After two years of bitter infighting among Republicans, Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens has decided not to seek re-election to one of the state’s top positions.
During an emergency news conference Monday afternoon, Stephens made clear he was withdrawing from the speaker’s race.
“I did what I promised,” Stephens said. “Ohio is definitely in a better place thanks to the leadership of the People’s House.”
An internal vote for the position of Republican Party speaker will take place on Wednesday.
“While I will be present, I will not allow my name to be included in the nomination for speaker at Wednesday’s caucus,” Stephens said. “I am honored and look forward to continuing to serve the great constituents of Ohio’s beautiful 93rd District as a State Representative; I will continue to work hard to advocate for a strong economy that cares for both young and old, that supports our schools and the education of our children, and ensures that government has acted responsibly, efficiently and accountable.”
He began the press conference by talking about his and the House’s achievements, including a historic budget, employee transportation, tax cuts and record funding for public education.
“There are many opportunities in the future to serve Ohioans if these are your core values, and I look forward to what the future holds,” the announcer said.
Many House Democrats will miss Stephen’s conservative ideology as he emphasized bipartisan legislation.
Stephens supports public school funding, union rights and follows what voters chose in November’s election on abortion and marijuana. Stephens supports the private school voucher system to some extent, but wants to fully fund public education. He also doesn’t want to reform the higher education system and doesn’t think August’s special elections are a good idea.
He tried to protect himself from other “anti-democratic” proposals sent from the Senate to the House, such as making it harder for citizens to put issues on local ballots. He is interested in reducing taxes, but does not say anything about the complete abolition of income tax, only that he is a supporter of a flat tax.
“I want to thank Speaker Stephens for his service during this General Assembly,” said House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington). “Although we did not always agree, he was a trustworthy and respectful colleague. I look forward to working with him and the Majority Caucus in the next General Assembly to pursue bipartisan solutions that improve people’s lives.”
What happened to cause this?
This drama has its roots in January 2023 and Stephens’ rise to power. The Republican Caucus had previously selected Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin (Monclov) as speaker months before the full House vote.
Twenty-two Republicans (known by the other GOP faction as the “Blue 22”) and 32 Democrats voted for Stephens for speaker during the actual vote, while a majority of Republicans voted for Merrin. Stephens, still a conservative, is much more moderate than Merrin, but he is also more moderate than Huffman.
This led to the Ohio Republican Party condemning Blue 22 competitive, aggressive primaries.
What does this mean
Next Wednesday, the Republican Party caucus in the House of Representatives will choose the next speaker. One of the confirmed candidates is current Senate President Matt Huffman, who is moving to the House due to term limits. Another Stephens-backed challenger will likely emerge as either a proxy or a way to avoid Huffman’s eight-year chairmanship.
Who will Stefan vote for?
“We’ll see what happens in the next 48 hours,” he said. “I’m sure there will be a lot of people interested in running for speaker.”
Huffman would be a very different leader than Stephens. He is very focused on legislation regarding the private school voucher system. It would also likely eliminate the income tax, which could double the sales tax. He wants to deal with trade unions. Huffman wants to change the university to prevent the so-called liberal bias and has supported the August special election from the beginning, even suggesting that an amendment to raise the threshold could be introduced on a future ballot.
His leadership team said voters didn’t really know what they were voting for when they legalized marijuana, so they should be able to change the policy.
“I have a rundown of the things I’ve done in the Legislature and most recently on No. 1,” Huffman said last week. “I’m going to send this to members for review.”
The lawyer has been leading the Senate – and held it effectively – for four years. He believes he will be able to unite Republicans.
“It’s difficult when in reality we have three clubs… When there are two sides versus three on controversial issues, it’s easier to come to a conclusion,” he said.
Huffman’s team declined to comment because it was a “House matter.”
Aside from Huffman, a few names have popped up.
Dozens of House lawmakers say they support state Rep. Tim Barhorst (R-Fort Loramie).
“I kind of grew up in a place where if you can’t find someone to help you, you have to put your name out there and then be a leader,” Barhorst said.
Barhorst is an insurance agent in rural Midwestern Ohio. He has had successful bipartisan legislation, for example providing greater transparency in hospital prices. He is a first-year student at this General Assembly. Unlike the Senate, he will not rule with an “iron fist,” he said.
“We will be a membership organization and our club must strike a balance where policy applies,” he continued. “I will rather be an open-minded speaker, having conversations with everyone.”
Referring to Huffman, he said the second chamber wasn’t really “standing” anywhere politically. He also said he would not support a unilateral halt to the legislation.
“I think I can bring value here because we have a lot of people who have kept a lot of things there and killed bills,” he said. “I think there’s more there than my opponent thinks.”
In addition to the two frontrunners, state representative Ron Ferguson (Wintersville) has been interested in this position for some time. State Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) said he was asked about it by colleagues and “wouldn’t rule out the possibility.”
Stephens won’t say who he and his supporters are supporting, but given his distaste for Huffman, it likely won’t be the Senate president.
“It really resets the whole race,” Stephens said. “It really is a new Speaker race.”
What do Democrats think?
Huffman has spoken to Democrats and plans to maintain good relations with the entire chamber, referring to his bipartisan working relationship with Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood).
“I am president of the 33-member Senate, not just the members of my caucus,” Huffman said in March. “If a state senator needs something, I’ll do it for him.”
Barhorst is now focused on building a Republican coalition in the House, but plans to work with Democrats — as he has on several bills.
“I think if we can do this together as a caucus, we will be able to work with Democrats on bipartisan policy once we are united,” Barhorst said.
Revenge?
Stephens was asked if he was concerned that the modern speaker might retaliate against him for being able to become speaker in 2023.
“I’m not worried about much,” he laughed.
When asked if he was worried about the people who originally supported him, he said he wasn’t, but he jumped at Huffman.
“The people who support me and continue to support me do it because they want to. I don’t coerce people, I don’t threaten people, I don’t engage in any of that type of stuff,” Stephens said. “I think that’s why we’ve been so successful at the General Assembly, because we can hear all sides and all opinions.
He added that even within the club, opinions are divided.
“I think good leadership listens to that and is able to act on it and follow the majority,” he said. “That’s my leadership style and I think that’s why we were successful at this General Meeting.”
The House GOP vote takes place during the caucus on Wednesday at 5 p.m
“We will see what leadership style proves effective when a race of brand new speakers takes place in the next 48 hours,” the Speaker said.
This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
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