Mike Turner

Mike Turner
Born	Michael Ray Turner 11 1, 1960
Birthplace	Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, attorney
Education	Ohio Northern University (BA) Case Western Reserve University (JD) University of Dayton (MBA) Georgetown University (DLS)
Children	2
Awards	Honorary Citizen of Sarajevo (2025)
Website	[turner.house.gov Official site]

Michael Ray Turner (born January 11, 1960) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative from Ohio's 10th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Turner previously represented Ohio's 3rd congressional district from 2003 to 2013 and served as the 53rd mayor of Dayton, Ohio, from 1994 to 2002. A figure closely associated with national defense and transatlantic security policy, Turner served as president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from 2014 to 2016 and chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from January 2023 to January 2025. His congressional career has been marked by sustained engagement with defense authorization legislation, NATO alliance matters, and issues affecting the Dayton metropolitan area, including Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In January 2026, Turner announced his candidacy for reelection to represent Ohio's 10th congressional district.

Early Life

Michael Ray Turner was born on January 11, 1960, in Dayton, Ohio. He grew up in the Dayton area, a mid-sized city in southwestern Ohio that served as a hub of manufacturing and defense-related industry, anchored in part by the presence of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Dayton's economic and cultural identity would later become central to Turner's political career, both as mayor of the city and as its representative in Congress.

Details regarding Turner's parents, siblings, and childhood experiences remain limited in publicly available sourced material. What is documented is that Turner remained rooted in the Dayton community throughout his formative years and pursued his higher education at institutions in Ohio and beyond, eventually returning to Dayton to begin his career in law and public service.

Education

Turner holds four degrees from four separate institutions. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Northern University, located in Ada, Ohio. He subsequently obtained a Juris Doctor (JD) from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. Turner later earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Dayton, and a Doctor of Law and Society (DLS) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. His extensive educational background, combining law, business, and policy studies, provided the foundation for a career that would span municipal governance, corporate law, and federal legislative service.

Career

Early Legal Career

Before entering politics, Turner practiced law in the Dayton area. His legal background and business training positioned him for involvement in local civic and economic affairs. Turner was associated with corporate and real estate law practice, areas that would inform his later focus on urban development and revitalization during his tenure as mayor.

Mayor of Dayton (1994–2002)

Turner was elected as the 53rd mayor of Dayton, Ohio, taking office on January 4, 1994. He succeeded Clay Dixon and served two full terms, departing office on January 4, 2002, when he was succeeded by Rhine McLin.

During his time as mayor, Turner focused on urban revitalization and economic development in a city that had experienced significant population decline and economic challenges in the decades following the contraction of its manufacturing base. According to the Dayton Daily News, the city's demographic and economic trajectory during this period reflected broader trends affecting mid-sized Midwestern cities.

Turner's mayoral administration attracted attention at the national level. He was recognized by the United States Conference of Mayors, which noted his involvement in urban policy discussions during his tenure. His work on historic preservation and community redevelopment also received recognition through the federal Preserve America initiative, which highlighted efforts in communities that had undertaken significant preservation and heritage tourism programs.

The Dayton Peace Accords, signed in 1995 during Turner's mayoral tenure, brought international attention to the city as the location where the agreement ending the Bosnian War was negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Turner has continued to emphasize the significance of the Dayton Peace Accords throughout his subsequent political career, including introducing a bipartisan resolution in December 2025 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the agreement alongside U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

U.S. House of Representatives

Election to Congress

Turner was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2002, succeeding Tony P. Hall as the representative of Ohio's 3rd congressional district. He took office on January 3, 2003. Following redistricting after the 2010 census, Turner began representing Ohio's 10th congressional district starting in 2013, a district that encompasses the Dayton metropolitan area, including Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Turner has been reelected multiple times since his initial victory. In January 2026, he announced his candidacy for reelection to represent Ohio's 10th congressional district.

Legislative Focus and Defense Policy

Throughout his tenure in Congress, Turner has been closely associated with defense policy and national security matters. His district's connection to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, one of the largest and most significant military installations in the United States, has made defense authorization a consistent legislative priority.

In December 2025, Turner announced that he had secured provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 that he described as significant for Ohio's 10th congressional district.

Turner has also been involved in housing policy. He produced a report examining federal housing programs and their effectiveness, reflecting his interest in urban development issues that dated back to his time as mayor of Dayton.

House Intelligence Committee

Turner became a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) in 2022, initially serving as the committee's ranking member from January 1, 2022, succeeding Devin Nunes, who had resigned from Congress. When Republicans gained the majority in the 118th Congress, Turner was elevated to chair of the committee on January 9, 2023, succeeding Adam Schiff.

As chair of the Intelligence Committee, Turner presided over hearings involving national security officials and intelligence matters. He served in this capacity until January 15, 2025, when he was removed from the position. He was succeeded as chair by Rick Crawford. Turner's removal from the Intelligence Committee chairmanship received significant media coverage. Following his removal, Turner continued to appear on national media programs to discuss intelligence and national security matters, including an interview on CBS News' Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on January 18, 2026.

NATO Parliamentary Assembly Presidency

Turner served as president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from November 24, 2014, to November 19, 2016, succeeding Hugh Bayley of the United Kingdom and being succeeded by Paolo Alli of Italy. This role placed Turner at the forefront of transatlantic legislative engagement on security issues during a period of heightened tensions with Russia following the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Turner's engagement with NATO and Balkan affairs has been a sustained theme in his congressional career. He has been involved in monitoring developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the Dayton Peace Accords continue to serve as the foundation of the country's political structure. In 2015, Turner commented on Bosnia's territorial disputes, drawing attention to regional security concerns.

In November 2025, Turner was honored as an honorary citizen of Sarajevo during a congressional delegation visit to the Balkans, including stops in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The honor recognized his long-standing engagement with the region and its post-conflict development.

Trade and Tariff Policy

In February 2026, Turner joined with a Democratic lawmaker from California to push back against tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The bipartisan effort focused on protecting NATO allied countries from new U.S. tariffs, reflecting Turner's continued emphasis on transatlantic alliance relationships. The legislation sought to shield NATO member nations from punitive trade measures, a position that placed Turner among a small number of Republican lawmakers willing to publicly challenge aspects of the Trump administration's trade agenda.

Healthcare Policy

Turner's voting record on healthcare has drawn scrutiny from opponents. In February 2026, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) published an analysis alleging that more than 113,000 Ohioans had dropped their Affordable Care Act coverage as a result of actions by Turner and other House Republicans. The DCCC is a partisan organization, and its analyses reflect the Democratic Party's political messaging; the claim represents one perspective in an ongoing policy debate regarding healthcare coverage and federal subsidies.

Ethics and Oversight

During his congressional career, Turner has been the subject of attention from government ethics organizations. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) included Turner in discussions related to congressional ethics matters.

Personal Life

Turner has two children. He has maintained his primary residence in the Dayton, Ohio, area throughout his political career, reflecting his deep ties to the community he has represented at both the municipal and federal levels.

Turner's connection to the Dayton region extends beyond his political service. The Dayton Daily News has covered various aspects of his personal and community engagement over the years, documenting his presence as a fixture of the region's civic life.

Recognition

Turner's career in public service has resulted in several notable recognitions. His work with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly during his presidency from 2014 to 2016 placed him among a small number of U.S. lawmakers to hold a leadership position within the NATO legislative framework.

In November 2025, Turner received the honor of being named an honorary citizen of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during a congressional delegation visit to the Balkans. The recognition was connected to his sustained engagement with the region, particularly his advocacy related to the Dayton Peace Accords and post-conflict reconstruction in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

His involvement with the Preserve America initiative during and after his time as mayor of Dayton also drew recognition for community preservation efforts.

Turner's tenure as chair of the House Intelligence Committee from 2023 to 2025, while ending with his removal, nonetheless represented one of the more prominent positions in congressional leadership, given the committee's oversight of the U.S. intelligence community. His appearances on national news programs such as Face the Nation have maintained his public profile on matters of intelligence and national security.

Legacy

Mike Turner's political career, spanning nearly three decades of continuous public service from Dayton City Hall to the United States Congress, has been defined by several consistent themes: urban revitalization, defense policy, and transatlantic security cooperation.

As mayor of Dayton, Turner governed during a period of economic transition for the city, working to address challenges common to mid-sized Midwestern cities experiencing deindustrialization and population loss. His subsequent career in Congress allowed him to continue advocating for the Dayton region, particularly in matters related to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which serves as a major economic anchor for the area.

Turner's presidency of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from 2014 to 2016 and his continued engagement with Balkan affairs—culminating in his honorary citizenship of Sarajevo in 2025—reflect a sustained commitment to transatlantic security relationships that distinguishes him among Ohio's congressional delegation. His bipartisan effort in 2026 to protect NATO allies from U.S. tariffs further demonstrated this focus.

His chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee, though cut short by his removal in January 2025, placed Turner at the center of congressional oversight of the U.S. intelligence apparatus during a period of significant geopolitical tension. The introduction of the bipartisan resolution commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords in December 2025 illustrated the continued intersection of his local identity and international engagement.