Emilia Strong Sykes (born January 4, 1986) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Ohio's 13th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she formerly represented the 34th district of the Ohio House of Representatives, which consists of portions of the Akron area. From 2019 until 2021, she also served as minority leader of that chamber.
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Early life, education, and career
Emilia Strong Sykes was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. She is the daughter of state senator Vernon Lee Sykes and former state representative Barbara Ann Sykes (née Johnson), who successively held the same seat from 1982 to 2014. Between Vernon, Barbara, and Emilia, the Sykes family held the seat for 40 years. Sykes pursued dance and competed in gymnastics during her childhood and made it to the AAU Junior Olympics, where she focused on the vault. She graduated from Firestone High School.
Sykes initially attended Tuskegee University, where she was the runner up Miss Tuskegee University. She then transferred to Kent State University in Ohio, where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. She received a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and a Master of Public Health from the College of Public Health and Health Professions.
Sykes worked as a law clerk for the chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Georgia. Afterwards, she served as an administrative advisor in the Summit County fiscal office.
Ohio House of Representatives
In 2013, she ran for the Ohio House of Representatives to succeed her father, Vernon, who was term-limited. She won the Democratic nomination by defeating Summit County councilman Frank Communale. She later defeated Republican nominee Cynthia Blake in the general election by 72%–28% of the vote.
In 2015, Sykes and fellow Democratic lawmaker Greta Johnson introduced legislation to remove the sales tax on feminine hygiene products. In 2017, She co-authored legislation with Republican lawmaker Nathan Manning to expand Ohio law to allow victims of dating violence to obtain civil protection orders and access domestic violence shelters, which was signed into law by Republican Governor John Kasich.
In 2019, Sykes was elected as the leader of the Democratic caucus, becoming the minority leader of the Ohio House. During her first year being leader of the Democratic caucus, the number of bipartisan bills passed in the Ohio House was nearly double the combined total of the previous four years.
During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Sykes endorsed Joe Biden. That same year, she won the EMILY's List 2020 Gabby Giffords Rising Star Award.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
In January 2022, Sykes announced her candidacy for Ohio's 13th congressional district. In November 2022, she won the general election, defeating Republican nominee Madison Gesiotto Gilbert.
In 2024, Sykes ran for reelection in Ohio's 13th congressional district, a race widely viewed as one of the most competitive in the country. She faced Republican Kevin Coughlin, who received strong support from national Republican groups, including a campaign visit from House Speaker Mike Johnson. The race saw significant outside spending. OpenSecrets reported over $6 million in ad spending opposing Sykes, with $3.84 million funded by the Congressional Leadership Fund. Sykes was reelected with 51.1% of the vote to Coughlin's 48.9%.
Tenure
Sykes entered the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023. She cast her first vote on January 3 to support Democrat Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker of the House and was officially sworn in as a member of the 118th Congress on January 7. During her first term, she was appointed to the committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and on Science, Space, and Technology. Following the 2023 East Palestine train derailment in Ohio, Sykes and Representative Bill Johnson (R-OH) introduced the bipartisan RAIL Act to strengthen railroad safety regulations and prevent future accidents.
In 2024, Sykes helped secure Akron's designation as one of seven regional tech hubs in the country, with its focus on sustainable plastics and rubber manufacturing. The initiative was projected to create 6,300 jobs and attract $1.8 billion in private investment over ten years. Reflecting on Akron’s history as the “Rubber Capital of the World", she also cosponsored a bipartisan bill with Representative Darin LaHood (R-IL) to offer a thirty percent tax credit for purchasing retreaded tires in order to support domestic manufacturing and local jobs.
During the 119th Congress, as vice ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Sykes urged state officials to include an Akron–Canton stop in the 2025 Ohio State Rail Plan. She also introduced the Airline Passenger Compensation Act, co-led by Representatives Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Greg Stanton (D-AZ), which would require airlines to provide cash compensation and free rebooking for significant delays or cancellations caused by carriers, reviving elements of a withdrawn Biden administration proposal.
The 2025 government shutdown prompted Sykes to warn of the effects of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies and uncertainty surrounding SNAP funding. She also highlighted the shutdown's impact on federal workers and constituent services, including delays in Social Security casework, while participating in bipartisan efforts to resolve the budget impasse. She later introduced the GUARD Act to keep the Social Security Administration operational during future government shutdowns.
Committee assignments
Sykes's committee assignments for the 119th Congress include:
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight (ranking member)
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (vice ranking member)
Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
Caucus memberships
Sykes's caucus memberships include:
Problem Solvers Caucus (co-chair of the tariffs, trade and strategic competition working group)
New Democrat Coalition (vice-chair of the affordable housing taskforce)
Bipartisan Women's Caucus (co-chair)
Congressional Black Caucus (co-chair of the environmental justice, clean energy and infrastructure taskforce)
Future Forum
Political positions
Sykes is considered a moderate Democrat.
Infrastructure
Sykes has supported federal investment in water infrastructure and flood mitigation projects, including dam rehabilitation such as improvements to the Wolf Creek Dam in Barberton. She has also supported broader federal investments totaling $169 million for Ohio’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. In addition, she has cosponsored the bipartisan Ohio River Restoration Program Act, which would establish an EPA-led program to fund restoration of the Ohio River basin.
Healthcare
Sykes co-introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act in 2023, a legislative package designed to address racial disparities in maternal mortality. The act includes 13 bills focused on reducing pregnancy-related deaths through measures like nutrition programs, maternal vaccination promotion, and mental health support for mothers.
Law enforcement
Sykes co-introduced the bipartisan Enhancing COPS Hiring Program Grants for Local Law Enforcement Act in 2023, alongside Representatives Greg Landsman, Mike Carey, and Max Miller. The bill proposes allowing law enforcement agencies to use federal grants for recruitment and retention bonuses.
Personal life
Emilia Sykes married Democratic politician Kevin Boyce on September 10, 2022 at the Akron Art Museum. She has two step-children.
She is a Baptist.
