Biography
Laalitya Acharya is the Democratic candidate for Ohio House of Representatives District 56 in the November 3, 2026 general election, running against incumbent Republican Adam Mathews.[1][2] She is an engineering manager who, in a Ballotpedia survey, named public education, affordability and health care as her main campaign messages.[2][3]
Laalitya Acharya graduated from William Mason High School and earned a bachelor's and a graduate degree from Columbia University.[2] In a Ballotpedia survey, she said her parents immigrated from India to Ohio, and that her degrees were in biomedical engineering.[3] Her career experience includes working as an engineering manager, and she said she works in clinical research.[2][3]
Acharya said she returned to the district after graduate school and organized in 2023 against a legislative proposal to raise the threshold for passing citizen-led ballot initiatives to 60 percent.[3] She said she is not accepting corporate PAC or dark money contributions.[3] Her stated priorities include ending school vouchers, universal pre-K, a living wage, and greater transparency from health insurers.[3] Acharya advanced from the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026.[2]
- 1.Ohio House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Laalitya Acharya - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Laalitya Acharya - Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey responses · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Ohio House District 56
Laalitya Acharya is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Ohio House District 56 as D. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.
