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Revisiting redistricting mess

When it comes to redistricting, Gov. Mike DeWine is clear he wants nothing to do with it, but the fact is he has no choice. DeWine sits on the seven-member Ohio Redistricting Commission that will convene at some point this year to approve state legislative maps and possibly a congressional ...

Ryan’s new job brings controversy

Former Congressman Tim Ryan’s new job as a member of the two-person leadership council of Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future, an organizations that promotes natural gas as clean energy, raised eyebrows from some environmentalists and fellow Democrats. Dave Scott, a former Sierra Club president, tweeted in response to the decision: “Tim Ryan has done a lot of good things for working Ohioans. This is a sellout of Americans’ future. Read the science. There’s no feasible path to the cuts we need that includes investment in new gas. Gas means carbon and a lot of it.” Others ...

This term likely DeWine’s last

Mike DeWine has spent most of his adult life in politics, but this four-year term as governor is likely his last. Asked during a recent interview if 2022 was his final campaign, DeWine said: “You never want to say last, but I don’t have any plans to do anything as far as elected office after that. That’s four years away. You never say never, but I’m focused on what I’m doing.” State term limits law prohibits DeWine from running in 2026 for governor. It’s not just that DeWine will be 80 years old when his term ends, but he’s run for almost every office imaginable. ...

Priorities face legislative scrutiny

Gov. Mike DeWine hit the right notes on several priorities in his State of the State address, legislators from the Mahoning Valley said, but how many of them will survive scrutiny and be funded after review by the General Assembly? During last year’s State of the State, DeWine listed several priorities with some getting passed, such as clamping down on driving while texting and investing in Appalachia. Others went nowhere, like increasing penalties for “dangerous felons.” The Valley’s state legislative delegation had largely positive things to say about DeWine’s speech and ...

Backpack bill faces uphill fight

Legislation sponsored by state Sen. Sandra O'Brien, whose district includes all of Trumbull County, would make significant changes to school funding by providing public dollars for students to attend private schools. While it's probable the bill eventually will pass in the state Senate, it faces a much greater challenge in the Ohio House. Republicans have supermajorities in both legislative bodies, but are having an internal fight in the House. A companion bill to O'Brien's Parent Education Freedom Act — also known as the backpack bill — is a likely casualty. That companion bill ...

Matt Dolan learned from 2022 Senate race

State Sen. Matt Dolan learned a lot during his unsuccessful bid last year for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. One is that support from former President Donald Trump means much in the party’s primary. Dolan of Chagrin Falls didn’t seek Trump’s endorsement and wouldn’t have received it anyway. Trump’s support of J.D. Vance played a huge role in the political newcomer winning the Republican primary last May. But Dolan’s third-place finish in a crowded primary helped him gain statewide name recognition and showed there is a lane in the Republican Party for someone ...