After months of contention, the factions supporting Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) and State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) have come to an agreement on who controls the House GOP’s campaign funds.
On Monday, the Ohio House Republican Alliance (OHRA) announced that one supporter of Merrin, State Representative Phil Plummer (R-Dayton), and one supporter of Stephens, State Representative Jeff LaRe (R-Violet Twp.), are to serve as co-chairs leading the campaign arm of the Republican House caucus.
In February, most GOP members selected Merrin as the formal chairman of the House Republican Caucus and vice-chair of its campaign arm, giving him authority over the group’s spending.
Additionally, lawmakers elected Plummer to serve alongside Merrin as vice-chair of the Ohio House Republican Caucus and as the chair of the OHRA campaign committee.
Usually, the majority caucus chair would be the same person chosen to lead the 99-member House, but lawmakers controversially elected Stephens as speaker to succeed State Representative Bob Cupp (R-Lima).
The choice came despite the Republican Caucus’s previous selection of Merrin as the new speaker in November.
Although the GOP caucus voted for Merrin as Speaker of the House in December, Stephen fought with the Democrats to collect votes and garner a win.
Stephens won the speakership over Merrin 54-43, with 22 Republicans and votes from all 32 Democrats.
The Ohio Republican Party censured Stephens and his GOP supporters in January for that maneuver.
Since the speaker election, both Merrin and Stephens have disagreed over who the true leader of the House Republican Caucus is, with both claiming that they hold the position and both claiming they control the campaign finances.
Control over the funds allocated for the mailers and television ads that politicians need to run and win in Ohio politics is a source of real power.
Stephens said as a speaker, he is the head of the House Republican caucus and that his name is on the campaign account. However, Plummer said that only indicates Stephens’s temporary control before the majority of Republicans elected him as campaign chair.
In February, Plummer said that he would go to court if necessary over control of the campaign fund account if he and Stephens could not find common ground.
According to Stephens, both factions working together will ensure that the Ohio House remains a model for conservatism.
“I look forward to working together, supporting all of our Republican members and ensuring the Ohio House remains a model for conservatism,” Stephens said.
Plummer said that he looks forward to working with Stephens and LaRe in his new co-chair position.
“Being named co-chair of OHRA is a great honor, and I look forward to working with him (Stephens) and my co-chair Jeff LaRe in these efforts,” Plummer said.
According to LaRe, he and Plummer will continue the fight for conservative policies in Ohio by working together.
“Having Phil as co-chair will help to amplify OHRA’s continued work. Together we will continue to fight for conservative policies, our Republican members and deliver for Ohio,” LaRe said.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Phil Plummer” by Phil Plummer for State Representative. Photo “Jeff LaRe” by Jeff LaRe. Background Photo “Ohio State Capitol” by Steven Miller. CC BY 2.0.
