Allison Russo
Ohio House Republican faction brings back proposal making it harder for voters to pass amendments
After more than an hour behind closed doors, a bloc of Ohio Republicans led by state Rep. Derek Merrin, Monclova Twp., trooped through the Ohio Statehouse. The faction — thirty-odd lawmakers who wound up on the losing side of the House Speaker’s race last week— climbed three floors and squeezed into the clerk’s office. After […]
Ohio’s new Republican crybaby caucus another consequence of gerrymandering
After a weeklong meltdown of moaning, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, a new faction of Ohio House Republicans capped off their temper tantrum Wednesday by revitalizing plans to subject the Ohio Constitution and all Ohioans to extremist minority rule. Last week, 54 adults in the Ohio House came together in a bipartisan vote to elect […]
DeWine touts achievements, commits to mental health in inaugural speech
In the Ohio Statehouse rotunda Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine struck an optimistic tone to begin his second term as governor. The 76-year-old has spent more than half his life in public office, and the next four years may well be his last in an elected post. He begins the term after securing big corporate investments […]
Statehouse ‘coup’ — Ohio GOP bitterly divided by deal with Democrats to elect House Speaker
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. Late-night phone calls, behind-closed-door bargaining and a deal with the Democrats led to […]
Ohio Supreme Court allows Dems’ redistricting objection
The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected a request by the state’s Attorney General to reduce Democratic redistricting leaders’ court filing to a “friends of the court” brief. In a short ruling released Friday evening, the court denied a motion to convert the brief, filed by Ohio Redistricting Commission co-chair state Sen. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, and […]
GOP says ‘attempts’ on partisanship make Ohio Statehouse maps constitutional
The GOP members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission have said objections to their maps have no merit because they made their best attempt at politically balancing the maps. Democrats on the commission filed their own response in favor of invalidating the second version of the maps, just as those who objected to them want. The […]
Legislature on the clock to redraw Ohio’s unconstitutional Congressional district map
As the state awaits the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision on the second round of legislative maps, the state legislature is on a timeline to revise the invalid congressional map as well. The state’s high court decided in a 4-3 decision on Jan. 13 that a congressional map passed by the General Assembly was not valid, […]
Republican Mike Carey wins OH-15 special election
Republican former lobbyist Mike Carey has won a special election to represent Ohio’s 15th Congressional District. The race raised the profile of an otherwise typical off-year election dominated by local offices like city council or school board. The contest was seen by some outside Ohio as one of the latest proxies for determining former President […]
Rep. Kelly to campaign for Hamilton County auditor
A Cincinnati lawmaker has announced her candidacy for Hamilton County auditor . State Rep. Brigid Kelly, a Democrat, said she is vying for the auditor in 2022 after having spent the past five years fighting “for what matters most at the Statehouse.” “The auditor is supposed to be our local consumer watchdog, and that is […]
‘Anti-Corruption Act’ would target dark money spending in Ohio
Should nonprofit organizations that spend money on Ohio elections be forced to publicly disclose who funds them? Some lawmakers say yes and are trying once again to change the state’s campaign finance law in an effort to make political spending more transparent. State Reps. Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, and Bride Rose Sweeney, D-Cleveland, have reintroduced […]
Russo to campaign for 15th District special election
A Democratic state lawmaker is the latest candidate to seek the position in Congress left open by the departure of U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers. State Rep. Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, announced she will campaign for the 15th District seat. She hails from the same Columbus suburb as Stivers. Russo, whose professional background is in public […]
Mailbag: Answering reader questions about Householder and the bribery scandal
Clad in camouflage from head to toe, Larry Householder aimed his weapon at a television screen across an empty field. That box had it coming, a Householder voiceover intimated, what with all the unfair attacks leveled against him. “A dark money group is airing deceitful ads against me,” Householder said. “They’re anti-Trump gun grabbers and […]