In July 2025, Sam Grube officially announced his candidacy for the Ohio House of Representatives. He seeks to represent District 18, which includes Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights and portions of East Cleveland in Cuyahoga County.
As a native of District 18, Grube spent most of his childhood in Shaker Heights and attended a local high school. He currently attends the University of Chicago, where he studies political science and education. Thanks to a rigorous course load in his early college years, Grube plans to graduate early in the spring and have more time to work on his campaign.
Like many children, Grube wanted to be president. Though it may have started as a fun childhood dream, Grube’s interest in politics began developing further in middle school and high school, where he started paying more attention to elections and the state of Ohio. He worked for a policy organization called Honesty for Ohio Education, and even collaborated with the mayor of Shaker Heights himself, David Weiss. His political aspirations further developed in high school when his friend, now campaign manager, gave him some inspiration.
“We were talking one day, and he threw out this idea that sounded crazy,” Grube said. “He said, ‘Why don’t you run?’ It sounded like a joke, but we thought about it and talked about it, and after about a week, it didn’t sound that crazy of an idea. As a younger generation, we can talk as much as we want. We can say how disgruntled we are and how upset or frustrated we are, but if we don’t do anything, then nothing’s going to change.”
Grube decided to stay in Ohio, where most of his friends and family are. Not only is District 18 the district he grew up in, but it also happens to be open next term without an incumbent or returning representative.
“Why not me?” Grube said. “I think that the younger generation really needs to step up. I’m throwing my hat in, and I’m here to make a change.”
Grube plans to focus on affordability for the people of Ohio. Some of these issues include rising housing, rent and food costs. He also wants to make changes to public education and protect the rights and liberties of all Ohio citizens. One bill that he hopes to get passed is a housing act, which would limit the number of houses people in the state can have to three and prevent corporations and businesses from buying out a large number of houses. This would increase affordability for many houses and open up the market to working-class families.
In order to gain support and spread his message, Grube has met with local leaders, nonprofits, city councils, superintendents and mayors. He also hosts meetings in town halls to meet voters and answer questions. Grube uses social media as another way to connect with the younger generation, including Instagram, Facebook and his website voteforsam.org, among other platforms. When the election nears, he plans to get even closer to his constituents and meet more members in the community by going door to door to get signatures and hand out signs. Grube’s favorite way of interacting with the public, though, is to simply sit down with them and talk.
“I get the most excited and most passionate when people are asking me questions,” Grube said. “I had dinner with some supporters recently, and I was just so energized by answering questions, discussing policy ideas and talking about the state of our district and the state of Ohio. The true conversations with other friends, opponents, family or simply interested citizens are just so energizing and make me so passionate about the work I do.”
Grube has faced some challenges, especially as a young candidate with little experience and few connections. Some of these challenges include building up his platform and movement from the ground, as well as the idea of actually creating change when in office.
“Working on building a grassroots movement has been a challenge,” Grube said. “So far, it’s been working out really well, and I’ve felt so supported. It’s gone so much better than I ever could have imagined. I’m not trying to complain or say that it’s not working, but it’s certainly taken me a while to figure out what’s the most effective method to do this.”
Overall, Grube is hopeful not only for his campaign but also for the future of Ohio and encourages everyone to fight for what they believe in.
“You gotta do it,” Grube said. “There’s been a lack of real change, and it’s gonna take all of us. With the right candidate and with people that really care about their neighbors, the way the state’s going, their children and education, we can affect real positive change. I am truly optimistic about our state’s outlook. I think good change is gonna come, and I don’t think it’s over. That’s the good way to say it. I don’t think it’s over yet.”