Eric Conroy, an Air Force veteran and former intelligence officer, is making his case that Ohio's first congressional district is one of the most consequential races in the country — not just for Cincinnati, but for the Republican House majority itself.

Conroy appeared on Breitbart News Saturday with host Matthew Boyle to lay out the stakes. His pitch is straightforward: flip the seat, keep the majority, protect the agenda. One of the few flippable districts in the country, not only is it a big race here because we have a chance to kick out a leftist Democrat who's in Congress, but it's also a big race nationally.

The district, which covers Cincinnati and surrounding counties, is currently held by two-term Democrat Rep. Greg Landsman. It has also been redistricted to be slightly more favorable to Republicans — a shift that makes Conroy's bid more than aspirational.

The case against Landsman

According to Breitbart News, Conroy didn't mince words about the incumbent. Landsman, he argued, runs a carefully curated brand of moderation back home that evaporates the moment he votes in Washington.

He is not the moderate he claims [to be]. He walks around Ohio acting like he's this moderate, really has some conservative angles to him, but it's just not true. He's a leftist, he votes with the Democratic Party, he voted with the Biden administration nearly 98 percent of the time, which is much more in line with an AOC or a Nancy Pelosi.

This is the play that works in swing districts across the country: campaign like a centrist, govern like a progressive, and hope nobody checks the receipts. It worked for Landsman twice. Conroy is betting that voters are ready to review the scorecard.

A 98 percent alignment with the Biden administration doesn't leave much room for the "independent voice" routine. At that rate, the district isn't sending a representative to Congress — it's sending a rubber stamp.

Why the House majority hangs on races like this

Conroy framed the race in terms that extend well beyond Ohio. With the Republican majority razor-thin, every seat matters — and every seat lost opens the door to something far worse than bad legislation.

Avoid the impeachment of Donald Trump and keep the House.

That's not hyperbole. Democrats have made their intentions clear through years of behavior. If they recapture the House, the impeachment machinery spins up on day one. It won't matter whether the charges are serious. The point is the spectacle — and the paralysis it creates for the rest of the Republican agenda. Every flippable district that stays blue is an inch closer to that outcome.

This is the math that should focus the minds of every Republican donor, volunteer, and voter in a competitive district. The majority isn't abstract. It's the difference between governing and defending.

Endorsement and momentum

Conroy has picked up the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Moreno, Ohio's senior Republican senator, whom Conroy described in terms suggesting real enthusiasm for the backing.

Sen. Moreno is probably the biggest, most exciting name in Ohio Republican politics.

He knows the critical nature of this race.

A Moreno endorsement signals that serious Ohio Republicans see this district as winnable — not a long-shot vanity campaign, but a genuine pickup opportunity. That kind of institutional support matters when directing donor attention and volunteer infrastructure toward a race.

Conroy also touted his campaign's financial position:

We are the highest fundraising team in this race and we have the team and credentials to pull this off.

Money alone doesn't win elections, but it's a reliable indicator of organizational seriousness. A well-funded challenger in a recently redistricted seat against an incumbent whose voting record contradicts his branding — that's a formula that has worked before.

Service as the through line

Conroy's biography — Air Force veteran, intelligence officer — gives him something Landsman can't manufacture: a record of service that predates his political ambitions. He described his run as a way to:

Continue that life of service.

It's a short phrase, but it draws a clean contrast. One candidate built a career in uniform and intelligence work. The other built one in Democratic politics while telling Ohio voters he's something else entirely.

The first congressional district will test a question playing out across the country: Can Democrats keep running as moderates while voting as progressives, or have voters finally noticed the gap? Conroy is banking everything on the answer.