Kristina Knickerbocker

According to her Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey, Knickerbocker grew up active in church and volunteering at local food pantries, and she worked multiple jobs to put herself through school before pursuing nursing.[1] She earned a bachelor's degree from Azusa Pacific University in 2014, a military citation from the University of Southern California in 2015 and a graduate degree from The Ohio State University in 2022.[1] She served in the Air Force from 2015 to 2025, leading medical teams as a major and nurse in the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and later serving in the Air Force Reserve with the 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron.[1][2]

Knickerbocker moved to the Miami Valley a little over a decade ago when she was stationed at Wright-Patterson, and she lives in Yellow Springs, according to the Yellow Springs News in April 2026.[2] She works as a family nurse practitioner, including in neuro-oncology at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.[1][2] She describes herself as a mother of two. In an April 2026 interview she said she had not been "steeped in politics" before running and was motivated by seeing patients struggle with insurance coverage and costs; she was one of six Democrats on the May 5, 2026 primary ballot.[1][2] According to her campaign materials and an interview, she campaigned on health care costs, affordability and reducing corruption in politics.[1][2] She won the November 3, 2026 general election with 49.3% of the vote to Mike Turner's 47.7% and Thomas McMasters's 2.9%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[3]