We are Election Day plus 9 days as we record this podcast. President-elect Donald Trump continues to build his cabinet. Gov. Mike DeWine continues to take calls from just about every Republican officeholder in the state, saying he or she wants Vice President-elect JD Vance's soon-to-be vacant Senate seat.
And of course, the credit-taking continues for the winners, and the finger-pointing continues for the losers. For a thoughtful look at why things turned out the way they did in Ohio, we'll borrow our discussion from WOSU TV's "Columbus on the Record."
Republican Strategist Terry Casey, Democratic Strategist Dale Butland, WOSU's talk show and podcast host Anna Staver and USA Today Ohio Network Reporter Laura Bischoff break it down.
Snollygoster of the week
Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and his campaign attorney Scott Pullins wasted no time trying to convince the incoming president to pardon Householder, who is set to spend 15 more years in prison.
Householder is behind bars after a jury convicted him for taking some $60 million in bribes to help bail out two nuclear power plants in northern Ohio.
Past presidents have previously pardoned or commuted the sentences of politicians. Householder has been on the former president's team since 2016, when he was the only Ohio politician to speak at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
We shall see. Republican observers say a pardon is a long shot, as that would bring the scandal back to life.
If you have a suggestion for our "Snollygoster of the Week" award, a question or a comment, send them to snollygoster@wosu.org.