Rev. Diane Mullins, pastor of Calvary Church pastor in Hamilton, is challenging Ohio House of Representatives 47th District incumbent Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) in the Republican primary on March 19.
The winner will face the Democratic nominee, Rev. Vanessa Cummings, pastor of Hamilton’s Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Nov. 5 general election to represent the predominantly Republican district.
Diane Mullins
Mullins said she “seeks to be a genuine conservative Republican voice in Columbus” and prioritizes key issues “such as protecting unborn life, parental rights, girls’ sports, Second Amendment rights, combating statehouse corruption, supporting local businesses, promoting technical education, advocating for farmers, and reducing government intervention and taxes.”
“My integrity, faithfulness to the Republican Party, and leadership skills set me apart from my opponent,” Mullins wrote in an email. Mullins said she stands out as a candidate who can lead and care for the people simultaneously.
She has been a Hamilton resident since age 9 and is a Miami University graduate in elementary education, she said.
When asked about her decision to challenge the incumbent representative, Mullins emphasized the need for politicians to be held accountable for both their positive and negative actions.
“All politicians do good things, it is the bad things they do and the bad people they align with that make them unworthy of the position,” she said. “I feel our community and businesses can benefit from my involvement in the statehouse,” she said.
As far as any potential conflicts between her religious and political beliefs, she said, “I live my life true to God, I am a true Christian and faithful to my beliefs.”
Sara Carruthers
Incumbent Sara Carruthers, a former White House press assistant during the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations seeks a fourth two-year term in the Ohio House of Representatives. She served Ohio’s House 51st District – since redistricted – from 2019 to 2022. She currently represents the 47th District, drawn in 2022 to encompass Hamilton and the northern part of Butler County.
In a phone interview, Carruthers said that, as a legislator, “she has brought more than $7 million in taxpayer money back to the district and co-sponsored several important bills.”
Carruthers said she sponsored the Parents’ Bill of Rights [H.B. 8], which would require public schools to “adopt a policy on parental notification on student health and well-being and instructional materials with sexual content.”
Carruthers also sponsored a bill raising penalties for underage sales of vape or tobacco products and sponsored Aisha’s Law [H.B. 3], which proposes an increase in aggravated murder charges and enhanced law enforcement training for domestic violence calls.
“I have fought for this district very strongly, and the public sees that,” Carruthers said.
The Butler County GOP censured Rep. Sara Carruthers in 2023 for voting for the current Ohio House speaker Rep. Jason Stephens.
Carruthers said that the “misinformation about me voting for a Democratic speaker has resulted in reduced support from some members of the party.” “I voted strongly for a Republican speaker,” she added.
Carruthers noted that her competitor’s position as a pastor is “a very important job.” She added that “you should be doing just that job with passion and a constant drive.”
Vanessa Cummings
Democratic nominee Vanessa Cummings will run against the GOP primary winner in the general election for the house seat representing the heavily Republican district.
Cummings, pastor at Hamilton’s Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, is also vice president of Oxford’s NAACP branch and was member of Oxford City Council from 1994 to 2000.
