By Raju Lama
Summit County, Ohio — Sandeep Dixit spent 20 years traveling for work. In all that time, he never missed one of his kids’ games. He never missed a parent-teacher conference. This summer, his family welcomed its third generation of Americans — a grandson born into a country Dixit says is being let down by the two institutions supposed to be looking out for it.
That combination — showing up, generation after generation, no matter how demanding the job — is the case Dixit is making to Ohio’s 13th District as he runs for Congress this November as an independent. “If you show up for your family for 20 years on the road, showing up for a district isn’t a stretch — it’s the job,” Dixit said. “Too many people in Washington have never had to prove that to anyone.”
An Engineer, Not a Career Politician
Dixit isn’t a lawyer or a lifelong political operative. He’s an engineer with three decades of leadership experience in engineering and business, including building a small business of his own. He has also spent 30 years in community leadership, serving as president of a national-level organization representing more than 60 chapters and over 500,000 Americans.
He points to a number that shapes his entire campaign: fewer than 4% of members of Congress come from science or engineering backgrounds, even as the country enters an era being reshaped by artificial intelligence and automation.
“We’re writing the rules for the AI era with a Congress that doesn’t understand the technology,” Dixit said. “That’s not a Democrat or Republican problem. It’s a competence problem, and it’s one my background is built for.”
A Real Third Option, Not a Protest Vote OH-13 voters will have a choice this November between two-term Democratic incumbent Emilia Sykes, Republican nominee Carey Coleman — and Dixit. He argues that choice shouldn’t feel as narrow as it usually does.
“Every cycle, people are told a vote for anyone outside the two parties is a wasted vote,” Dixit said. “But look at where those two parties have taken us: nearly 40 trillion in debt, roughly billion in corporate PAC money bought and sold every single election cycle. The real wasted vote is the one you cast out of habit, for someone who was never going to change anything for you.”
He also points to Ohio’s shrinking political weight in Washington — its congressional delegation down from 21 seats to 15 in recent decades, even as California, Florida, and Texas delegations have grown to dominate Congress — while the state’s human development index sits below the national average.
Voters he’s met canvassing across Summit, Stark, and Portage counties have told him the same thing in different words: they’re not loyal to a party, they’re loyal to results, and they haven’t seen many lately.
What He’s Running On
• AI and STEM education in every classroom, alongside skilled-trades and vocational training
• Public AI access for all — not just corporations and the wealthy
• Right-to-repair protections for consumers on products they own
• Real-time healthcare pricing, letting patients check procedure costs and insurance coverage before scheduling care
• No tax on Social Security benefits
• Fiscal responsibility as a genuine check on both parties’ spending
On the Ground
Dixit’s campaign has leaned heavily on direct, in-person conversations with voters, from local festivals to community events across the district. The campaign confirmed its ballot certification through the Summit County Board of Elections in July 2026 and has since launched the “Civic Renewal Movement,” inviting Ohioans to volunteer, host yard signs, and get involved before November.
The campaign will keep a presence at county fairs and community festivals across the district throughout the summer and fall, where Dixit plans to keep doing what’s gotten him this far: showing up and talking directly to the people he wants to represent. Asked what he wants voters to remember most, Dixit doesn’t point to a policy line. He points back to where he started.
“I have a grandson now. Third generation of our family born in this country,” he said. “Every choice I make in this race, I’m making with him in mind — not the next election, him.”
