bill johnson
Republicans win congressional dustup on the baseball diamond, amid DC turmoil
WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans on Wednesday night were the victors in an annual charity baseball game against Democrats, 13-12, even as a bitterly divided Congress struggles to pass major legislation this week. There were some feel-good moments, like when President Joe Biden passed out ice cream bars in the dugouts and Republican Rep. Greg Steube […]
Mailbag: Will any Ohio lawmakers run for Rob Portman’s seat?
Welcome back to another installment of the Mailbag, the only column in Ohio that politicians are giving serious consideration to reading. Let’s get to it! Got a question about Ohio politics/government? Send them by email to [email protected] or tweet them to @tylerjoelb. Anyone in the Ohio legislature looking at running for Sen. Rob Portman’s seat? […]
For years, Portman navigated the shifting political climate. Now he wants out.
Rob Portman of Ohio will not be seeking reelection to the U.S. Senate, with the Cincinnati Republican citing increased polarization in American politics as a reason to not campaign for a third term The surprise announcement on Monday morning set off an early-week scramble for politicians of both parties to consider a run at the […]
Republican politicians betrayed our country for Donald Trump
Before all hell broke out at the U.S. Capitol, I wondered if we the people could still summon outrage about anything. Surely, we had exhausted what was left of our fury quota last year. The human psyche can only sustain so much abuse, right? Safe to say we’re there. After being mercilessly pummeled with an […]
GOP Rep. Gonzalez joins Ohio Democrats in voting to impeach Trump
One Ohio Republican joined four Democrats in voting to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday as part of an effort to remove the president from office with a week remaining in his term. U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Rocky River, was one of 10 House Republicans in voting yes to impeach the president. The final vote […]
Dozens of GOP lawmakers to reject certifying Biden as president
WASHINGTON — The final step in a turmoil-filled 2020 presidential election is set for Wednesday, when Congress will certify election results showing that Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump. But a series of objections from GOP legislators is expected to stretch that routine process into a much lengthier one — and one that is dividing […]
Ohio Electoral College casts ballots for Trump as Biden secures presidential win
Ohio officially cast its 18 electoral votes to President Trump yesterday with the 55th Electoral College meeting at the Ohio Statehouse. The Columbus proceedings were largely perfunctory and were part of a nationwide casting of electoral ballots on Monday, with presidential-elect Joe Biden receiving the most ballots as was expected. Ohio’s meeting was also drama-free […]
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Texas suit that tried to overturn election results
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday turned aside a Texas lawsuit that sought to derail the presidential election results from four battleground states, despite pressure on the justices from President Donald Trump on social media. “Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections,” according […]
More than half of U.S. House Republicans back Texas suit claiming election ‘irregularities’
WASHINGTON — More than 100 U.S. House Republicans on Thursday backed a long-shot Texas lawsuit that seeks to delay the certification of presidential election results for Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, battleground states that President-elect Joe Biden won. In asking to join the suit filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson led 105 of his Republican […]
All Ohio U.S. Congressional incumbents win reelection, Associated Press projects
All of Ohio’s U.S. Congressional district incumbents both Republican and Democratic have won reelection according to projections from the Associated Press based on unofficial results. The AP has called the races in favor of incumbent Democratic U.S. Reps. Joyce Beatty, Marcy Kaptur, Marcia Fudge, and Tim Ryan, as well as Republican incumbents Steve Chabot, Troy […]
Civic society suffers when one party bypasses the public
What would you think about a candidate for public office who thought so little of the democratic process that he or she refused to respond to a nonpartisan voter survey, or ignored invitations to participate in a public candidate forum, with both programs hosted by a respected good-government group? This election cycle in Ohio, many […]
House passes bipartisan public lands bill; next stop president’s desk
WASHINGTON — Major environmental legislation sailed through Congress Wednesday while the nation’s political leaders were stuck in intense negotiations over the contours of a fifth coronavirus relief package. The bill would provide $9.5 billion over five years to pay down the National Park Service’s maintenance backlog and provide permanent funding at $900 million per year […]