Cara Jacob, a Democrat and neurologist, is running for Ohio State Senate District 7 in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Republican Zac Haines.

Jacob, a first-time candidate, said she reached a straightforward conclusion before entering the race: if the Statehouse would not listen to doctors, a doctor should run for the Statehouse, according to Ohio Pride PAC, which endorsed her.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: Ohio State Senate, District 7
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Residence: Northern Cincinnati suburbs
  • Profession: Neurologist at the University of Cincinnati
  • Family: Mother of two

Experience and public service

Jacob works as a neurologist treating patients with Parkinson's disease, dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions, according to Ohio Pride PAC. Before running for office, she served as a petition captain for the Reproductive Freedom Amendment and for the SB 1 referendum, the endorser's profile states. She also submitted written testimony opposing SB 113, the Senate DEI ban, and SB 1 before the Ohio General Assembly, according to the same source.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Jacob's responses on her campaign platform via BallotReady. All statements reflect the candidate's own words and claims.

Healthcare: Jacob said she supports moving toward a single-payer, universal healthcare system. She said she backs regulatory oversight of pharmacy benefit managers to end practices she described as "spread pricing" and "copay clawbacks." She also called for expanding healthcare access and retaining providers to address what she described as a growing workforce shortage.

Property taxes and budget: Jacob said she supports a property tax circuit breaker, which ties relief to a household's ability to pay, and expanding the homestead exemption for seniors and vulnerable Ohioans. She said she wants to shift funding responsibility back to the state to reduce what she called overreliance on local property taxes.

Education: Jacob said she strongly supports full implementation of the Fair School Funding Plan. She said properly funding education through the state budget would reduce what she called the unconstitutional overreliance on local property tax levies. She also said curriculum decisions should be guided by teachers, not politicians.

Housing: Jacob said she supports limiting bulk home purchases by corporate buyers backed by private equity. She said those purchases drive up prices and rents and push families out of their communities.

Reproductive rights: Jacob said she will fight any legislation that threatens access to reproductive healthcare. She said she will champion policies expanding access to contraception and protecting fertility treatments such as IVF.

Endorsements

The following endorsements are attributed to the sources listed. Endorsements do not imply this outlet's support.

  • Ohio Pride PAC (per Ohio Pride PAC)
  • AFL-CIO (per BallotReady)
  • Hamilton County Democratic Party (per BallotReady)
  • American Federation of Teachers - Ohio (per BallotReady)

The Mason-Deerfield Times did not receive a completed questionnaire from Jacob for this profile. This article will be updated if a response is received.