Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague left the Ohio Governor’s race on Wednesday and endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy.
“Should he enter the race for governor, I am going to support Vivek and his run for governor because I support his intellect, his drive, [and] outsider mentality to reform our state,” the treasurer said.
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Potential gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has received the endorsements of three Republican U.S. senators following the release of internal polling that showed him with a significant lead over possible challengers in the Republican primary.
The former presidential candidate, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) official, and Ohio native has yet to formally announce a campaign, but has so far received endorsements from Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Rick Scott (R-FL).
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A new lawsuit has been filed alleging for the first time that the February 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment resulted in deaths, according to The Associated Press.
The complaint alleges that the disaster led to seven deaths, including the death of a one-week old baby, while other plaintiffs allege that they have developed mysterious health problems that they believe could get worse over time, according to the AP. Norfolk Southern, the rail company at the center of the derailment, has already agreed to a $600 million settlement to compensate locals affected by the disaster, though a litany of other lawsuits filed against the company by business owners argue that the settlement is insufficient.
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Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who recently left the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) founded by President Donald Trump and managed by Elon Musk, dropped more hints about a possible gubernatorial campaign in Ohio during a Wednesday appearance on the “Flagrant” comedy podcast.
Asked by comedian Andrew Schulz why Ramaswamy left DOGE at the start of the Trump administration, the possible candidate for governor cited the technological direction of the committee, but also said that participation in DOGE could preclude him from running for public office.
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Tom Zawistowski, president of the Ohio-based We the People Convention, said businessman and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is likely to be the favorite Republican candidate among Ohioans in the 2026 gubernatorial race.
While Ramaswamy has not officially launched a bid for Ohio governor, reports have recently confirmed that the businessman and former presidential candidate has hired Vice President JD Vance’s top political advisers to head his expected campaign.
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Nearly two years after a train derailment sent toxic chemicals into the air, ground and water, the village of East Palestine, Ohio, and Norfolk Southern reached a deal to resolve all claims from the wreck.
According to court documents, Norfolk Southern agreed to pay $22 million for priorities identified by the village in connection with the derailment.
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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost officially declared his candidacy on Thursday for the Republican nomination for governor in 2026.
“This is my heart, my home,” Yost said in a statement sent to media announcing his run. “I work for the people of Ohio, and I love my bosses. From the time I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night, I’m thinking about them and our future.”
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An Ohio state senator introduced a bill Wednesday that bans DEI in higher education in Ohio.
Senate Bill (SB) 1 would eliminate DEI “courses, training, litmus tests, required statements, and spending for any DEI initiatives or programs with the same intent,” according to a press release. State Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) introduced this bill.
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There is a strong Democratic tilt among professors in 15 departments at the University of Cincinnati, according to a College Fix analysis.
Seven of the 15 departments surveyed lack even one identifiable Republican professor.
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Vivek Ramaswamy, a prominent figure in the establishment of the groundbreaking Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), officially parted ways with the initiative on Monday.
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine picked Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted as Ohio’s next senator.
“The person who is suited to be the next United States Senator is a person who has been close to me the last six years. A person who almost daily I work with,” DeWine said. “And that person is Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted.”
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Tom Zawistowski, president of the Ohio-based We the People Convention, said he is “frustrated” that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has yet to announce the individual he is appointing to the U.S. Senate to fill Vice President-elect JD Vance’s seat.
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In a move aimed to bolster safety on college campuses across the state, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on Monday that 28 colleges and universities will receive a total of $7.5 million in funding for security enhancements. The initiative is part of the FY2025-26 Campus Safety Grant Program, supported by House Bill 2 of the 135th General Assembly.
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Ohio’s next U.S. senator is in the hands of Gov. Mike DeWine after Vice President-elect J.D. Vance submitted his resignation Thursday night.
Vance, whose resignation took effect at midnight Friday morning, promised to help President-elect Donald Trump push his agenda forward as vice president. Trump and Vance will be sworn in Jan. 20.
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Gun owners in Ohio won’t have to worry about firearm purchases being tracked by financial institutions or having to carry liability insurance.
Senate Bill 58, one of a series of bills signed into law late Wednesday by Gov. Mike DeWine, received backing from pro-gun organizations like the National Rifle Association and Buckeye Firearms. But the Ohio Mayors Alliance and the Ohio Municipal League both opposed it.
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Former Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Amy Acton announced on Tuesday that she is running as a Democrat for state governor.
“I’m a doctor, not a politician,” she said in a statement, according to The Hill. “I solve problems by bringing people together regardless of party to find solutions. So unlike most of our leaders I know the answer to moving our state forward isn’t giving politicians more power, it’s giving people more freedom.”
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The Department of Justice fined an Ohio meat-packing company last week almost $4 million after a hiring manager stole the identities of American citizens and gave them to illegal immigrants who were not eligible to work in America.
Fresh Mark, Inc., entered into a Non-prosecution Agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio after Yelwin Omar Munoz-Solis’ “involvement in an identity theft scheme and subsequent obstruction of justice.”
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The University of Dayton College Republicans released a press release on Thursday that came out against H-1B program abuse.
“Students born in America who pay large sums of money to gain a degree for a specific career field should not have to compete with imported foreign labor that companies can pay less,” the student organization said.
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Taxpayer transparency watchdog Open the Books sacked the Buckeyes in a report Monday on its diversity, equity and inclusion bureaucracy, including 201 employees with “DEI-related roles” who last year cost $13.3 million, which it said could pay in-state tuition for 1,000 students.
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An anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bill that failed to pass the Ohio legislature in 2024 could be debated again and potentially passed next year.
Senate Bill 83, also known as the Enact Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act, passed the Ohio Senate but was not passed by the House in this legislative session.
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Correction Officer Andrew Lansing died on Christmas Day at Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe, Ohio, allegedly at the hands of inmate. Lansing, a long-time and well-respected employee at the facility, succumbed to his injuries following the early morning assault. His death has sent shockwaves through the correctional community, as well as his family and colleagues.
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Two bills that passed the Ohio General Assembly on the session’s final day drew praise from the state’s largest business group.
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce said both Senate Bill 63 and Senate Bill 95 will help the state’s business climate by reducing legal actions and improving access to health care.
Both bills await a signature from Gov. Mike DeWine.
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The recent Starbucks strike that continued into Christmas Eve will spread to even more cities across the United States, says the employee union behind the effort.
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Ohio House Democrats want Gov. Mike DeWine to veto several parts of bills passed during a flurry of activity as the two-year General Session came to a close last week.
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The Ohio House of Representatives passed on Wednesday House Bill 8 (HB8). Dubbed “The Parents’ Bill of Rights,” the measure is a significantly strengthens parental control over their children’s education and healthcare. The bill, previously amended and passed by the State Senate received a 57-31 vote.
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U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced a new measure on Thursday that would force the end of remote work in the federal government and demand accountability for agencies allegedly abusing telework provisions at taxpayer expense. The Senate DOGE Caucus Chair introduced the DRAIN THE SWAMP Act exactly a week after proposing the Returning SBA to Main Street Act – both of which aim to reduce inefficiency in Washington’s bureaucracies and improve government services for Americans. The move follows a months-long probe into the whereabouts of the federal workforce in Washington D.C., the results of which were published in a bombshell report titled “Out of Office.” “My investigations have exposed how bureaucrats have been doing just about everything besides their job during the workday,” Ernst said in a Thursday statement following the release of the bill. “Instead of keeping them bogged down in the swamp, I’m working to get bureaucrats beyond the D.C. beltway to remind public servants who they work for.” Ernst’s DRAIN THE SWAMP Act proposes relocating at least 30 percent of Washington’s federal workforce and requires the rest to return to the office full-time. The bill also seeks to sell off unused office spaces, which Ernst argues are…
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Amazon plans to invest $10 billion over the next five years to expand data centers across the state.
Monday’s announcement is on top of a $7.8 billion plan announced last year and more than $6 billion already spent in Ohio through the end of 2022.
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Ohio state legislators are putting the finishing touches on bipartisan legislation to make healthcare more affordable and accessible. This week, state representatives and senators are working in conference to negotiate the final text of hospital price transparency legislation each chamber has passed versions of. They must pass this vital patient protection before the legislative session concludes at the end of the week, and Gov. DeWine must sign it into law.
Like many Ohioans, I learned about the importance of upfront hospital prices the hard way. After experiencing intense abdominal pain last year, my physician told me I needed umbilical hernia surgery — a four-hour outpatient procedure at a hospital in Barberton. The surgery was a success, and I wasn’t overly concerned about the cost because I have good insurance through my husband’s union job.
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President Joe Biden granted clemency Thursday to a former Ohio Democratic official who was convicted on charges related to taking bribes for nearly a decade.
Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora took over $166,000 worth of bribes, which included “cash, home improvements, lavish meals at high-end restaurants, services from prostitutes, gambling trips to Las Vegas and Canada, and other items,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
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In the wake of summer protests on college campuses, the Ohio Senate moved forward with a bill that defines antisemitism and expands the crime of ethnic intimidation.
The legislation now moves to the House, which has only one scheduled session day remaining and a second if needed.
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The president of Antioch College criticized Governor Mike DeWine on Monday for signing Senate Bill 104 (SB 104), which prohibits students from using the school bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
“Policies like the one just signed into law harm all of us. When we allow discriminatory laws to take root, we all lose,” President Jane Fernandes said in letter to the editor of The Columbus Dispatch.
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More than half of the school districts in Ohio have implemented cell phone policies, a year ahead of a deadline set by a new state law.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law in May that requires local school boards to establish local cellphone policies rather than the state limiting use for students during the school day.
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by J.D. Davidson The state of Ohio plans to use donated driving simulators to teach people living in or entering the country illegally in Springfield safe driving skills in hopes of easing ongoing traffic issues throughout the community. Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday the Maria Tiberi Foundation and Virtual Driver Interactive donated 10 new simulators to the Ohio Department of Transportation for use in Springfield and Clark County. They’ve been put in places that serve the Haitian community, which has recently come to the area with little or no driver training. “One of the big issues we’ve seen with migrants in Clark County is that they are not used to driving here,” said Governor DeWine. “With the generous donations from the Maria Tiberi Foundation and Virtual Driver Interactive, this new program will help the Haitian population learn the rules of the road and allow them to practice defensive driving skills that can keep everyone on the roads safe.” It’s part of an ongoing state effort to deal with a growing legal Haitian refugee population, which has grown since 2020 to around 15,000 in the city of nearly 60,000 under the Temporary Protected Status program. The Temporary Protected Status program…
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An Ohio woman received two and a half years in prison after being indicted for killing and eating a cat.
Allexis Ferrell pleaded guilty on Monday to cruelty to companion animals.
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State officials hope Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger’s retirement will not impact the chip manufacturer’s $20 billion plan for central Ohio.
While Gelsinger officially retired after 40 years with the company and stepped down from the board of directors, several national media outlets reported he was forced out by the board as the chipmaker has struggled in the past several months.
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Tom Zawistowski, president of the We the People Convention, stressed that the next U.S. senator appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance must be a strong enough candidate to defend the seat in the 2026 special election.
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After delays and lobbying from business groups around the country, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Intel announced a deal Tuesday morning to release nearly $8 billion in direct CHIPS Act funding.
The $7.86 billion directly impacts Intel’s commercial semiconductor manufacturing and advanced manufacturing projects in Ohio, Arizona, New Mexico and Oregon.
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Ohio GOP Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill that includes requiring schools and universities to designate bathrooms and other similar public facilities for exclusive same-sex use, based on students’ sex assigned at birth.
The requirement is part a larger Senate bill, according to the news outlet SignalCleveland.com.
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The outgoing president of the Ohio Senate is expected to be the incoming speaker of the House of Representatives for the first time in more than a century.
Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, received unanimous support from House Republicans in a closed-door meeting earlier this week. Huffman could not run for reelection in the Senate due to term limits and won election to the House earlier this month.
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Tom Zawistowski, president of the We the People Convention, is not confident that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine will appoint a MAGA Republican to Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance’s seat once he is sworn in as U.S. Vice President on January 20, 2025.
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Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio appear to be fleeing the city in droves after President-elect Donald Trump was declared the winner of the election, according to reports from locals.
The national spotlight shined on Springfield, a city of roughly 60,000 residents nestled in central Ohio, for weeks following unverified viral online claims that Haitians migrants had been spotted butchering a pet for consumption. The subsequent uproar about Springfield sparked further media debate about mass migration and its consequences, as Springfield has been dealing with an influx of Haitian migrants in a relatively short amount of time.
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Pressure from a Columbus-based policy group has forced five university-based Ohio law schools to stop race-based scholarship or internship programs.
The Buckeye Institute announced law schools at Cleveland State, Ohio State, Akron, Cincinnati and Toledo stopped the programs after it announced an investigation.
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The Ohio Chamber of Commerce and nearly 20 business groups from four states want the Biden administration to start handing out money from the CHIPS Act immediately.
In a letter, the groups from Ohio, New York, Oregon and New Mexico want the money distributed now. Intel has said the money is critical to its plan for the ongoing development of its massive manufacturing facility in central Ohio that could lead to 3,000 direct jobs and thousands of other related jobs.
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With thoughts focused on the holiday season, small business owners in Ohio continue to struggle with finding employees.
But that’s not the only issue.
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Ohio plans to spend $17.5 million in taxpayer funds to get people to and from work.
The state announced a series of grants Friday to fund workforce transportation efforts in both rural and urban areas across the state as part of the Ohio Workforce Mobility Partnership Program.
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While Democrats picked up seats in the Ohio House and Senate, Republicans keep their veto-proof super majority in both the House and Senate following Tuesday’s election.
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Ohioans on Tuesday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have replaced the current seven-member redistricting commission with a 15-member, nonpolitical commission to draw the state’s legislative districts.
Multiple news organizations reported that voters rejected Issue 1 54.5%-45.5%, with nearly 70% of the vote reported, following a months-long, expensive battle that saw Republicans pushing to keep the current system and Democrats arguing for change.
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Jack Windsor, president and editor-in-chief at The Ohio Press Network, said the “anticipatory energy” in Ohio for Tuesday’s general election is “different than it was four years ago.”
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For Ohio, Monday is the calm before the Election Day storm.
Early in-person voting ended Sunday, leaving Tuesday as the final day to cast a ballot. Polls open across the state at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
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Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown holds a slim lead while outspending his Republican opponent, Bernie Moreno, nearly four-to-one in one of the most expensive Senate races this cycle.
Ohio’s Senate race is currently the most expensive in the country, totaling $425,802,726 including outside spending, according to OpenSecrets data. Brown is currently leading by 1 percentage point at 47.4% to Moreno’s 46.4%, according to polling averages by RealClear Polling.
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