The race for Ohio House speaker changed completely Monday, with incumbent Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) announcing he won’t run against Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) in the GOP caucus vote on Wednesday. And a freshman lawmaker from western Ohio also made a surprise jump into the race.
Rep. Tim Barhorst (R-Ft. Loramie) admitted there’s been some issues in the House in his first term, during which only 55 bills have passed - the fewest number in decades, setting up a busy lame duck session.
“It's just been a lot of dysfunction and I just feel like one of our own should be the one that deals with this, and that we don't have to have somebody come over from the other chamber that can come over and save us," Barhorst said.
Barhorst said he was concerned that Huffman funded primary challengers to incumbents who had supported Stephens for speaker in the full House floor vote last year. Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Montclova Twp.) had won the private caucus vote in November 2022, but Stephens had won that floor vote a few weeks later after working to bring in 22 Republicans and all 32 Democrats.
RELATED - After two years of infighting, incumbent Stephens steps out of Ohio House speaker’s race
Merrin got 43 Republican votes on the floor. That set off a battle over who was the leader of the Republican caucus - the speaker who got the most overall votes in the chamber, or the Republican who got the most GOP votes.
“There was an opportunity that was grabbed by that just to create a little more dysfunction in our chamber," Barhorst said. "And then when we do get bills out of there, the Senate has a routine procedure and timeline to kill them. So it just becomes a little frustrating. I thought I could bring a fresh approach to this.”
Some Stephens critics took to social media to share a letter from U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH 4) supporting Huffman, including Rep. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton), one of Merrin's leading supporters.
But Barhorst has the support of some conservative groups, including Ohio Gun Owners, which wants no restrictions on gun rights; End Abortion Now, which is focused on a total abortion ban with no exceptions; and Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom, which opposes vaccine mandates.
"I'm just not as sure that we're going to have a conservative agenda, that priorities will be set the way that I agree with it in the conservative block," Barhorst said in explaining why his colleagues should pick him over Huffman. "I can mend fences and I'm already helping do that with some of our factions and I just think I could be a unity candidate within that policy agenda as well."
Rep. Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville), a leading Merrin supporter, was also said to be strongly considering running for speaker too. Barhorst said he expects Ferguson to support him and to bring other conservative lawmakers along too.
Barhorst said he feels confident he has the votes and that he has "a really nice path" to become speaker, and that "there was a limited path for Speaker Stephens."
Stephens hasn't indicated who he will support.
