Editor- Just so readers are aware, we are reaching out to all candidates for the seat and offering equal time

In a first for us, a Democratic primary challenger for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, Don Leonard, joined the Hilliard Beacon Audio Companion for a wide-ranging discussion of economic inequality, foreign policy, and the motivations behind his campaign for Congress. Leonard, who taught on the city and regional planning faculty at Ohio State, framed his candidacy as emerging from years of research into governance and inequality. “I’m not a career politician. I’m not a lawyer or a lobbyist or anything like that,” Leonard said, describing a decade of academic work focused on why some political systems drift toward authoritarianism while others maintain stable democratic institutions.

Leonard traced the intellectual roots of his campaign to the political shock of the 2016 election and the comparative research he had conducted across Latin America. Drawing on work in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, he argued that economic structure (particularly the strength of the middle class) plays a decisive role in the health of democratic systems. “The stronger your middle class, the less likely authoritarians are to succeed,” Leonard said, linking the rise of populist politics in the United States to growing inequality and decades of bipartisan economic consensus around trade and privatization.

The candidate said his decision to move from research into electoral politics came more recently, citing what he views as escalating institutional pressures during the Trump era. Specifically, Leonard pointed to attacks on universities, immigration enforcement policies, and political rhetoric he believes threatens Constitutional norms in an ongoing way. He described a moment of personal reckoning after the birth of his daughter and the realization she might live to see the next century. Don said he felt the erosion of important civic “firewalls” threatened that future and made him feel compelled to act politically rather than solely as an academic observer.

Foreign policy and campaign financing also emerged as defining issues in the interview. Leonard said he would support halting U.S. offensive weapons exports to Israel during ongoing military operations in Gaza and pledged independence from pro-Israel lobbying groups. When asked about accepting funding tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Leonard responded directly: “We would never accept money from AIPAC.” In order to get money out of politics Leonard is not afraid to suggest a Constitutional Amendment (among other regulatory measures) to publicly finance elections.

The discussion closed with broader reflections on the ideological pressures shaping both parties and the challenge of building a coalition of politicians and appropriate government “technology” capable of reversing the conditions Leonard believes are fueling economic inequality and political instability in the United States today.

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