mike
‘Incredibly disappointing:’ Gov. DeWine, Vance say no to debates
Republicans running for the U.S. senate and governor’s office in Ohio declined to face their opponents in a debate, organizers announced Wednesday. Both incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine and U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance will not appear at the planned October forums hosted by the Ohio Debate Commission, an independent outfit with ties to media around […]
DeWine ducks Whaley’s call for debate
Nan Whaley wants a debate with the governor. But will Mike DeWine go toe to toe with his Democratic challenger? He repeatedly avoided a clear answer on the subject Friday. “We’ll see. I suspect there will be joint appearances that some of the newspapers will be having, those will be available to people to watch […]
Texts, calendars, emails link DeWine to FirstEnergy’s bribery scandal
Gov. Mike DeWine and his administration played a hands-on role passing an allegedly pay-for-play nuclear bailout and appointing an industry-friendly regulator who has since been accused of taking a $4.3 million bribe, documents and messages show. Calendar records show DeWine, a Republican, met repeatedly to discuss energy policy with FirstEnergy Corp. officials and at least […]
LinkedIn co-founder pours money into Ohio races
The co-founder of LinkedIn, a Silicon Valley-based professional networking website, poured more than $82,000 into Ohio’s statewide and legislative races this year, campaign finance records show. The contributions from Reid Hoffman — a venture capitalist who was also an early executive of PayPal — make him the second most prolific individual donor in state politics […]
DeWine re-ups anti-abortion lobbyist, COVID skeptic on Ohio Medical Board
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine plans to re-appoint a longtime anti-abortion lobbyist and COVID-19 skeptic to the Ohio Medical Board, a spokesman said Monday. Michael Gonidakis, 48, a lawyer and president of Ohio Right to Life, will serve his third five-year term on the board, which is charged with licensing and disciplining physicians and other health […]
Columbus mulls new strategy to limit gun violence. Could it work?
In defiance of a gun loving state legislature, the city of Columbus is mulling a novel legal strategy: treating gun violence as a public nuisance. Rather than passing a local law restricting gun access that would likely be struck down in court, Columbus officials indicated they want to instead invoke a state law that says […]
Ohio’s response to Uvalde? Armed teachers and $117 million
Responding to a spate of gun violence in American schools and communities, Ohio Republicans have offered a two-pronged approach: guns and money. Last week, Republican state lawmakers passed legislation that will allow local boards of education to allow teachers to carry a firearm. Up to 24 hours of training must be required, but a board […]
In town hall, Renacci embraces culture wars in primary against DeWine
In a televised town hall, Jim Renacci made a case steeped in conservative culture wars as to why he should represent Ohio Republicans as a gubernatorial candidate. During the 30-minute event, the former congressman blamed “illegal immigrants” for record drug overdose deaths in Ohio; pledged to take on “critical race theory;” and criticized what he called […]
DeWine signs bill to deregulate construction over ephemeral streams
Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation Thursday to roll back regulations surrounding the development of ephemeral streams, which flow only by way of rain and snowmelt. There are more than 36,000 miles of ephemeral streams in Ohio, according to legislative testimony from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. They channel water into larger streams and can filter […]
Dem gubernatorial interviews: Cranley talks ‘energy dividends,’ guns, health and wealth
For every lump of coal or cubic foot of natural gas taken from Ohio’s underground, John Cranley wants to give some of the wealth back to the people at the surface. A former Cincinnati mayor now running for governor as a Democrat, Cranley proposes raising the severance tax — which is paid in Ohio by […]
Former DeWine aide warned governor about utility regulator before the FBI raided his home
More than two years before FirstEnergy Corp. admitted to paying Ohio’s top utility regulator a $4.3 million bribe, Mike DeWine’s former campaign treasurer warned senior aides to the new governor about the eventual nominee’s “opaque and undisclosed” financial ties to the company. The warning came in a 198-page dossier alleging Sam Randazzo — a lawyer […]
Democrats go after DeWine in gubernatorial debate
Two former mayors seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination shared the debate stage Tuesday, talking political corruption, energy policy, gun violence and more. Rather than spar with one another, former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley trained their words on incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine. Through an hour of back and forth, the […]