Republican Larry Householder twice clawed his way into political power by outmaneuvering his rivals, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and cajoling state lawmakers to back him. And twice he lost it all.
On Wednesday, Householder, 62, became the first lawmaker in 167 years to be expelled from office through a rarely used provision in the Ohio Constitution.
It marks the second time in 17 years that Householder has left the speakership while under federal investigation.
“As I have said before, this isn’t the first time I’ve walked through hell,” Householder said this week, while pleading his case to his fellow lawmakers.
More:‘In a league of its own’: Ohio is No.1 state when it comes to public corruption, experts say
More:Larry Householder doesn’t rule out running for Ohio office again
Householder emphatically told fellow lawmakers that he has never taken or solicited a bribe or been offered a bribe. He noted that while under indictment, he won reelection with 71% of the vote. “You didn’t hire me. The people of the 72nd District hired me.”
He also argued that his colleagues didn’t have the grounds to remove him under the Ohio Constitution, which allows for expulsion for disorderly conduct.
State Rep. Jeff Crossman, D-Parma, described the expulsion as a disciplinary matter that passes judgment on Householder’s professional misconduct, not his guilt or innocence in a criminal case.
State Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, who co-sponsored the expulsion resolution, said no one can believe that Householder has held onto his job while others involved in the alleged bribery scheme have been fired. “Rep. Householder is under indictment for selling legislation.”
Householder’s first time as Ohio House speaker: A memo and an FBI investigation
In 2004, the Perry County Republican was forced out of office by term limits, but the U.S. Department of Justice’s public integrity unit was investigating allegations of pay-to-play politics.
During his first turn as House speaker, Householder pushed through legislation banning gay marriage, adopting a concealed weapons permit and changing how much plaintiffs can collect in tort lawsuits.
And he earned a reputation as an aggressive fundraiser and ruthless campaigner. He commanded the House with charisma and fear. The headline in an alternative newspaper said “Who is afraid of Larry Householder? Lots of people.”
Timeline:Selling out in the Statehouse
His bare-knuckled tactics brought out the knives from his enemies.
In March 2004, an anonymous nine-page memo accused Householder and his top aides of bribery, fundraising irregularities, and kickback schemes involving caucus campaign vendors. Then-Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell sent the allegations to federal attorneys, kicking off an FBI investigation.
Later, a 109-page memo written for Householder by an aide, Dwight Crum, detailed a plan to destroy Blackwell politically while enhancing Householder’s run for statewide office.
The investigation did not result in criminal charges but it cast a cloud over Householder and stymied his ambitions for statewide office. It appeared that his ambitious political aspirations were decimated.
He returned to Perry County where he spent big and eked out a win in the county auditor’s race.
Controversy followed.
State audits released found that county employees’ hours weren’t properly accounted for – including some in Householder’s office.
Then-Perry County Engineer Kent Cannon was cited in 2005 for paying nearly $9,000 in unearned overtime and compensatory time to workers. Back then, he admitted that some county employees had used their time to renovate a former Steak ‘N Stein restaurant in which Cannon and Householder were investors.
The Ohio Ethics Commission and state auditor conducted a joint investigation and sent findings to the Perry County prosecutor, who declined to take action on the findings.
Householder was also criticized by school districts for failing to send millions of dollars in property tax settlements out on time. Householder blamed it on antiquated software. His office also fell months behind on deed transfers and mailing out property tax bills.
In August 2006, Householder announced he wouldn’t seek reelection so he could focus on his new business ventures.
“It’s gotten to the point my business interests have taken me away from the office more than is fair to the county,” he said at the time.
Political comeback for the ages
Anyone who counted Householder out of politics was dead wrong.
Fourteen years later, Householder staged an epic political comeback. He won his old legislative seat, hired his own campaign staff and leased swanky office digs overlooking the Statehouse.
More:Loved and loathed, Larry Householder looks to make a comeback
Householder worked tirelessly to sideline his rivals, including fellow speaker hopeful Ryan Smith. He cooked up a deal with Democrats to get the votes needed to win the speaker post.
On Jan. 6, 2019, Householder became the first Ohioan to serve a second turn as speaker since Republican Roger Cloud in 1961. In Householder’s second term, he hiked the gas tax, cut the income tax and passed a massive energy overhaul benefiting nuclear and coal plant owners.
Householder knew how to deliver a sharp rebuke through the media.
“When you come here, you’ve got to put on your big-boy pants,” Householder told reporters about the transportation budget. “You’ve got to pull your binky out of your mouth, and you’ve got to make tough decisions.”
Householder’s return to power was impressive. But his fall from power reads like a made-for-TV political drama.
Ohio’s largest bribery scheme
Early morning on July 21, 2020, FBI agents arrived at Householder’s family farm near Glenford, placing him in handcuffs and searching his property.
Later that day, federal prosecutors accused Householder of running a criminal enterprise that took nearly $61 million from Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. and its subsidiaries to fuel his return to power, pass a $1 billion bailout for two nuclear plants in northern Ohio and defend that law against a ballot initiative to block it.
Householder and co-defendant Matt Borges, who is the former chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, have pleaded not guilty. Co-defendants Juan Cespedes and Jeff Longstreth signed guilty pleas in October. Co-defendant Neil Clark died by suicide in March. FirstEnergy fired top executives over $4.3 million paid to attorney Sam Randazzo who served as Ohio’s top utility regulator and announced it is in talks with federal prosecutors.
Householder faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of racketeering in connection with the nation’s largest open public corruption case.
The federal court released Householder but ordered that he surrender his firearms – a blow for a conservative whose campaign ad featured him shooting a television set.
Removing Householder from the Ohio House
In short order, House lawmakers removed Householder as their leader in a unanimous vote. Top Republicans from Gov. Mike DeWine to new House Speaker Bob Cupp called on Householder to resign from his seat.
Defiant and stubborn, Householder refused to budge. For months, the GOP-controlled Ohio House did little to remove him.
More than 300 days after his arrest, a pair of Democrats and a pair of Republicans introduced separate but similar resolutions to kick Householder out of office with a little-used provision in the Ohio Constitution. That led to a public debate where Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, was Householder’s most vociferous defender.
Seitz read verbatim from Ohio law, compared Householder to Democrats who faced corruption charges and even hinted that the effort to remove Householder was akin to the Democrats’ impeachment of former President Donald Trump.
Householder defended himself, saying that voters in Perry, Coshocton and Licking counties elected him even after news broke of the alleged bribery scheme.
Ultimately, lawmakers in the Ohio House voted 75-21 to remove Householder from the House.
In the end, Householder’s spectacular political rise ended in a familiar place: a spectacular political fall.
Laura Bischoff and Jessie Balmert are reporters for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
