Some Republican voters in Ohio will choose between their incumbent House representative or another GOP candidate in this month’s primary. And what they decide might have a big impact on all Ohioans.
All 99 House districts are on the ballot. A third of those seats are held by Democrats, and that’s not expected to change significantly because of gerrymandering.
A total of 21 seats are open because incumbents are not returning, many because they are term-limited. However, some Republican incumbents face challengers, such as Rep. Thomas Hall (R- Madison Township). Zach Stacy of Middletown is running against Hall. Stacy said he grew up poor with parents who were drug addicts. He said he escaped that lifestyle and overcame those obstacles, but too many in his area haven’t been able to do the same. Stacy said the state hasn’t done enough to address those issues.
“Too much attention has been given to party politics and not real issues like the drug epidemic, the high poverty rate, the homelessness and the high crime in our region," Stacy said.
Related: Ohio voter guide: What to know about the 2024 primary election
The party politics Stacy is talking about involve the bitter battle for leadership in the Ohio House. Hall, who has sponsored bills to address sharp increases in property tax bills, backed Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova), the choice of most House Republicans, in the race for speaker. And Hall has garnered some key endorsements.
“We’ve been endorsed by the Ohio Republican Party, Senator J.D. Vance who is from Middletown which is located in our district, Congressman Warren Davidson and every second amendment and pro-life group,” Hall said.
But 22 Republicans who, along with 32 Democrats, backed Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) as speaker to beat Merrin. The Ohio Republican Party censured those 22 Republicans and refused to endorse them in the primary. The group includes Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton), who in January 2022 on the House floor seconded the nomination for Stephens, who she referred to as “my friend.”
But the state party and some other GOP-backed groups have united behind Carruthers’ opponent, Diane Mullins. She’s a pastor at the Southwest Ohio church who has taken some controversial stands on the campaign trail and while preaching at her church. She’s spoken out against LGBTQ people and said she believes the end of times or the Rapture, as some evangelicals call it, is near.
“We are the last generation and we will see the coming of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!,” Mullins said from the pulpit.
And while the state party has provided support to Mullins and other opponents of representatives who voted for Stephens, the Ohio House’s Republican Alliance has helped Stephens’ supporters. The struggle for control over the OHRA account has gone on for months. It’s unclear how much money has gone to candidates who support Stephens. But Merrin’s supporters believe it could be significant. In fact, some of them filed a lawsuit to try to stop Stephens from having access to around $3 million in the OHRA account, but in February Franklin County Judge Mark Serrott denied a motion to freeze the funds.
There are some races where money and endorsements could make a difference. Rep. Jon Cross (R-Findlay) is being challenged by an Ohio Republican Party-endorsed opponent, Ty Mathews.
“It’s kind of a revenge vote because we voted for Jason Stephens, the adult in the room,” Cross said in an interview. “We voted for a conservative speaker to lead us and there’s some people who are still throwing temper tantrums because they are not happy.”
Cross touted other key endorsements he’s received from groups that support his beliefs, including Ohio Right to Life, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, and Buckeye Firearms. Cross said he’s talking about the $123 million he said he’s brought back to the district in the latest budget.
But Mathews said he’s talking to voters about Cross’ vote for the nuclear energy bailout law known as House Bill 6, which resulted in a scandal that led to convictions of some top Republicans, including former speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio Republican Party chair Matt Borges. Cross was not accused of any wrongdoing in the scandal. But Mathews said the race is “about integrity.”
In addition to support from the Ohio Republican Party, Mathews is endorsed by U.S. Congressman Jim Jordan, the Freedom Caucus leader who serves that area of Ohio. Mathews said he has not promised to support any particular person in any future fight for leadership of the House, but he added he knows who he won’t support.
“I will not vote for a censured candidate for speaker that is censured by the Ohio Republican Party and I will vote for the caucus choice,” Mathews said.
A possible fight over House leadership lies ahead, depending on the outcome of races
That choice might be Matt Huffman (R-Lima), the term limited president of the Ohio Senate. He's running in an uncontested race for the House. And Huffman is expected to challenge Stephens as speaker.
Ohio State University Political Science Professor Emeritus Paul Beck said it's an important contest.
“The Speaker of the House has considerable power to shape what gets on the floor of the House for voting and what a supermajority of Republicans is able to pass,” Beck said.
As Senate President, Huffman has pushed to eliminate the state income tax and has been an ardent supporter of school vouchers. University of Cincinnati Political Science professor David Niven said Huffman could promote more bills like that if he becomes speaker.
“This is the stealth election that could very well decide the direction of Ohio government for the next two years,” Niven said.
And Niven said that direction would affect all Ohioans, even those who are not voting for a representative in one of those contentious House seats.
