Democratic incumbent Joyce Beatty will face challenger Morgan Harper in the first debate leading up to the March 17 primary elections. This will be the first public forum meeting to discuss their platforms for the two candidates vying for Ohio’s Third Congressional District seat.

The candidate forum debate will be held at St. John’s United Church of Christ, 59 E. Mound St., on Sunday, February 2 at 1:30 p.m.

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is an Ohio native and has represented Ohio’s Third Congressional District since 2013. She currently sits on the House Committee on Financial Services and serves on three Subcommittees: Diversity and Inclusion (Chair), Housing, Community Development and Insurance, and Oversight and Investigations. Prior, she served as senior vice president of outreach and engagement at The Ohio State University and as a member in the Ohio House of Representatives for five terms, there becoming the first female Democratic House leader in Ohio’s history. The legislation she has enacted includes focuses on financial literacy, STEM education, human trafficking and access to healthcare for stroke victims, and women with breast and cervical cancer, among other issues.

Harper is a Columbus native and former senior advisor at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The daughter of a public school educator, she attended college at Tufts University, followed by graduate school at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, where she received a Master of Public Administration, and Stanford Law School, earning a Juris Doctor. Harper represents a push for progressive policy in Ohio’s Democratic Party as she advocates for universal child care, tuition-free public college, Medicare for All, systemic reparations and the Green New Deal.

“I’m excited that members of our district will get to hear from me and my opponent about how to address the pressing issues facing OH-3,” said Harper in a press release. “It’s crucial that voters in the district understand that on March 17, they will have a choice between two very different federal policy visions for how to ensure everyone in our community has housing, jobs that pay enough to live, healthcare, and a clean environment.”

Representative Joyce Beatty could not immediately be reached for comment.

For more information on Morgan Harper, visit morganharper.org. For more information on Joyce Beatty, visit beatty.house.gov.