Ohio lawmaker not speaker but says he still leads House GOP
1 year, 11 months ago

Ohio lawmaker not speaker but says he still leads House GOP

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A conservative state lawmaker who lost to a fellow Republican in last week’s vote to determine who will lead the Ohio House as speaker said Wednesday that he has the support of most of the members of his party in the chamber. Rep. Derek Merrin, of Monclova, lost the speaker race to fellow GOP member Rep. Jason Stephens, of Kitts Hill, even though he won an informal vote for the powerful position back in November. Merrin invited more than 40 fellow House Republicans who supported him to meet privately Wednesday to discuss seeking changes to House rules to lessen the speaker’s power and ensure that they are heard. The agenda also included discussion about advancing legislation that would make it harder for citizens to amend Ohio’s constitution, which they don’t believe would be a priority for Stephens.

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Trump-backed Derek Merrin concedes to Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio
1 month ago

Trump-backed Derek Merrin concedes to Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s Trump-endorsed rival said he called the veteran Ohio congresswoman to concede defeat in the 2024 election. The race for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District was not settled until this Wednesday, when official results landed Kaptur ahead of Merrin by about 2,300 votes, or 0.7% of the vote. “We were fortunate enough to have …

Ohio Democrat Marcy Kaptur extends tenure as longest-serving woman in US House with election win
1 month ago

Ohio Democrat Marcy Kaptur extends tenure as longest-serving woman in US House with election win

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur won another term in the U.S. House on Wednesday, after defeating a Republican state lawmaker endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump. Her victory in northwest Ohio over fourth-term state Rep. Derek Merrin allows Kaptur to continue her streak as the longest-serving woman in House history. Kaptur, 78, was viewed as among the year’s …

Ohio Democrats Brace for Showdown as Key Congressional Seats Hang in the Balance
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Ohio Democrats Brace for Showdown as Key Congressional Seats Hang in the Balance

Associated Press  

Democrats are defending three key congressional seats in Ohio on Tuesday, with control of the chamber in play. Republicans' primary target is 21-term U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in House history. Her opponent, Merrin, is a Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Democrats Emilia Sykes of Akron and Greg Landsman of Cincinnati are defending pickups they made …

Mike Johnson's Close Relationship with Donald Trump: A Political Power Play for the Future of the GOP
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Mike Johnson's Close Relationship with Donald Trump: A Political Power Play for the Future of the GOP

Associated Press  

House Speaker Mike Johnson is closely linked to Donald Trump, presenting himself as a partner to the former president in his quest to save the GOP's House majority. Johnson is leveraging Trump's political capital and agenda to boost his own, while also potentially challenging the election results if Trump wins. His faith and conservative stance also play a significant role …

Amid GOP infighting, judge strips Ohio House speaker of control over Republican caucus campaign fund
6 months ago

Amid GOP infighting, judge strips Ohio House speaker of control over Republican caucus campaign fund

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A county judge stripped Republican Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens of his control over the GOP caucus’ campaign fund on Friday, escalating intraparty tensions in the chamber headed into November’s election. Serrott said the faction representing a majority of the House Republican caucus should make decisions about the fund, since majorities rule in a democracy, in order …

Ohio governor calls special session to pass legislation ensuring President Biden is on 2024 ballot
7 months ago

Ohio governor calls special session to pass legislation ensuring President Biden is on 2024 ballot

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday that he is calling a rare special session of the General Assembly next week to pass legislation ensuring that President Joe Biden is on the state’s 2024 ballot. It is time to protect Ohio’s elections by outlawing foreign campaign contributions, while at the same time fixing the Democratic Party’s error …

Head of fractured Ohio House loses some GOP allies, but may yet keep leadership role amid infighting
9 months ago

Head of fractured Ohio House loses some GOP allies, but may yet keep leadership role amid infighting

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Foes of Republican Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens picked off four of his allies, including one of his leadership team, in primary elections, though were still one shy of the number needed to obliterate his majority in the next legislative session. Stephens’ term-limited counterpart in the Legislature’s upper chamber, Senate President Matt Huffman, who was unopposed in …

Trump-backed Bernie Moreno wins Ohio’s GOP Senate primary
9 months ago

Trump-backed Bernie Moreno wins Ohio’s GOP Senate primary

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Things went former President Donald Trump’s way on Tuesday in a pair of high-profile elections in Ohio that could determine Republicans’ chances of picking up critical seats this fall and expanding their power in Washington. In the bruising and expensive primary to face Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall, voters chose Trump-backed Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno over …

Ohio’s Republican primaries for US House promise crowded ballots and a heated toss-up
9 months, 1 week ago

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Associated Press  

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After 3 weeks US House gets a Speaker, Trump aide Mike Johnson secures majority GOP support
1 year, 1 month ago

After 3 weeks US House gets a Speaker, Trump aide Mike Johnson secures majority GOP support

Hindustan Times  

Rep. Mike Johnson easily secured enough votes to be elected House speaker on Wednesday, as Republicans were eagerly elevating the little-known conservative leader to the seat of U.S. power and ending for now the political chaos in their majority. U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, the latest House Republican nominee for House Speaker, pumps his fist as the end of voting nears …

Top Republican prospect withdraws from House speaker race as GOP descends into chaos
1 year, 2 months ago

Top Republican prospect withdraws from House speaker race as GOP descends into chaos

Raw Story  

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Ohio GOP rivalry escalates with lawsuit against House Speaker, fight for campaign fund control
1 year, 2 months ago

Ohio GOP rivalry escalates with lawsuit against House Speaker, fight for campaign fund control

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A schism between Ohio’s House Republicans appears to only be widening after a rival GOP-contingent sued fellow conservative House Speaker Jason Stephens to seize control of over $1 million in campaign funds. State Rep. Derek Merrin, of Monclova, filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court Saturday against Stephens for control over the Ohio House Republican …

GOP Ohio House speaker prioritizes conservative wish list
1 year, 10 months ago

GOP Ohio House speaker prioritizes conservative wish list

Associated Press  

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GOP’s intraparty power battle roiling lawmaking in Ohio
1 year, 10 months ago

GOP’s intraparty power battle roiling lawmaking in Ohio

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A battle for political control of the Ohio House has laid bare the risks the Republican Party faces as factions of its legislative supermajority square off more over tactics and the willingness to thwart long held institutional norms than policy. With Stephens preparing finally to unveil Republicans’ session priorities Wednesday, a group of GOP lawmakers lined up …

Ohio House speaker asserts leadership, dismisses rival group
1 year, 10 months ago

Ohio House speaker asserts leadership, dismisses rival group

Associated Press  

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Ohio House OKs rules to get to work, despite GOP infighting
1 year, 10 months ago

Ohio House OKs rules to get to work, despite GOP infighting

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio House passed internal rules and can now proceed with its work despite an ongoing fight over power within the fractured GOP supermajority, which spurred competing claims about who’s leading Republicans there, shouting by lawmakers during Tuesday’s session and even talk of a possible lawsuit. The division played out again Tuesday as Merrin’s supporters clashed with …

State lawmakers turn to creative solutions in speaker fights
1 year, 11 months ago

State lawmakers turn to creative solutions in speaker fights

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As Republican infighting debilitates Washington, lawmakers at some U.S. statehouses have managed to launch sessions complicated by similar GOP partisan divides or razor-thin margins of party control with a host of creative — if yet untested — solutions. America’s fiercely divided politics are not limited to national government, where Republicans won a threadbare majority in the U.S. …

House picks rural southern Ohio Republican as new speaker
1 year, 11 months ago

House picks rural southern Ohio Republican as new speaker

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio House lawmakers on Tuesday picked a Republican from rural southern Ohio as the GOP-led chamber’s next leader, after support shifted away from another representative who’d won an informal vote weeks ago for that powerful role in state politics. In his acceptance speech, Stephens urged lawmakers to work together to “best serve Ohio.” Fellow Republicans who nominated …

Ohio House picks GOP ex-justice to replace its ousted leader
4 years, 4 months ago

Ohio House picks GOP ex-justice to replace its ousted leader

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican lawmakers on Thursday chose former state Supreme Court justice and current Rep. Bob Cupp to lead the Ohio House, replacing the speaker ousted hours earlier amid a scandal. Mike DeWine praised Cupp as “a man of integrity who will serve Ohio well” and said he looked forward to working with the new speaker. Householder and four …

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