In this week's Snollygoster, Ohio's political podcast from WOSU Public Media, hosts Mike Thompson and Steve Brown delve into why Republicans can't seem to get their House in order.
At the same time, Democrats are hoping that a "blue wave" will sweep the country in November's elections. Could a "pink wave" of female candidates mean more women in power at the Statehouse and on Capitol Hill?
Listen to Snollygoster on the WOSU Public Media mobile app, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And make sure to leave a rating and review!
In this week's episode:
When It Raids, It Pours
The FBI investigation into former Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger went up a notch this week when federal agents searched his home and a nearby storage locker. Rosenberger maintains his innocence, but Democrats aren't wasting any time using the FBI inquiry as political fodder.
Governor candidate Richard Cordray said this week that "our Legislature has gone completely off the rails under one-party rule." It doesn't help Republicans' case that the Ohio House still has no leader.
Who's The Boss?
Ohio House sessions for the week were canceled again due to infighting over who will be the next Speaker. State Rep. Ryan Smith, who apparently leads the competition but doesn't have enough support to clinch, has gotten pretty frustrated about the whole thing.
He's not the only one. A coalition of business groups wrote to the Ohio House to urge them to pick a leader soon. The ongoing drama could mean a major delay for legislation like payday lending reform, and more importantly, summer break.
Pink Wave
This election cycle has seen an uptick in female candidates, but that trend seems absent in Ohio. In this year's statewide races, 12 candidates are men and only two are women. None of the many women who ran for governor won their nomination, and men remain the only candidates for U.S. Senate. Ohio State University Professor Wendy Smooth joins us to discuss the gender balance in politics.
John Kasich GPS
Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government invited the governor to give a commencement speech to its graduates, even though he went to a state school. He didn't have the most flattering things to say about politicians.
