The ads, which began airing this week, mark the DCCC’s first advertising investment in the Dayton-area race. One opens with a woman saying voters need a representative who stands up for them as Knickerbocker jogs through a neighborhood.

Turner won the 2024 election by more than 18 percentage points, outperforming President Donald Trump in the district. But Democrats are treating the race as a possible pickup opportunity, even as the district’s new boundaries are expected to give Republicans an advantage.

A recent internal DCCC poll of 535 likely general-election voters shows Knickerbocker leading Turner by three points, according to results reviewed by POLITICO. Polling from this summer showed Turner ahead. The new survey is a campaign poll; the available information does not include its margin of error or details about its methodology.

Ohio adopted a new congressional map in 2025. Under the previous boundaries, the 10th District voted for Trump by 6 percentage points in 2024; estimates under the new lines put his margin at about 8 points.

The DCCC’s spending comes alongside more than $1 million already put into the race by House Majority PAC, which has advertising reservations scheduled through Nov. 3. Knickerbocker is not included on the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” roster, a group of candidates receiving a larger share of the committee’s resources.

Republicans are also investing in the contest. The National Republican Congressional Committee has been spending in the district for several weeks. Its spokesperson, Zach Bannon, argued Turner’s record on taxes, costs and public safety would appeal to voters, and portrayed Knickerbocker as too far to the left.

DCCC spokesperson Riya Vashi said the committee believes Knickerbocker has momentum and will use its ads to criticize Turner’s record. The competing investments signal that both parties are working to shape the race in a district where Republicans retain a structural advantage but Democrats see an opening.