Democratic Party chair claims to be a long-time Republican in OH-15 campaign ad

A new television advertisement from House Majority PAC targeting Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Carey in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District features a narrator identified as a Republican farmer, but public records and prior statements show the speaker is a current Democratic Party chair.

The ad, which has aired in the district, features Chris Gibbs, a Shelby County farmer, as the narrator. In the spot, Gibbs criticizes Carey and presents himself as a longtime Republican voter.

“I voted Republican for decades, but I’m not supporting Mike Carey,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs currently serves as chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party Rural Caucus and of the Shelby County Democratic Party, positions he has held since 2023 and 2025, respectively. Local party websites, the Ohio Democratic Party, and multiple news reports document his leadership roles. He has also appeared in fundraising photos, holding a sign in support of former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.

During a 2024 CNN interview, Gibbs clearly indicated his prior break with the Republican Party, criticizing President Trump and stating, “I’m part of the Democratic Party.”

While records show that Gibbs was previously active in Republican politics, including a role on the Board of Elections, he left the Republican Party around 2019.

Profiles in The New York Times and other outlets have detailed his switch and subsequent Democratic organizing, including a statewide rural listening tour.

Citing disagreements over trade policy and the party’s direction, Gibbs explained his decision to join after becoming an independent.

Yet, the discrepancy between Gibbs’ current Democratic Party leadership roles and his presentation in the ad as a Republican has drawn attention from critics who describe the framing as misleading. Political advertisements frequently use former members of the opposing party to signal broader dissatisfaction, but Gibbs’ ongoing positions as a Democratic official are publicly available and longstanding.

The use of partisan identifiers in campaign advertising remains subject to limited regulation beyond general prohibitions on false statements, leaving campaigns and outside groups wide latitude in how they frame speakers.

House Majority PAC, the primary Democratic super PAC focused on House races, has increased spending against Carey this cycle as part of a broader push into Republican-leaning districts.

Ohio’s 15th District, which includes parts of central and southwestern Ohio, leans Republican. Carey, first elected in a 2021 special election, won re-election in 2024 by roughly 13 percentage points, 56.5% to 43.5%, over Democrat Adam Miller.

That margin exceeded the district’s performance for the Republican presidential ticket. Cook Political Report and other analysts have rated the seat as Likely or Lean Republican heading into 2026, though House Majority PAC has reserved significant advertising time in the Columbus market.

At the time of publication, neither campaign had publicly responded to the advertisement.