The race to become Speaker of the House took surprising turns in both Ohio and Washington, D.C. this week. Gov. Mike DeWine let cities ban flavored tobacco and took a swipe at sports betting companies.
We break down what it all means in this week’s episode of Ohio Politics Explained.
A podcast from the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau that catches you up on the state’s political news in 15 minutes or less. This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Jessie Balmert.
1) Surprise Speaker
Republican Jason Stephens surprised a lot of people in Columbus on Tuesday when he partnered with Democrats to become speaker of the Ohio House over the guy his party unofficially chose for the job in November.
Stephens won one of the most powerful positions in state government with the support of all 32 Democratic representatives and 22 Republicans.
The other 43 members of Stephens’ caucus voted for Rep. Derek Merrin, R-Monclova Twp.
2) ‘Groundhog Day’ in Washington, D.C.
The speaker’s race for the U.S. House of Representatives is still not settled.
As of the recording of our podcast, California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy had lost multiple votes to lead his chamber. McCarthy is reportedly offering a new round of deals to the GOP members who continue to vote against him but it’s unclear whether he will be successful.
Ohio’s own U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan still says he doesn’t want the No. 3 job in Washington. He was nominated for speaker in a couple of rounds of voting but maintains his support for McCarthy, saying the job he’s seeking is chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
3) Bad ads?
Gov. DeWine hasn’t been thrilled with the rollout of sports betting in Ohio. He told reporters that some advertisements have targeted people under 21 and made what he sees as misleading claims about free money or free play.
“My message to them is this will not be tolerated in the state of Ohio,” he said.
And the Casino Control Commission appears to be backing him up. The agency notified DraftKings that it faced a $350,000 fine for potentially violating the rule by advertising to individuals under the age of 21 in November. DraftKings has a right to a hearing to dispute the accusation.
4) DeWine greenlights local bans on flavored tobacco
Calling youth smoking an “epidemic” exacerbated by flavored products, DeWine vetoed a bill this week that would have blocked Ohio cities from banning their sale.
“I understand the desire for uniformity but we are dealing with children’s lives,” DeWine said.
The bill, which passed in the final days of the last General Assembly, sprang up after Columbus voted to ban the sale of vapes and other flavored tobacco products. Republicans argued that uniformity trumped local control and Ohio cities shouldn’t be allowed to “pick winners and losers” in private businesses.
DeWine disagreed, saying Thursday that if the legislature wants uniformity, it can ban the sale of flavored tobacco products statewide.
Listen to “Ohio Politics Explained” on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link in this article.
The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
