Crystal Lett seeks reelection to Ohio House District 11

Crystal Lett, a Democrat representing Ohio House District 11, is running for reelection in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Republican Shawn Kaeser.

Lett, a Hilliard native and Hilliard Davidson High School graduate, has held the District 11 seat since January 2025, according to her campaign website. She serves as ranking member of the Ohio House Children and Human Services Committee.

Candidate responses below are drawn from Lett's campaign website and her BallotReady questionnaire answers. Positions are the candidate's own statements.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Ohio House of Representatives, District 11
Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, Ohio State University (2008)
Hometown: Hilliard

Experience and public service

Lett said she has worked as a client services manager at Raymond James Financial Services. She also said she served as a consultant for the Columbus Community Relations Commission from 2005 to 2008, an analyst at Weber Associates from 2008 to 2009, and a case manager at North Central Mental Health from 2009 to 2011.

Lett said she co-founded Dublin Area Progressives in 2018 and founded The Salon Lab Columbus, which she operated from 2017 to 2021.

She said she served as Ohio program director at Red Wine & Blue in 2022 and as recruitment director at LEAD Ohio in 2023. She also said she volunteered as an advocate for Save the Children Action Network beginning in 2016.

On the issues

Education: Lett said she supports fully funded public education and opposes sending tax dollars to for-profit charter school companies. "There is no place for for-profit private charter school companies in Ohio," she said in her BallotReady questionnaire. "We need to stop sending our tax dollars to for-profit corporations while our public schools remain underfunded."

Healthcare: Lett said she wants to restructure the health insurance market so all Ohioans can afford coverage. She called for fully funding and expanding Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Reproductive rights: Lett said she supports abortion rights and pledged to fight against legislative efforts to restrict reproductive freedom. She pointed to Ohio voters' 2023 ballot measure supporting abortion rights and said she would defend that outcome at the Statehouse.

Guns: Lett said she supports red flag laws that would allow law enforcement and family members to petition courts to remove firearms from people who pose a threat. She also called for requiring gun owners to carry insurance and for better tracking of firearms. She opposes arming teachers and daycare workers.

Environment and energy: Lett said she views climate change as an economic opportunity for Ohio, calling for new manufacturing jobs tied to addressing climate change and retraining workers affected by outsourcing.