Sutton, Betty, 1963-

Betty Sue Sutton (born July 31, 1963) is an American politician who currently serves as a Judge of Ohio's 9th District Court of Appeals. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as a U.S. Representative for Ohio's 13th congressional district from 2007 to 2013.

Born in Barberton, Ohio, she attended public schools before going on to graduate from Kent State University with a degree in political science. Sutton went on to study for a Juris Doctor at the University of Akron School of Law, where she received a Dean's Club Scholarship and earned both the American Jurisprudence Award and Federal Bar Association Award for Outstanding Performance in Constitutional Law. During her first year of law school, Sutton successfully ran for her first public office, which earned her an at-large seat on the Barberton City Council in 1990. A year later, Sutton was appointed to fill an at-large seat on the Summit County Council, where she served until 1992. During her second year in office, Sutton was elected vice president of the council. In 1992, at age 29, she was the youngest woman ever to be elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. After leaving the Ohio House, Sutton worked as an attorney practicing labor law. In 2006, she successfully ran for the seat vacated by Sherrod Brown in the U.S. House of Representatives in Ohio's 13th congressional district.

In her first term, Sutton was the lead sponsor of the CARS program (Car Allowance Rebate System) also known as “Cash for Clunkers,” which provided tax refunds to car owners who traded in older model vehicles for newer more fuel-efficient cars. In the 111th Congress, Sutton introduced the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. The bill expanded the Food and Drug Administration’s authority to protect the food supply chain and added additional safety regulations. During her time in Congress, Sutton also worked to provide America’s schools with crucial lifesaving equipment. After being redistricted to the 16th Congressional District, Sutton narrowly lost to Republican Jim Renacci.

On July 24, 2013, the White House announced that Sutton would be appointed administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation; she remained in that role until the end of the Obama administration. On March 7, 2017 Sutton announced that she would pursue the Democratic nomination for Governor of Ohio. On January 10, 2018, Sutton dropped her bid for governor, announcing that she would instead run for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio as the running mate of Richard Cordray. In 2020, Sutton announced she was running for the 9th District Court of Appeals against incumbent Republican Judge Julie Schafer. On November 3, 2020, Sutton defeated Judge Schafer to win a seat on the State Appellate Court.