David Pepper serves as Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, after being elected in December 2014 and reelected to a second term in 2018.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, David is a fifth-generation Cincinnatian. David was first elected to public office in 2001, when he served on the Cincinnati City Council, finishing first out of a field of 26 candidates, and was reelected to a second term in 2003, again leading the pack in votes.

In 2006, David was elected to the three-member Hamilton County Commission. He served as the Commission President from 2009-2010. During David’s tenure at the County, Hamilton County won 19 National Association of County Awards for outstanding management practices, more than all other Ohio counties combined.

David was nominated by Ohio Democrats to run in statewide elections twice. In 2010, David ran for the office of Ohio Auditor, and in 2014, for Attorney General.

David earned his B.A. magna cum laude from Yale University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and later earned his J.D. from Yale Law School. In 1999, David clerked for the Honorable Nathaniel Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. For a decade, David worked in the Cincinnati offices of major law firms Squire Sanders and Blank Rome, focusing his practice on commercial and business litigation, and appellate litigation. David has also taught election and voting rights law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

David is married to Alana (Swartz) Pepper. They have two sons, Jack, 5, and Charlie, 3.

David is the author of two widely praised novels—“The People’s House,” an Ohio-based political thriller, and its sequel, “The Wingman.” His third book, “The Voter File,” will be published by Putnam in June 2020.