For the past few years, Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman has skillfully led the Ohio Senate. His conservative priorities were the Senate Republicans' priorities. Those stances did not always align with the House or the Governor, but that did not stop him and Senate Republicans from making their mark on state lawmaking.
But Huffman's time in the Senate is coming to an end because of term limits. So he set his sights on the House. He ran and won a House seat - no big surprise, as this happens often at the Statehouse. But he did not just want to be a once-again freshman House member; he wanted the top job. And for the past couple years, he's been setting the stage for what happened Wednesday. The House Republican caucus voted unanimously to nominate Huffman to be the next House Speaker. His main rival, current House Speaker Jason Stephens, withdrew earlier this week.
So if all those votes hold in January when the official floor vote occurs, the Speaker's gavel will be his.
Joining us to discuss this Statehouse intrigue is Sarah Donaldson, Statehouse reporter for Ohio Public Radio.
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