Adrian J Vitus

[{"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>Adrian Vitus completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vitus' responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-398869-2026-01-17\" id=\"heading-key-message-398869-2026-01-17\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-398869-2026-01-17\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-398869-2026-01-17\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-398869-2026-01-17\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-398869-2026-01-17\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>Lower Prices and Higher Wages. Right now, corporate profits are hitting record highs while life for working people in Ohio is getting harder. By raising the minimum and median worker wages and limiting corporate price gouging, as well as strengthening labor unions and workers rights, we can give power back to the forgotten middle class.</li><li>Basic care for our community. For years, our education, employment, and health outcomes in Ohio have been going backwards because the system is putting profits over people. With Medicare for all, universal childcare, quality public education, community safety initiatives and a federal jobs program we can build a better life for working people.</li><li>A fighting voice for Ohio that focuses on democracy, dignity, and respect. America should be a world leader, but not with a corrupt political class profiting from war and control. Working people everywhere deserve to live with freedom and fairness. That change starts at the top by banning stock trades by politicians, limiting corporate lobbying, and getting dark money out of our political system.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-398869-2026-01-17\" id=\"heading1-398869-2026-01-17\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-398869-2026-01-17\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-398869-2026-01-17\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-398869-2026-01-17\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-398869-2026-01-17\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tProfessionally, I worked hard to build a career in foreign policy and international development - a professional where smart and motivated people work together to solve the world's greatest challenges like climate change, authoritarianism, and war. Everywhere, the interests of working people are the same, but corrupt leaders push us into conflicts while ignoring our struggles. We want to build schools and hospitals at home, not drop bombs abroad.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>\n<div><div style=\"margin-bottom:1.5rem\"><h4>Campaign website</h4><p>Vitus' campaign website stated the following:</p><div style=\"max-height:400px;overflow-y:auto;border:1px solid #ccc;padding:10px;margin:20px\"><blockquote style=\"margin:0px\"><p>People over Profits</p><p><br/></p><p>Today in America we have two economies. A booming one for billionaires, and a recession for the rest. Profits for corporate donors and politicians are hitting record highs, but for working people wages stay the same and our prices rise. Even when wages do increase, they are still outpaced by price inflation. So, who is this economy working for? From farms to factories to shops to houses to hospitals, corporate monopolies buy out local ownership only to cut jobs, raise prices, lower wages and make the service worse. It’s been happening for years, and it will continue until working people flip the system. Here’s how we can create a fairer economy</p><p><br/></p><p>Lower prices and higher wages </p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Raise the federal minimum wage for 940,000 Ohioans and push up median wages through collective bargaining rights and labor unions. (HR 2743 Raise the Wage Act) (HR 842 PRO Act) </li><li>Ban corporate price gouging and extreme profiteering by building upon state laws to introduce penalties for illegal practices. </li><li>Cap energy prices and invest in cheaper and cleaner alternatives to protect our air, water, and soil. </li><li>Lower property taxes and supplement local budgets with state and federal funding.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Support your local business </p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Break up corporate monopolies through FTC audits and antitrust reform to restore a fair playing field for all business and markets. (The 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act and strengthen Dodd-Frank) </li><li>Create small business incentives and bypass bureaucracy for local ownership, jobs, and wealth to once again grow in our community</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Tax the rich</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>No middle class tax raises - simply the tax code as a progressive system with less corporate loopholes.</li><li>2% wealth tax on high income earners of over $10 million annually.</li><li>Introduce a capital gains tax so billionaires can’t hide their money.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Basic Care for our Communities </p><p><br/></p><p>Health and education outcomes in Ohio are going backwards while we pay more per patient and per student than most other developed countries. For example, we now pay about $15,000 per person per year in medical costs, which is double what Canadians pay. In Ohio, public school performance is sinking but the state slashed the education budget to push the cost to local communities, resulting in higher property tax. From huge profits for pharmaceutical executives and private prisons CEOs to corporate landlords raising the rent, this system needs a fundamental change. That not only means reinvesting into our communities, but it also means updating how we do it, and who we put at the center. </p><p><br/></p><p>Public health </p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Medicare for all (M4A) would create a single, public insurer with the power to lower drug prices and streamline administration, saving time and money for patients and medical professionals. No more co-pays, deductibles, or network insurance headaches. No more medical debt or denied coverage. </li><li>Promote real, transparent, science-based FDA standards on food safety and nutrition without the input of big AG lobbyists to cut out additives and processed ingredients in favor of simple, natural, and accessible local products.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Universal childcare</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Expand Early Head Start programs to create a publicly available and high-quality network of Early Childhood Education (ECE) providers. </li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Affordable housing</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Federal incentives to build affordable homes in our area and create union jobs in the process, which will push down prices and push up wages.</li><li>A restriction on corporate landlords from buying up our community housing, coupled with incentives for young, first-time homeowners.</li><li>Zoning and land use reform to design our communities for the people living in them.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Public education</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Fund our public-school budgets with more contributions from the state budget, not increases in property taxes. And improve access to affordable Public Universities, Community Colleges, and Technical Schools.</li><li>Move away from No Child Left Behind standardized testing to personalize and modernize our education system.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Community safety </p><p><br/></p><ol><li>The 2nd amendment is the law, but we should enact common sense solutions to restrict the “gun show loophole” and improve firearms purchase licensing and background checks to counter gun violence while expanding mental health care and access.</li><li>The private prison system profits from mass incarceration while lives are destroyed and taxpayers get the bill. Our law enforcement should partner with social services to prioritize community wellness over criminality and rehabilitation over retribution.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Legal immigration</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>A controlled and safe immigration process is good for our country and community. We can enforce immigration laws and pass bipartisan immigration reform to create real pathways to citizenship and asylum. And we can do it with respect and dignity. </li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Fund Social Security </p><p><br/></p><ol><li>By removing the income cap on Social Security contributions, we can fully fund our pension system with balanced budgets.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>End Political Corruption</p><p><br/></p><p>The number one reason why politicians do not make working people’s lives better is because of money. We are the richest country in the history of the world. There is enough money for every hard-working person to get their fair share, and even a vacation or two. But the greedy billionaires at the top spend all their money to keep us down. In 2024, Elon Musk gave over $250 million to political candidates and organizations. From one year in office, Donald Trump has more than doubled his family wealth.</p><p><br/></p><p>They profit from our illness, addiction, division and desperation while paying special interest lobbyists to keep their hold on power. And they buy media companies to lie about it, manipulate the truth, and cheat the system. This is how we retake our voice and our vote.</p><p><br/></p><p>Money out of politics </p><p><br/></p><ol><li>End Citizens United through amendment, legislation, or Supreme Court reform.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Increase voter participation </p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Support Executive or Congressional action to make Election Day a national holiday.</li><li>Pass H.R. 14 the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>End stock trades for politicians </p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Support the passage of HR 5106 the Restore Trust in Congress Act .</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Prosecute white collar criminals </p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Strengthen IRS capacity to prosecute fraudsters, tax evaders, corporate bullies, and hedge fund manipulators who steal from working Americans.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Publish the algorithms, regulate AI</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Create a government agency to demand access to all social media algorithms operating in the United States, and pass safety measures to combat addiction, division, disinformation, and youth mental health decline.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>No More War </p><p><br/></p><p>I believe completely in America’s potential to be a leading force for freedom and democracy in the world. But to do so, we first need to live by these principles at home. Too often, our political leaders have failed us. And working people always pay the highest price. The global war on terror cost US taxpayers over $8 trillion and resulted in tremendous loss of life and possibility. The failed war on drugs threw away another $1 trillion while drug availability only increased. We can and should combat terror, drugs and dictatorship, but not by continuing Washington's failed policies of the past 50 years. Every politician that has promised to end foreign wars has failed, and its time for the double standards to stop. It’s simple, we should build schools and hospitals at home, not drop bombs abroad.</p><p><br/></p><p>End war and waste</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>End the global war on terror and focus on combating terrorism through strategic partnerships and economic development.</li><li>End the global war on drugs by dismantling the financial mechanisms at the top of organized crime.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Fight authoritarianism and follow international law</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Create new systems of American leadership to promote good governance, equal justice, and fair opportunities through international organizations and diplomatic engagement.</li><li>Strategically “decouple” from the Chinese economy in vital national security sectors while maintaining a democratic reform agenda. </li><li>As a proud second generation Ukrainian, I support Ukraine in all aspects of its resistance to the ongoing Russian invasion, oppose the violent rule of the Russian government, and promote a resolution for a peaceful settlement.</li><li>Not another dime for genocide. End all military and intelligence support for Israel until the occupation and injustice ends, and fully recognize a Palestinian state.</li><li>We must follow our own laws, such as the Leahy Law, to ensure that our leaders do not participate in human rights abuses and genocide in the world. That requires the United States to join the ICC.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Cut Pentagon spending</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Conduct the first financial audit to reduce the pentagon’s $1 trillion budget substantially and reposition defense assets in tune with modern conditions.</li><li>Pass H.R. 2818 Surveillance State Repeal Act to repeal the Patriot Act and end mass surveillance of American citizens.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Freedom, Fairness, and Respect for all </p><p><br/></p><p>This campaign will punch up at powerful billionaires and corporations, but we will never punch down towards working people, vulnerable groups, or immigrant communities.</p><p><br/></p><p>Support VA benefits and federal workers</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Reverse the Trump administration’s cutting of Veterans Affairs funding for VA benefits, hospitals, treatments, and jobs.</li><li>Reestablish, update, and promote USAID as a global force for positive impact.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Farmer’s first</p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Break up big AG suppliers, establish a yearly price floor (per crop), and improve small farmer bargaining leverage.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Women’s choice and empowerment </p><p><br/></p><ol><li>Get out of the way and let women succeed. Remove systematic barriers to abortion access, education, healthcare, pay, and management positions.</li></ol><p><br/></p><p>Social Justice</p><ol><li>Racial justice measures across economic, social, and environmental contexts to build a better future for every community.</li><li>Respect for all Indigenous communities and cultures.</li><li>Stand side by side with LGBTQ+ members for a life free from discrimination or threats.</li><li>Defend immigrant groups as one of our own. Because in a nation of immigrants, you are one of us.</li></ol></blockquote><div style=\"text-align: right; font-size: 0.9em; color: #555; margin-top: 0.5em;\"><p style=\"font-size:0.9em;color:#555\">— Adrian Vitus' <a href=\"https://www.vitusforohio.com/platform\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">campaign website</a> (May 1, 2026)</p></div></div></div><div style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0.5em;\"><i>Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.</i></div></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nAdrian Vitus completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vitus' responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? Lower Prices and Higher Wages. Right now, corporate profits are hitting record highs while life for working people in Ohio is getting harder. By raising the minimum and median worker wages and limiting corporate price gouging, as well as strengthening labor unions and workers rights, we can give power back to the forgotten middle class. Basic care for our community. For years, our education, employment, and health outcomes in Ohio have been going backwards because the system is putting profits over people. With Medicare for all, universal childcare, quality public education, community safety initiatives and a federal jobs program we can build a better life for working people. A fighting voice for Ohio that focuses on democracy, dignity, and respect. America should be a world leader, but not with a corrupt political class profiting from war and control. Working people everywhere deserve to live with freedom and fairness. That change starts at the top by banning stock trades by politicians, limiting corporate lobbying, and getting dark money out of our political system. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Professionally, I worked hard to build a career in foreign policy and international development - a professional where smart and motivated people work together to solve the world's greatest challenges like climate change, authoritarianism, and war. Everywhere, the interests of working people are the same, but corrupt leaders push us into conflicts while ignoring our struggles. We want to build schools and hospitals at home, not drop bombs abroad.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.\nCampaign website Vitus' campaign website stated the following: People over Profits Today in America we have two economies. A booming one for billionaires, and a recession for the rest. Profits for corporate donors and politicians are hitting record highs, but for working people wages stay the same and our prices rise. Even when wages do increase, they are still outpaced by price inflation. So, who is this economy working for? From farms to factories to shops to houses to hospitals, corporate monopolies buy out local ownership only to cut jobs, raise prices, lower wages and make the service worse. It’s been happening for years, and it will continue until working people flip the system. Here’s how we can create a fairer economy Lower prices and higher wages Raise the federal minimum wage for 940,000 Ohioans and push up median wages through collective bargaining rights and labor unions. (HR 2743 Raise the Wage Act) (HR 842 PRO Act) Ban corporate price gouging and extreme profiteering by building upon state laws to introduce penalties for illegal practices. Cap energy prices and invest in cheaper and cleaner alternatives to protect our air, water, and soil. Lower property taxes and supplement local budgets with state and federal funding. Support your local business Break up corporate monopolies through FTC audits and antitrust reform to restore a fair playing field for all business and markets. (The 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act and strengthen Dodd-Frank) Create small business incentives and bypass bureaucracy for local ownership, jobs, and wealth to once again grow in our community Tax the rich No middle class tax raises - simply the tax code as a progressive system with less corporate loopholes. 2% wealth tax on high income earners of over $10 million annually. Introduce a capital gains tax so billionaires can’t hide their money. Basic Care for our Communities Health and education outcomes in Ohio are going backwards while we pay more per patient and per student than most other developed countries. For example, we now pay about $15,000 per person per year in medical costs, which is double what Canadians pay. In Ohio, public school performance is sinking but the state slashed the education budget to push the cost to local communities, resulting in higher property tax. From huge profits for pharmaceutical executives and private prisons CEOs to corporate landlords raising the rent, this system needs a fundamental change. That not only means reinvesting into our communities, but it also means updating how we do it, and who we put at the center. Public health Medicare for all (M4A) would create a single, public insurer with the power to lower drug prices and streamline administration, saving time and money for patients and medical professionals. No more co-pays, deductibles, or network insurance headaches. No more medical debt or denied coverage. Promote real, transparent, science-based FDA standards on food safety and nutrition without the input of big AG lobbyists to cut out additives and processed ingredients in favor of simple, natural, and accessible local products. Universal childcare Expand Early Head Start programs to create a publicly available and high-quality network of Early Childhood Education (ECE) providers. Affordable housing Federal incentives to build affordable homes in our area and create union jobs in the process, which will push down prices and push up wages. A restriction on corporate landlords from buying up our community housing, coupled with incentives for young, first-time homeowners. Zoning and land use reform to design our communities for the people living in them. Public education Fund our public-school budgets with more contributions from the state budget, not increases in property taxes. And improve access to affordable Public Universities, Community Colleges, and Technical Schools. Move away from No Child Left Behind standardized testing to personalize and modernize our education system. Community safety The 2nd amendment is the law, but we should enact common sense solutions to restrict the “gun show loophole” and improve firearms purchase licensing and background checks to counter gun violence while expanding mental health care and access. The private prison system profits from mass incarceration while lives are destroyed and taxpayers get the bill. Our law enforcement should partner with social services to prioritize community wellness over criminality and rehabilitation over retribution. Legal immigration A controlled and safe immigration process is good for our country and community. We can enforce immigration laws and pass bipartisan immigration reform to create real pathways to citizenship and asylum. And we can do it with respect and dignity. Fund Social Security By removing the income cap on Social Security contributions, we can fully fund our pension system with balanced budgets. End Political Corruption The number one reason why politicians do not make working people’s lives better is because of money. We are the richest country in the history of the world. There is enough money for every hard-working person to get their fair share, and even a vacation or two. But the greedy billionaires at the top spend all their money to keep us down. In 2024, Elon Musk gave over $250 million to political candidates and organizations. From one year in office, Donald Trump has more than doubled his family wealth. They profit from our illness, addiction, division and desperation while paying special interest lobbyists to keep their hold on power. And they buy media companies to lie about it, manipulate the truth, and cheat the system. This is how we retake our voice and our vote. Money out of politics End Citizens United through amendment, legislation, or Supreme Court reform. Increase voter participation Support Executive or Congressional action to make Election Day a national holiday. Pass H.R. 14 the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. End stock trades for politicians Support the passage of HR 5106 the Restore Trust in Congress Act . Prosecute white collar criminals Strengthen IRS capacity to prosecute fraudsters, tax evaders, corporate bullies, and hedge fund manipulators who steal from working Americans. Publish the algorithms, regulate AI Create a government agency to demand access to all social media algorithms operating in the United States, and pass safety measures to combat addiction, division, disinformation, and youth mental health decline. No More War I believe completely in America’s potential to be a leading force for freedom and democracy in the world. But to do so, we first need to live by these principles at home. Too often, our political leaders have failed us. And working people always pay the highest price. The global war on terror cost US taxpayers over $8 trillion and resulted in tremendous loss of life and possibility. The failed war on drugs threw away another $1 trillion while drug availability only increased. We can and should combat terror, drugs and dictatorship, but not by continuing Washington's failed policies of the past 50 years. Every politician that has promised to end foreign wars has failed, and its time for the double standards to stop. It’s simple, we should build schools and hospitals at home, not drop bombs abroad. End war and waste End the global war on terror and focus on combating terrorism through strategic partnerships and economic development. End the global war on drugs by dismantling the financial mechanisms at the top of organized crime. Fight authoritarianism and follow international law Create new systems of American leadership to promote good governance, equal justice, and fair opportunities through international organizations and diplomatic engagement. Strategically “decouple” from the Chinese economy in vital national security sectors while maintaining a democratic reform agenda. As a proud second generation Ukrainian, I support Ukraine in all aspects of its resistance to the ongoing Russian invasion, oppose the violent rule of the Russian government, and promote a resolution for a peaceful settlement. Not another dime for genocide. End all military and intelligence support for Israel until the occupation and injustice ends, and fully recognize a Palestinian state. We must follow our own laws, such as the Leahy Law, to ensure that our leaders do not participate in human rights abuses and genocide in the world. That requires the United States to join the ICC. Cut Pentagon spending Conduct the first financial audit to reduce the pentagon’s $1 trillion budget substantially and reposition defense assets in tune with modern conditions. Pass H.R. 2818 Surveillance State Repeal Act to repeal the Patriot Act and end mass surveillance of American citizens. Freedom, Fairness, and Respect for all This campaign will punch up at powerful billionaires and corporations, but we will never punch down towards working people, vulnerable groups, or immigrant communities. Support VA benefits and federal workers Reverse the Trump administration’s cutting of Veterans Affairs funding for VA benefits, hospitals, treatments, and jobs. Reestablish, update, and promote USAID as a global force for positive impact. Farmer’s first Break up big AG suppliers, establish a yearly price floor (per crop), and improve small farmer bargaining leverage. Women’s choice and empowerment Get out of the way and let women succeed. Remove systematic barriers to abortion access, education, healthcare, pay, and management positions. Social Justice Racial justice measures across economic, social, and environmental contexts to build a better future for every community. Respect for all Indigenous communities and cultures. Stand side by side with LGBTQ+ members for a life free from discrimination or threats. Defend immigrant groups as one of our own. Because in a nation of immigrants, you are one of us. — Adrian Vitus' campaign website (May 1, 2026) Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source."}]