Troy Balderson Bio
William Troy Balderson (born January 16, 1962) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the U.S. representative for Ohio’s 12th congressional district since 2018. A member of the Republican Party, Balderson represented the 20th district in the Ohio Senate from 2011 to 2018 and served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011. Prior to entering public office, he worked in his family’s car dealership in Zanesville, Ohio, eventually serving as its vice president and general manager.
Early Life and Background
William Troy Balderson was born and raised in Zanesville, a city in southeastern Ohio, where he has continued to make his home. He graduated from Zanesville High School in 1980 as a young man rooted in his local community. After high school, he attended both Muskingum College and The Ohio State University, though he did not complete a degree at either institution. His upbringing in a multi-generational business family gave him an early familiarity with hard work and small-town commerce in the Muskingum River valley.
Path to US Politics
Balderson’s path to politics grew out of years spent running his family’s auto business and serving his community in Zanesville. As the third generation to manage Balderson Motor Sales, he learned the rhythms of a family enterprise and the concerns of working customers across Muskingum County. That local grounding prepared him to seek elected office, first at the state level in the Ohio General Assembly, and later on the national stage in the U.S. House of Representatives. His steady rise from a regional dealership manager to a congressional lawmaker reflects a career built on community ties and Republican grassroots politics in central Ohio.
Troy Balderson Career
Early Career (2008–2011)
When incumbent State Representative Jim Aslanides became term-limited, Balderson sought the Republican nomination for the 94th Ohio House District. He won the March 2008 primary with 67.6 percent of the vote and followed it up with a November general-election victory, capturing 54.01 percent of the ballot. In the Ohio House, he served on the House Finance Committee and chaired the Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. During this period he also proposed legislation that would have required random drug tests for certain Ohio Medicaid recipients as a condition of receiving state benefits.
In late May 2011, State Senator Jimmy Stewart announced his plan to resign his 20th Senate District seat effective June 30. On July 12, 2011, Senate President Tom Niehaus announced that Balderson would be appointed to fill that vacancy, and he was sworn in the following day. The appointment moved him from the Ohio House to the Ohio Senate and set the stage for his later run for Congress.
Ohio Senate Breakthrough (2011–2018)
On November 6, 2012, Balderson won a full four-year term in the Ohio Senate, defeating Democrat Teresa Scarmack with 59.79 percent of the vote. In 2014, he was selected as co-chair of a special legislative committee tasked with reviewing Ohio’s renewable energy and energy efficiency regulations, and he also chaired the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. In 2016, he ran unopposed for reelection, consolidating his standing in the district. Because Ohio’s term limits barred him from running again in 2020, Balderson chose to pursue a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Ohio’s 12th congressional district.
U.S. House of Representatives Era (2018–Present)
Balderson first reached Congress through an August 7, 2018 special election triggered by the January 2018 resignation of Representative Pat Tiberi. After a narrow May primary win over Melanie Leneghan, who later challenged the result in court and was turned down by the Ohio Supreme Court, Balderson faced Democratic nominee Danny O’Connor in a race too close to call on election night. He was officially certified the winner on August 24, 2018, prevailing by roughly 1,680 votes, and was sworn into office on September 5, 2018. He then defeated O’Connor again in the November general election, taking 51.6 percent of the vote to O’Connor’s 47.1 percent.
Since joining Congress, Balderson has been a reliable Republican vote on major national issues. On July 19, 2022, he voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill designed to protect the right to same-sex marriage at the federal level. He also voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. In his most recent reelection, he defeated Democratic businesswoman Alaina Shearer with 55.2 percent of the vote to her 41.8 percent, solidifying his hold on Ohio’s 12th congressional district.
Notable Events and Milestones
His most defining political moment was the razor-thin 2018 special-election victory over Danny O’Connor, decided by fewer than two thousand votes and certified only after absentee and provisional ballots were counted. Earlier, his 2008 primary win with 67.6 percent and his unopposed 2016 Senate reelection stand out as key markers of his long climb through Ohio Republican politics.
Troy Balderson Family
Family Background and Business Lineage
Balderson comes from a Zanesville family with deep roots in the local auto industry. He was the third generation to run Balderson Motor Sales, where he started as a mechanic while still a college student before becoming vice president and general manager from 1987 to 2008. His father had led the dealership for roughly half a century, and the family business closed in February 2018 as Balderson was preparing for his congressional campaign.
Personal Life
Balderson married Angela Mattingly in 1985, and the couple had one son before divorcing in 2014. He continues to reside in Zanesville, Ohio, the same community where he was born, raised, and built both his business and political career.