind,” Coleman said in a release. “I have spent more hours answering hard questions from Northeast Ohio voters than Emilia Sykes has spent in this district all year. The idea that I am afraid to stand on a stage with her is, frankly, a punchline.”

“So let’s settle it. Three debates. Anywhere in the district,” Coleman added. “Any topic the moderators want to bring. I will be there. The only question is whether the Congresswoman will show up, or whether she will keep letting Washington consultants do her talking for her.”

For her part, Sykes has faced questions about her voting record on China, especially after critics noted she received $13,500 in donations from an investment manager with connections to Chinese markets.

The NRCC has launched similar ads in Ohio’s First Congressional District, targeting Democratic U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, and Ninth Congressional District, targeting Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur.