We are thrilled to endorse Jessica Miranda for Ohio State Representative – District 28. She is an example of the kind of woman we seek to endorse for political office in Ohio and believe she would be in an influential position to help us achieve our mission of supporting an economy in which women can thrive and prosper.

“The Matriots is an incredible organization that is leading the charge in electing strong women leaders throughout Ohio. I am honored to be joining the ranks of the Matriots endorsed candidates, and I will fight everyday to help build compassionate and caring communities in which all voices can be heard.”
– Jessica Miranda

House District 28 includes Deer Park, Fairfield, and Sharonville. Click here to find the elected officials in your district. 

Meet the Candidate

Can you tell our members a little bit about your journey to filing as a candidate?

This is my second time running for Ohio House District 28. I first ran in the 2016 election cycle. I was approached by two wonderful women whom I admire and couldn’t do this without. Former State Representative and current Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus met with me and told me all the reasons why I should run for State Representative and how we need more strong female leaders in the Statehouse. Then I received a phone call from the former State Representative in District 28, Connie Pillich. She and Denise both told me something that will stick with me forever: A man will wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and say, “I look like a mayor, and I think I am going to run for mayor.” A woman, on the other hand, will try to rationalize why we should do something and think about everyone else in our family first. Because we, as women, put everyone else before our own interest. In my personal opinion, it’s just how we are wired! So I made the decision to run in 2016 very late in the game in November of 2015. Then a few weeks later, after filing all of my petitions and committee paperwork, my husband and I found out that we were expecting another bundle of joy – I was pregnant! So I was pregnant and running for office: Here we go! No turning back now! We are Mirandas and we do not back down from a challenge! We ran an extreme grassroots campaign in 2016 and Victoria was born on August 18, 2016. Needless to say I didn’t knock on many doors; but despite all of these challenges we moved the needle here in my district and made the incumbent scared! He ran smear ads against me to the tune of almost half-a-million dollars. Furthermore he almost ruined our shot of winning our school levy–to build new buildings for our students–which was also on the ballot at that time. However, we came close and increased our index in the district. I never give up and I never back down, so now I am running for a second time to finally take back this district and flip this seat!

Tell our members about a friend or family member who inspired you to become a leader.

I have several family members whose strength and grit have inspired me. My mother showed me what perseverance truly means: working several jobs to keep a roof over our heads and to keep food on the table for me and my sisters. Her hard work taught me determination and work ethic. Her struggles also taught me what I was NOT going to do when I grew older. It is difficult coming from a single-mother household and furthermore an extremely blended family. But somehow my family, with love and understanding, has made this work. I spent my school years here in Ohio with my mom and my summers in Charlotte with my father and stepmom. This experience gave me an immense understanding into the leader I have become today. Everything I have done in my elected capacity springs from compassion. Our students in the Winton Woods City School District are my first priority – they come first. Just like in my personal life with my own daughters. This is the type of leadership we need in Columbus right now. We can not wait any longer – we must elect women now and continually in the future to set the record straight on the quality of life our families deserve here in our state.

Some of you are military veterans, some small business owners, some professionals, some mothers and grandmothers, some homemakers. How did one of these experiences shape who you are as a person and leader?

I am a mom, a business owner, and the Board of Education president for the Winton Woods City School District. All of these aspects shape who I am as a leader and as a person today. All of these aspects of my life give me a multi-faceted lens on policy and procedure, which allows me to see all different angles of an issue or opportunity. I have a very aggressive drive to succeed and multi-task. As a woman I get a ton of folks who say to me “How do you do all of this?” “How can you juggle being a mom of young children and run for office?” And I say, it’s just who I am, it’s my coping mechanism. I am not the type of person who can sit around and do nothing. I work best when there are several demands or several goals we are trying to achieve collectively. I often tell my colleagues that public service is not the art of politics – it’s the process of knowing what the goal at hand is and working to achieve this goal for all we serve. Any given day of my schedule starts out getting my two older girls up very early to get ready for school and then getting my two-year-old to her Spanish-immersion daycare. Then I am off to my office, where I take care of my clients to make sure they have what they need to protect their families’ assets. Then I complete hours of call time, try to fit lunch in, and fill my afternoons and evenings with campaign events, school and extracurricular pursuits. Taking my girls back and forth to jiujitsu; knocking on doors in between to reach voters; and fitting in my board meetings, Forest Park Chamber meetings, Economic Development Commission meetings, etc. It sounds overwhelming and at times it can be, but my family and I find a way to conquer because we know that being a part of your community and working for the greater good is so fulfilling. This is the type of legacy I want to be known for. This is why I will be a tireless, strong, and tenacious state representative. I will never stop working for my community.

The Matriots PAC has a goal to see 50% of all elected offices in Ohio held by women by 2028. What is your vision for Ohio in 2028?

I have a big hairy audacious goal to be elected to Congress by 2025 when my oldest daughter graduates high school. So my vision for 2028 is to not only have 50% of Ohio offices held by women, but to see 52% of ALL offices held by women from the schoolhouse to the courthouse to the Statehouse AND to the White House!!!

Tip O’Neill famously said that “all politics is local.” What are the top-two issues your community or our state face today?

My community and our state are experiencing a budgeting crisis. This is due to two big issues our legislature has single-handedly created. First, the intense cuts to our local government funds. This has robbed our local governments of the resources necessary to fund our public-safety necessities, like our police departments and our fire departments (not to mention infrastructure). This has also affected our counties and our local income taxes such as in the city in which I live. The city of Forest Park had to decrease our annual income tax credits, which have placed a big strain on our working families. This is a critical issue that needs to be fixed immediately in our next state budget. Second, the ongoing attack on public education. Our State Legislature does not invest in education as we should here in the State of Ohio. We can see this reflected in our scores and placements across the nation. Ohio ranks 36th in overall education PK-12 while ranking 37th in Pre-K quality across the United States. We cannot continue to shift funds away from our most precious investments, which create the quality of life all Ohioans deserve. Education is the great equalizer and we must do better and put establishment politics aside to invest in education and our local communities.

Tell us something personal about yourself.

Lots of young girls grow up wanting to be a singer or actress or princess. As a kid, I grew up wanting to be a stand up comedienne! So you will see I frequently work comedy into my speeches. I am just an all-around goofy and fun-loving person. One of my personal mottoes is, if we aren’t having fun we aren’t living. I try not to take things too seriously and remain a kid at heart for my children and for my own sanity. This could be why I took the smear ads so well. Call it a thick skin or just being able to laugh uncontrollably at the House GOP’s attempt to make me look like a bad person. It’s comical the lengths they will go – they have no shame!