We’re so excited to endorse Sara Bitter for Ohio Senate. Given her experience as a successful advocate and a working mother, we are confident she will actively work to support our values and our mission of creating an Ohio in which women, and their families, can prosper and thrive.

“I am so proud and honored to have received The Matriots endorsement. As an attorney, a disability rights advocate, and a mother of two children living with disabilities, I am running for office to create a Disability, Mental Health and Addiction Caucus in the Ohio legislature. I want to make sure that all voices and perspectives are represented when lawmakers get together in Columbus.“
– Sara Bitter

Senate District 7 includes the Eastern Cincinnati, Middletown, and Mason. 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?

I am a mom of two children living with developmental disability.  Like almost every caregiver of a child with special needs, I have learned firsthand the importance of access to good health care, education, jobs, housing and transportation. And this does not just apply to special needs; it also applies to families who have a loved one who is affected by a mental-health condition, families affected by the opioid crisis, our elderly, and many of our veterans.

I am running for State Senate District 7 because I want to bring new perspectives and voices, including those of caregivers, to the legislature in Columbus by creating a Disability, Mental Health and Addiction Caucus.

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

My family faced major challenges early in my life:  My father was an alcoholic. By the time I was four years old, my mother became a single mom to my brother, my sister and me.  So, for many years, she had to raise and support us on her own. She did a very good job, because she is an extremely strong woman and saved and managed the money she earned as a nurse well:  She was able to afford a home for us in a neighborhood with good public schools. We had health insurance. We went to good public schools. And she taught us the importance of voting! She took classes in the evenings and eventually received her bachelor’s degree in nursing.  She then went on to earn her master’s degree and eventually taught nursing at Sinclair Community College. That taught me that it is never too late to make things better for us and our families. That is why I am running for office and that is why my slogan is “Bitter for Better.”

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 have had many different jobs in my life: I started my first job when I was in high school and worked all through college and law school.  But I got my first “real” job after graduating from college. It was pretty exciting: I worked in the West Wing of the White House as the assistant to the Special Counsel to the President during the Clinton Administration.  My boss was a woman with three children. She was my first mentor. I learned a lot of my current leadership skills from her. And the job gave me amazing insights into politics and how our executive and legislature work.

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 definitely want to see 50% of all elected offices in Ohio held by women in 2028.

I also want to see public education properly funded, more teachers hired and with higher salaries, and high stakes testing ended so that all Ohio students receive an excellent education. I want to see a robust investment in workforce training to give workers job security and good paying careers. And I want to see Ohioans not having to worry about their health-care coverage and costs.  I want to see the opioid epidemic in Ohio eliminated. We can do better!

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

1.     Health care: high costs and lack of access (with an emphasis on mental health care services, including treatment and therapy for addiction.)

2.     Workforce: we need better training programs for the unemployed and better transportation so people can get to work

Tell us something personal about yourself.

My husband is German. We met in law school at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. Within two weeks of our first meeting, we knew we would get married and move to Germany for some time. While we lived there for five years, I learned to speak German and we traveled throughout Germany and Europe. Our older son was also born there.