The race to become Speaker of the House took surprising turns this week in both Ohio and Washington, DC. Governor Mike DeWine has forced cities to ban flavored cigarettes and wiped out sports betting companies.
We break down what that means in this week’s episode of Ohio Politics Explained.
Podcast from the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau to catch up on state political news in under 15 minutes. This week, host Anna Staber is joined by reporter Jesse Balmart.
1) Surprise speaker
Republican Jason Stevens surprised many in Columbus on Tuesday when he teamed up with Democrats to become Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives over the man his party unofficially picked in November.
Stevens won one of the most powerful positions in state government with the support of all 32 Democrats and 22 Republicans.
The other 43 members of Stephens’ caucus voted for Rep. Derek Merrin of R-Monclova Twp.
2) “Groundhog Day” in Washington DC
The race for the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives has not yet been resolved.
At the time of our podcast recording, California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy had lost multiple votes to lead his House. He is reportedly proposing a new round of deals to members of the Republican Party who are currently in office, but it is unclear if he will succeed.
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan still says he doesn’t want the third-ranked job in Washington. Although he was nominated for Speaker on several ballots, he maintains his support for McCarthy, saying that the job he is seeking is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
3) Bad advertising?
Governor DeWine isn’t thrilled with the development of sports betting in Ohio. He told reporters that some of the ads target people under the age of 21 and make misleading claims about free money or free play.
“My message to them is this is unacceptable in Ohio,” he said.
And the casino governing board seems to support him. The agency notified DraftKings in November that it faced a $350,000 fine for potentially violating its rules by advertising to individuals under the age of 21. DraftKings has challenged the accusations. I have the right to hold a hearing to advocate.
4) DeWine greenlights local ban on flavored tobacco
Calling youth smoking an “epidemic” exacerbated by flavored products, DeWine this week rejected a bill that would prevent Ohio cities from banning the sale of cigarettes.
“I understand the desire for uniformity, but we are dealing with children’s lives,” DeWine said.
The bill, passed on the last day of the last General Assembly, comes after Columbus voted to ban the sale of vaping and other flavored tobacco products. Republicans argued that uniformity trumps local dominance and that Ohio cities should not be allowed to “choose winners and losers” in private enterprise.
DeWine disagreed, saying on Thursday that if Congress wanted unity, it could ban the sale of flavored tobacco products statewide.
Listen to “Ohio Politics Explained” on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts, and TuneIn Radio. This episode is also available by clicking the link in this article.
USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal, and 18 affiliated news organizations in Ohio.
