Opposition to vaccine mandates grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, several U.S. Senate candidates are self-funding and Ohio just got 1,800 pages on criminal justice reform.
We break down what it all means on this week’s episode of Ohio Politics Explained.
A podcast from the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau where we catch you up on the state’s political news in 15 minutes or less. This week host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Titus Wu.
1) The rise of the “medical freedom” movement
Anti-vaccine mandate activists have diluted Ohio’s immunization requirements over the last two decades, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic hit that their ideas went mainstream.
“With COVID-19, if it did nothing else, it’s mainstreamed medical freedom. There’s no doubt about that,” said Stephanie Stock, head of Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom, a group lobbying against vaccine requirements.
2) Campaign cash
Campaign finance reports were due this week, and the data gave a window in the races for U.S. Senate and governor.
Many of the Republicans in the race to replace Sen. Rob Portman are self-funding their primary campaigns, including Mike Gibbons who has loaned himself $11.4 million.
And when it comes to the Democratic primary for governor, the two candidates are about even when it came to cash on hand. Nan Whaley had $1.77 million and John Cranley reported $1.9 million.
3) Who is in it to win it
Even though the lines for Ohio’s House and Senate seats are still up in the air, that didn’t stop folks from filing.
Michele Reynolds, who worked for Gov. Mike DeWine up until last week, announced she would be challenging Sen. Tina Maharath, D-Canal Winchester, for her suburban Columbus seat.
The new lines for Senate District 3 could favor Maharath, but Reynolds sounded confident as she kicked off her campaign.
Republican state Rep. Diane Grendell, however, came to a different conclusion.
Her safe district looks like it will be Democratic-leaning, so she’s running for Geauga County auditor.
4) The kitchen sink of criminal justice reform bills
The Ohio Senate introduced a massive, 1,800-page criminal justice reform bill this week.
The legislation would make it easier to expunge certain criminal convictions and reduce sentences for people who completely rehab.
“This is a bill that is five years in the making, and I want to try to get it done by the end of this General Assembly,” Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said.
Listen to “Ohio Politics Explained” on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link at the top of the article.
The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
