Fred Strahorn

Frederick W. Strahorn (born March 20, 1965) is an American Democratic politician who served in the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 39th District, which consists of much of Dayton, Ohio. He served as the Minority Leader for the 131st Ohio General Assembly and 132nd Ohio General Assembly.

Life and career Strahorn served as a member of the Wright State University Board of Trustees, a position that ended in 2013. He attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and graduated with a B.A. in aviation management from Ohio State University. He also attended Sinclair Community College for real estate coursework.

First elected in November 2012, Strahorn defeated his opponent, Jeffrey Wellbaum, with over 80% of the vote in a traditionally Democratic district. The two competed to fill the position that had been vacated in January 2013 by Clayton Luckie, who had earlier announced his withdrawal from the election following the news that he was being investigated on criminal charges.

Strahorn soundly won re-election in 2014 with over 75% of the vote. His opponents were Jeff Dalton, Republican, and William Pace, an independent perennial candidate.

On November 18, 2014, Strahorn was elected as Minority Leader of the Ohio House by the Democratic Caucus. Strahorn stated that he would work on trying to make clear the Democratic Party's message to voters, commenting "I know that we have work to do with the general public with communicating what our party really stands for." He was reelected to the position in 2016.

Circa 2016, Strahorn gave an impassioned labor rights speech, denouncing the union busting tactics of Moraine's Fuyao Glass America plant and praising workers who choose to unionize with the UAW. His speech was featured in 2019 documentary film American Factory.

Electoral history

Personal life He is a member of the Baptist faith and has one daughter.