By Sherry Larson
People’s Defender
It’s been a rough go for prospective House Speakers as of late, not only in Washington, D.C. but also here in Ohio.
According to various news sources, moderate Jason Stephens from Lawrence County was elected Ohio Speaker of the House on January 3. The 54-43 vote resulted from a shift in support and a colossal upset for Republican Derek Merrin.
From the Toledo area, Merrin was considered the Speaker-elect after a non-official party vote in November 2022, as reported by some news outlets. Merrin’s votes all came from Republicans. Stephens received 22 GOP votes and all 32 House Democrat votes.
Reports indicate that Stephens is allegedly pledging to stop far-right policies. News5cleveland.com reported that Democrat Minority Leader Allison Russo said of the vote, “They needed our votes, and we took the opportunity to make sure we were going to be working with the speaker who we felt, at the end of the day, would work with us on the issues we could agree on.” Discussions leading to the 32 democrat votes for Stephens revolved around fair district maps and priority bills.
Stephens’ background is in local government. He served as a Lawrence County Commissioner and County Auditor. He now holds a commanding position in the Ohio government. The Columbus Dispatch reported Stephens as saying, “I intend to listen, and I intend to be very open and receptive to all members of the Ohio House,” he said. “We represent all of Ohio.”
According to the CCAS Statehouse Report, “The rest of the House Republican Caucus leadership team, along with committee assignments, are expected to be announced next week.”