Tracy M. Richardson

Tracy Richardson (born January 21, 1965) is an American politician who has served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives representing the 86th district since 2019. A Republican, Richardson's district includes Union County and the majority of Marion County. A graduate of the United States Military Academy, Richardson served in Operation Desert Shield where she earned a Bronze Star. She currently serves in the Army National Guard. Prior to elected office, Richardson served as a human resources officer for a number of different companies. She also served on the Marysville City Council for nearly nine years.

In 2019, state Representative Dorothy Liggett Pelanda opted not to seek reelection to her state House seat, and Richardson easily won the Republican primary to succeed her. She went on to win the general election with nearly 70% of the vote.

Tracy currently serves as chair of the Veterans and Military Development Committee.

Association with Team Householder

During the 2018 Ohio House election cycle, Tracy Richardson was identified in reporting as one of the Republican candidates recruited by then-State Representative Larry Householder as part of an organized effort to regain the speakership of the Ohio House of Representatives. According to an investigation by Cleveland.com, Householder assembled a slate of candidates, commonly referred to as “Team Householder,” who were encouraged to run for office with the expectation that they would support his bid for Speaker if elected. Schmidt was listed among the candidates recruited as part of this strategy.

The successful election of multiple Team Householder candidates enabled Householder to secure enough internal support to be elected Speaker at the start of the 133rd Ohio General Assembly.

This reporting occurred amid broader investigations that later became known as the Ohio nuclear bribery scandal.

Abortion Legislation

In 2019, Richardson co-sponsored legislation that would ban abortion in Ohio and criminalize what they called "abortion murder". Doctors who performed abortions in cases of ectopic pregnancy and other life-threatening conditions would be exempt from prosecution only if they "[took] all possible steps to preserve the life of the unborn child, while preserving the life of the woman. Such steps include, if applicable, attempting to reimplant an ectopic pregnancy into the woman's uterus". Reimplantation of an ectopic pregnancy is not a recognized or medically feasible procedure.

Electoral history