Martinichin vying as write-in to represent Ohio’s 7th Congressional District

ASHLAND COUNTY — Voters in Ashland County will choose between four candidates seeking to represent them in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District.

Ashland County was previously included under Ohio’s 4th District. The Ohio Redistricting Commission in October 2025 adopted new federal congressional districts ahead of the beginning of the 2026 election cycle.

District 7 includes Ashland and Medina counties, along with portions of Wayne and Cuyahoga counties.

Candidates seeking to represent Ashland County in the 7th District include Republican incumbent Max Miller, Democrat Brian Poindexter and write-in candidates Andrey Martinichin and Thahbia Asad.

The winner will begin their term Jan. 3, 2027. It will expire Jan. 2, 2029.

Ashland Source recently conducted interviews with Miller, Poindexter and Martinichin using some of the questions developed by author and reporter Amanda Ripley as a way of cutting through conflict with questions that “complicate the narrative.”

Multiple messages were left by Ashland Source with Asad, but no responses to those requests were received.

Andrey Martinichin

Below is the balance of the conversation with Martinichin, which has been edited only for brevity and clarity.

Background: Martinichin, 30, is currently a registered nurse. He attended high school at St. Ignatius High School and obtained his LPN and RN at Clark State Community College in Springfield. Martinichin has never held a political office before and is running as an independent.

“I chose to go into politics to be an advocate for people, to be a man for others. In our current political climate, we have too many politicians who abuse their power or do not
feverishly advocate for their constituents,” he said. “As a nurse, my job is to advocate and protect.

“In the same light, I seek to advocate and protect all Ohioans — not just the constituents in my district.”

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Ashland Source Q&A with Martinichin:

Ashland Source: What issues do you think divide Ohioans the most these days?

Martinichin: A few issues that I believe divide Ohioans the most is immigration, gun control, abortion, trans rights/gay rights (and) education (funding for private schools vs. public schools).

Ashland Source: Are there any answers that you think are being suggested by national politicians or elected officials from both sides of the aisle that are oversimplified or answers that sound really good, but are truly oversimplified?

Martinichin: “We need to talk to each other,” it is a soundbite that is echoed across many Democrats and Republicans. The fact of the matter is we see conversations glossed over as soon as disagreements are had. In a time where politicians refuse to debate, or even smear each other personally rather than debate each others policy points, shows us where politics has sunken to. Saying “we just need to talk to each other” is just one of those things politicians say these days to make voters feel like they’ll reach across the aisle.

“The other party is the problem.” This also touches on the above answer where it is easy
to point blame on the other party for the issues that are in our country. Fact of the
matter is, the gridlock between both parties is why policy is slow and ever changing. It
is hard to have consistency when our elected officials are always squabbling (and) blaming each other rather than looking for bipartisan solutions to our nation’s issues. George Washington warned us of this divide in his Farewell (Address) to the nation.

Healthcare, I believe that neither party gets it right. Republicans are hyper focused
on “choice,” but that choice only exacerbates the issue of healthcare in our nation
between supporting Medicare Part C or Medicare Advantage and giving power to the insurance companies over constituents. Democrats hyper fixate on “Medicare for All”
without going into details on “how we pay” and (how) we restructure healthcare in our
nation. I believe we give people the choice of whether or not you go on a government
scheme which provides people the choice Republicans want and we conduct overall
healthcare reform to strengthen our healthcare system to not overwhelm our healthcare workers and hospitals.

Immigration, both sides continually have very different viewpoints on immigration
and the uncertainty is both an economic cost to our nation and also goes against the
founding principles of our nation. Current legislation that governs immigration law in
our nation was set by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which is an
outdated piece of legislation that needs thrown away and replaced with new policy
that favors increasing the U.S. tax base, provides clear cut metrics for foreign talent to
come to our nation and provides businesses ways to ensure there are not labor
shortages in industries that are heavily not staffed by American citizens.

I have not heard Democrats state they want a new piece of immigration legislation and anything that isn’t a new piece of legislation is just a band aid on the issue that can be ripped off by another administration.

Ashland Source: Policies aside, it seems clear that Ohio voters and voters around the country are more divided than ever on some fundamental cultural principles. So where does all this distrust come from and how do we fix that?

Martinichin: I think the distrust comes from several places at once. People get their information from very different sources now, many of them built to provoke anger rather than understanding. Local newspapers that once gave a community a shared set of facts have shrunk, and we tend to live and socialize with people who already agree with us, so we rarely get to know anyone on the other side. Add economic stress and the sense that institutions haven’t delivered and suspicion becomes the default. I don’t think there’s a single fix, but I do think it starts locally. We can support local journalism, back programs like Braver Angels that put people with different views in structured conversation and invest in shared community spaces and volunteering where neighbors work side-by-side before politics ever comes up. We should also reform the rules that reward division, like gerrymandered districts and closed primaries. In my work as a nurse, I care for people from every background, and when you’re helping someone through a hard moment, politics falls away. I want to bring that same mindset to the district: treat people as neighbors first.

Ashland Source: Is there any common ground to be found today between members of different parties? What will it take to return to a time in Congress when political opposites could be friends and even work together?

Martinichin: This one is a difficult one. One can say “we need to listen” to the other side all they want. It comes down to whether or not the opposing party “hears” and wants to cooperate and negotiate on policies. What we see now are political hardlines and politicians choosing to “die on the hill” that they stand on. We need more open-mindedness rather than stubbornness on Capitol Hill. However, until a time comes when we have more common sense in D.C., I believe we need to incentivize politicians to work together. We need them to come together in the same room. We need to provide opportunities for politicians on both sides to work on projects across our great nation together to come up with beneficial solutions to citizens. In regard to whether there
currently is any common ground, I want to believe there is, but in reality, I feel like both sides demonize each other so much that the lines between common ground and political party’s get very blurred. Another issue that helps with distrust between parties is lack of respect to attend bipartisan debates and forums. How can we pose questions and keep politicians accountable to the voters when they do not show up. Max Miller has not held a town hall in a while and Brian Poindexter on multiple occasions has refused to attend the League of Women Voters OH-7 forums with me. Both candidates state they would work with both sides, but reality highlights anything but.

Ashland Source: What would you want voters in the district to know about you that they may not know today?

Martinichin: I am 30 years old and this is my first time running for office. Running as a third party write in-candidate has highlighted how ingrained our country has become with the two-party system. It has been the absolute pleasure of my life to have been able to run and fight to highlight issues (that) surround OH-7 despite not being taken seriously by many outlets. This will not be the last race I run. My desire to serve and represent will continue. As the saying goes, fight the good fight.

Ashland Source: Are there any issues where you and your opponents see eye-to-eye? Is there anything you think one or several of them gets right?

Martinichin: Brian Poindexter and I see eye-to-eye on a few issues such as workers’ rights, Medicare for all and the desire to want to work with the other side of the political aisle on any issue. With Max Miller, I believe him and I have the desire to want Ohio farms to do well, although, Max Miller has continually voted for policies that negatively affect farmers.

Ashland Source: What’s one thing that nobody’s asked you about or an issue that needs more light?

Martinichin: An issue that needs more light, and this one is personal because I am a nurse, I believe we need overall healthcare reform. I’m not saying a Medicare for all scheme, rather how we do healthcare in our nation and how we treat healthcare professionals and train them. I wrote two pieces for Matt Diemer on the Angry Ohioan which highlighted issues on for-profit nursing schools and nursing homes. Then the way we treat healthcare professionals leaves much to be desired. Between high patient ratios and unsupportive administration, there needs to be legislation that makes the healthcare system better for everyone.

Ashland Source: What primary or early life events helped shape your views today?

Martinichin: I graduated from St. Ignatius High School in 2015 and throughout my four years, one lesson kept on reverberating, “be a man for others.” That stuck with me – as my journey to become a man for others lead me to be a nurse. I’ve had the honor of working with some of the most talented and amazing people one can ever meet. I’ve taken care of patients from all walks of life and it has been the honor of a lifetime to be able to serve the underinsured and underprivileged in our community. One of the most vulnerable groups I’ve taken care of, especially now, are immigrants. I have a soft spot for them as my parents immigrated from the Soviet Union (or present day Ukraine) I understand the vulnerabilities and issues that come with being from an immigrant family. This lead me back to what I kept on hearing at Ignatius all those years ago – but how do I be a man for others, for all my patients, for all the vulnerable in our community. In the 1992 film “A Few Good Men” two Marines by the names of Pfc. Louden Downey and Lance Corporal Harold Dawson were charged with the murder of a fellow Marine who kept on failing at various tasks in their unit. Now spoiler alert for anyone in the audience who has not seen the film. Tom Cruise, who played the role of the Navy attorney, zealously defended the two Marines that were charged. They were found not guilty; however, they were dishonorably discharged. At the end of the film, Private Downey vocalized repeatedly “What did we do wrong? We did nothing wrong?” That is when Corporal Dawson turned around and said “Yeah, we did. We were supposed to fight for people who couldn’t fight for themselves.” This led me to my decision to run for office. To be able to advocate and fight for those who can’t help themselves. To be a man for others for the most vulnerable in our community.

Ashland Source: What do you think the (national) media does wrong when it labels candidates ultra-conservative or ultra-liberal?

Martinichin: I think the problem with labels like “ultra-conservative” or “ultra-liberal” is that they tell voters what to think about a candidate instead of what the candidate believes. Most people hold a mix of views that don’t fit neatly on one line and a single label erases that. It also turns elections into a contest between teams rather than a comparison of ideas. I’d rather the media describe where a candidate stands on specific issues, like healthcare, the economy or immigration and let voters decide for themselves. That’s especially important for independent candidates, who often don’t fit either party’s mold to begin with.

Ashland Source: In this age of misinformation and disinformation, how do you decide which information to trust?

Martinichin: As a nurse, I’m trained to rely on evidence rather than assumptions, and I try to apply the same standard to news. I ask who is making the claim, what their expertise or interest is and whether I can trace it back to a primary source, like the actual data, study or full transcript instead of someone’s summary of it. I cross-check important claims across several outlets with different viewpoints and I’m especially cautious about content designed to provoke an emotional reaction. I also trust sources more when they correct their mistakes openly. No one gets this right every time, so I try to stay willing to change my mind when better evidence comes along.