Meet Ashley
Ashley Bryant Bailey is a mother, a bridge builder, and a purpose driven changemaker shaped by family, guided by values, and grounded in the belief that politics should serve people, not power.
She grew up in Roselawn, in a working-class family shaped by deep faith, hard work, and a commitment to community. Her mother, a social worker, spent her career walking alongside people in moments of struggle. Connecting them to resources, listening without judgment, and helping them rebuild. Her father, a corporate executive, climbed the professional ladder with discipline and vision but he never let Ashley forget that opportunity in America is not always distributed equally, and that education can open doors only if we fight to make it accessible to all.
Ashley is the youngest of three daughters, which means she learned early how to speak up for herself, starting at the kitchen table. (“If you wanted the last word, you had to earn it.”) That foundation of being heard, of being held accountable, of holding space for others has guided her ever since.
A proud graduate of Walnut Hills High School and student of the University of Cincinnati, Ashley found her purpose in the stories of everyday people and the power of collective action. From the city’s classrooms and community centers to campaign offices and church basements, Ashley saw how policy decisions touch real lives and how often the people closest to the problem are farthest from the solutions.
Her early career in Cincinnati included time at Procter & Gamble, where she helped shape some of the company’s first digital brand campaigns, and a life-changing turn as a part of state leadership on President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign, where she served as Ohio Digital Director. That experience showed her what’s possible when a movement centers working people and when it trusts young Black women to lead.
After a decade working nationally as a strategist and changemaker; partnering with grassroots organizers, union leaders, philanthropies, and elected officials—Ashley chose to return home to Cincinnati in 2021 to start her own family and give back to the city that raised her. She’s now raising two daughters here; Logan, and her bonus daughter Hendrix, with her husband, Ethan. She is determined to build a better future for them as she is for all children across Ohio.
Ashley’s work spans the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She has advised major national organizations including Planned Parenthood, SEIU, MoveOn, and the Ford Foundation. She co-founded Win Black, a rapid-response digital coalition that combats online disinformation targeting Black and Latinx voters. She served on the advisory team at Planned Parenthood to help expand access to healthcare through the ACA. And during the pandemic, she partnered with 1199SEIU and SEIU International to push for PPE and protections for frontline workers.
Today, Ashley serves as Chief Strategy Officer of Higher Heights for America, the largest national organization dedicated to building Black women’s political power. Her focus remains the same: expanding access, uplifting underrepresented voices, and holding power accountable.
She has proudly served on the board of UpSpring, supporting youth experiencing homelessness, and on the Hamilton County Convention Facilities Authority, where she helps steward the $240 million dollar expansion and renovation of the Cincinnati Convention Center and ensures equity and opportunity are embedded in the operation efforts in and around the facility.
On October 1st, Ashley was appointed to the Ohio House after being unanimously selected by the Democratic caucus to serve District 26, and she didn’t waste a minute. She’s already been doing the work in Columbus and back home: calling out voter suppression in Senate Bill 293, opposing efforts to re-criminalize marijuana through Senate Bill 56, and showing up across the district to listen, serve, and fight for the people who make Cincinnati what it is.
She believes our communities deserve leaders who understand both the urgency on our streets and how to make change in the Statehouse.
Now, she’s running to keep this seat because having someone who’s rooted here, ready to fight, and knows how to lead matters more than ever.
