ADVOCACY
NEWS
Capitol Advocates
The Ohio General Assembly recessed for its summer break at the end of June after conducting a flurry of unexpected legislative activity during that very busy month. Some large policy matters were passed (such as the anticipated capital appropriations budget) during June but the chilly relationship between the House and the Senate (also the fighting amongst the House Republican caucus) and the impending fight over who will be the next Speaker of the House continued to create a rather dysfunctional atmosphere around Capitol Square. The focus of the last few months has been on the November elections and the following are a short preview of those races: President Obviously, the big news in this race is that Vice President Kamala Harris has replaced current President Joe Biden as the official Democratic presidential nominee and Harris will now face former Republican President Donald Trump for the presidency. Most view this race as extremely close and feel the contest will ultimately be decided by seven (7) states (WI, MI, PA, NC, GA, AZ and NV). Ohio will not be one of those contested states, as Trump easily won Ohio in both 2016 and 2020 and is expected to do so again. While there appears to be renewed energy among some Democrats in certain parts of Ohio with a Harris candidacy, recent polls have shown Trump with a solid 8%-12% lead in our state. US Senate Long-time Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown is facing a strong challenge from Republican businessman Bernie Moreno, as this race is also crucial nationally and will ultimately help decide control of the US Senate.
Most polls have shown Brown with a lead between 2% and 8% but this race will be one to watch on election night. Brown may directly benefit from an increased turnout of Democrats due to Harris (rather than Biden) being at the top of the ticket but that is yet to be seen and Moreno is offering a stiff challenge to Brown in a Trump-controlled state. Ohio House While all 99 House seats are up for reelection, Republicans will maintain strong control of the Ohio House when our new legislative session begins in January of 2025. The main intrigue in the House right now is who will actually be the Speaker of the House when the gavel for the new session begins. You may recall that current House Speaker Jason Stephens won the Speaker’s chair by taking a smaller number of House Republicans and minority party Democrats to form a coalition that led him to be elected Speaker over the choice of a majority Republicans, Derek Merrin. This “coalition” led to great dysfunction in the House, as a very fractured Republican Caucus had great difficulty working together over the past two years, often causing policy disagreements not only within the House but impacting the House’s relationship with the Ohio Senate in achieving policy objectives. Stephens is facing an incredibly strong challenge for the Speakership from current Republican Senate President Matt Huffman, as Huffman is term limited in the Senate and will be a member of the House in 2025. Huffman is strongly appealing to House Republican members that the coalition dysfunction cannot continue and the caucus members should support him as Speaker. This contest is seen as “The Main Event” to watch in Ohio and if/when this issue could be settled before the formal Speaker election takes place in early January of 2025. 3 | THE OHFAMA JOURNAL | FALL 2024