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The State of Ohio

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The candidates and campaigns of 2024 come down to the wire A recap of how Issue 1 would work. And a packed tribute to a woman who made history in Ohio politics. Guest is Nazek Hapasha with the League of Women Voters of Ohio.

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00:00:39	The candidates and campaigns
00:00:39	of 2024 come down to the wire.
00:00:43	A recap of how issue
00:00:43	one would work,
00:00:46	and a packed tribute
00:00:46	to a woman
00:00:48	who made history in Ohio
00:00:48	politics.
00:00:50	That's this
00:00:50	week in the state of Ohio.
00:01:11	Welcome to the state of Ohio.
00:01:12	I'm Karen Kasler.
00:01:14	The wait for election
00:01:14	night is down to hours now.
00:01:17	After months
00:01:18	and sometimes years of
00:01:18	campaigning and strategizing,
00:01:22	since Ohio is no longer
00:01:22	a battleground or swing
00:01:24	states, the US Senate
00:01:25	race is the marquee contest
00:01:25	on this November ballot.
00:01:28	The battle between incumbent
00:01:28	Democratic Senator
00:01:31	Sherrod Brown
00:01:31	and Republican challenger
00:01:31	and former car dealer
00:01:34	and tech entrepreneur
00:01:34	Bernie Marino
00:01:36	is one of the most expensive
00:01:36	in the country.
00:01:38	And polls show it's
00:01:38	also one of the closest.
00:01:42	Sherrod Brown is running
00:01:42	what he calls his toughest
00:01:44	reelection campaign ever.
00:01:46	Highlighting his work
00:01:47	on bipartisan legislation
00:01:47	such as the Chips act
00:01:50	to send funding to technology
00:01:50	companies like Intel
00:01:52	to make more computer chips
00:01:52	in the U.S..
00:01:55	And the Pact act,
00:01:56	which helps military veterans
00:01:56	exposed to toxic burn pits.
00:01:59	Brown also supported
00:01:59	a bipartisan border
00:02:02	security bill
00:02:03	that was spiked in the Senate
00:02:04	after Republican
00:02:04	presidential candidate
00:02:06	Donald Trump
00:02:06	spoke out against it.
00:02:08	recently.
00:02:08	Brown is talking up
00:02:08	a bill to block what he calls
00:02:11	predatory
00:02:11	investing by eliminating
00:02:13	tax breaks for companies that
00:02:13	buy up houses in big numbers.
00:02:17	He's also focused on abortion
00:02:17	and reproductive rights.
00:02:20	Brown included in an
00:02:20	ad a leaked video
00:02:23	with comments
00:02:23	from Marino saying it's crazy.
00:02:26	Women over
00:02:26	50 are worried about abortion,
00:02:28	which Marino's campaign
00:02:28	has called a joke.
00:02:30	But Brown
00:02:30	says it's not a joking matter.
00:02:34	Marino is challenging Brown
00:02:35	as the Trump
00:02:35	endorsed candidate in a state.
00:02:37	The former president won twice
00:02:39	and is expected to win again.
00:02:41	He says he has no differences
00:02:41	with Trump on public policy.
00:02:44	For instance,
00:02:45	he supports mass scale
00:02:45	deportations of immigrants
00:02:48	who have come to the U.S.
00:02:48	illegally.
00:02:50	And he blasts the Inflation
00:02:50	Reduction Act
00:02:52	and the Infrastructure
00:02:52	Investment and Jobs Act.
00:02:55	And Marino notes
00:02:56	that while Brown says
00:02:56	in his ads
00:02:57	he worked with Trump
00:02:57	on fentanyl legislation
00:03:00	and that he will work
00:03:00	with whoever wins
00:03:02	the white House,
00:03:03	Brown votes
00:03:03	to support the policies
00:03:04	of President Biden
00:03:04	nearly every time.
00:03:07	Marino has said abortion
00:03:07	should be left to states,
00:03:09	but also that he's
00:03:09	100% pro-life,
00:03:12	which has Democrats
00:03:12	noting that he has backed
00:03:14	a 15 week
00:03:14	national abortion ban.
00:03:17	The campaign finance tracking
00:03:17	group opens secret,
00:03:19	says Sherrod Brown, who spent
00:03:19	$86 million on his campaign,
00:03:23	and Bernie Marino
00:03:23	spent $21 million.
00:03:26	The group also estimates
00:03:27	at least $260
00:03:27	million of outside
00:03:30	money has been spent
00:03:30	on this race so far.
00:03:32	And most of that
00:03:32	against Brown.
00:03:34	The only statewide issue that
00:03:34	voters will see is issue one.
00:03:37	The plan to replace the seven
00:03:39	elected officials on the Ohio
00:03:39	Redistricting Commission
00:03:42	with a 15 member citizens
00:03:42	commission,
00:03:44	which will draw maps
00:03:44	for Ohio's members of Congress
00:03:47	and the state House
00:03:47	and Senate.
00:03:49	Issue
00:03:49	one has been about ten months
00:03:51	in the making,
00:03:51	though the idea of changing
00:03:53	the redistricting process
00:03:53	began
00:03:55	during the mapmaking
00:03:55	that was used
00:03:57	for the first time
00:03:57	starting in 2021.
00:04:00	As far back as January 2022,
00:04:00	activists were working on it
00:04:04	after Republican Maureen
00:04:04	O'Connor,
00:04:06	then chief justice of the Ohio
00:04:06	Supreme Court,
00:04:08	reminded them
00:04:08	in the first ruling,
00:04:10	striking down a commission map
00:04:10	as unconstitutional
00:04:13	that going to
00:04:13	the ballot was an option.
00:04:16	But those who'd long battled
00:04:16	for redistricting reform
00:04:18	or cautious,
00:04:18	And so I was pleased
00:04:22	that the Chief Justice
00:04:22	saw a need for a path forward.
00:04:26	And it's worth thinking about.
00:04:28	It also is worth
00:04:28	taking some time
00:04:31	researching
00:04:31	what happened in other states
00:04:33	and thinking
00:04:33	through the best way forward.
00:04:36	the legislative
00:04:36	and congressional maps drawn
00:04:39	and approved by the Ohio
00:04:39	Redistricting Commission
00:04:41	were all ruled
00:04:41	unconstitutional,
00:04:43	and seven court challenges
00:04:43	before the Ohio Supreme Court.
00:04:46	Federal court decisions
00:04:46	ordered
00:04:47	the unconstitutional maps
00:04:47	to be used in the 2022
00:04:50	elections, with new maps
00:04:50	to be drawn for 2024.
00:04:54	Last year of the maps
00:04:54	got some changes
00:04:56	and the commission's
00:04:56	two Democrats
00:04:58	spoke out against them.
00:04:59	But all seven members
00:04:59	voted to approve the maps.
00:05:02	By then,
00:05:02	there was a proposed amendment
00:05:04	working through the process
00:05:04	of getting to the ballot.
00:05:07	this is exactly why
00:05:07	we need to take
00:05:09	politicians and lobbyists
00:05:09	out of the equation.
00:05:12	Citizens, not politicians,
00:05:12	would be a 15 member
00:05:16	commission of five
00:05:16	Republicans, five Democrats,
00:05:19	and five independents
00:05:19	or unaffiliated voters,
00:05:22	all with one goal
00:05:22	to fairly draw districts
00:05:28	that treat every voter
00:05:28	equally.
00:05:31	After a delay
00:05:31	because of a typo,
00:05:33	the citizens,
00:05:33	not politicians amendment
00:05:34	was approved and signature
00:05:34	gathering began last December.
00:05:38	In March,
00:05:38	the group got a boost from
00:05:39	former California Governor
00:05:39	Arnold Schwarzenegger.
00:05:42	No, not only for his movies
00:05:42	and his annual bodybuilding
00:05:45	and fitness
00:05:45	festival in Columbus,
00:05:47	but also for his support of
00:05:47	redistricting changes in Ohio.
00:05:50	Going back to those two
00:05:50	constitutional amendments
00:05:52	in 2015 and 2018
00:05:54	that created the Ohio
00:05:54	Redistricting Commission.
00:05:57	Then, on
00:05:58	July 1st, more than
00:05:59	730,000 signatures
00:05:59	were turned into the Secretary
00:06:02	of State's office to put
00:06:02	the amendment before voters.
00:06:06	Issue one would scrap the Ohio
00:06:06	Redistricting Commission
00:06:09	made up of the governor,
00:06:10	the secretary of state,
00:06:11	the auditor,
00:06:11	and four lawmakers,
00:06:13	two from each party
00:06:13	and each chamber,
00:06:15	and replace it
00:06:15	with a 15 member
00:06:17	citizens commission
00:06:17	of five Republicans,
00:06:19	five Democrats
00:06:19	and five independents.
00:06:22	Here's how that works.
00:06:23	The four state lawmaker is on
00:06:23	the Ohio ballot.
00:06:26	Board would each nominate
00:06:26	eight
00:06:27	retired judges to serve on
00:06:27	a bipartisan screening panel.
00:06:31	The Democratic lawmakers
00:06:31	would then choose two judges
00:06:34	nominated by the Republicans
00:06:34	and vice versa.
00:06:37	The bipartisan panel made up
00:06:37	of those four retired judges,
00:06:40	would then screen
00:06:41	the applications from people
00:06:41	who apply to be commissioners.
00:06:45	Anyone with professional
00:06:45	political ties,
00:06:47	such as those
00:06:47	who have in the last six years
00:06:49	been elected officials,
00:06:50	lobbyists, party activists
00:06:50	or their family members
00:06:54	will be rejected.
00:06:55	A pool of 90 people,
00:06:55	30 Republicans, 30 Democrats
00:06:58	and 30 independents,
00:06:59	geographically
00:06:59	and demographically diverse
00:07:02	will be selected
00:07:02	by the retired judges.
00:07:05	That group will be reduced
00:07:05	to 45 after public comment
00:07:08	and broadcast
00:07:08	interviews of each.
00:07:11	The group will be cut to six
00:07:12	by the judges through a random
00:07:12	drawing at a public meeting.
00:07:15	Then,
00:07:15	in another public meeting,
00:07:17	those six commissioners
00:07:19	and even number
00:07:19	of Republicans, Democrats
00:07:21	and independents
00:07:21	will choose the other nine
00:07:23	commissioners
00:07:23	through a majority vote.
00:07:25	The panel of retired judges
00:07:25	will also select
00:07:28	at least six special masters
00:07:29	to work with the Commission
00:07:29	and the courts.
00:07:32	If there's a legal challenge.
00:07:34	Former Chief Justice
00:07:34	Maureen O'Connor wrote.
00:07:36	The citizens,
00:07:36	not politicians amendment.
00:07:38	That is issue one.
00:07:39	She says it gets rid
00:07:39	of the flaw
00:07:41	in the current
00:07:41	redistricting system.
00:07:43	What she calls
00:07:43	the Trojan horse.
00:07:45	It's the redistricting
00:07:45	commission.
00:07:47	It's the make up of
00:07:47	the redistricting commission
00:07:50	that's embedded in the
00:07:50	constitutional amendments.
00:07:54	Nobody thought
00:07:54	too much of it at the time.
00:07:57	And why?
00:07:57	Because it was a trust.
00:08:00	You know, exercise.
00:08:02	We're going to
00:08:03	trust these politicians
00:08:05	that are populating
00:08:05	the redistricting commission
00:08:07	to do the right thing,
00:08:08	to have integrity,
00:08:08	to operate in good faith.
00:08:11	All right.
00:08:13	Silly, silly us.
00:08:15	You know, it
00:08:15	the system's broken.
00:08:18	It's broken
00:08:18	because politicians, occupy
00:08:22	all seats in the redistricting
00:08:22	commission.
00:08:25	And politicians will.
00:08:27	Number one, preserve their own
00:08:27	personal power and status,
00:08:31	in, government.
00:08:33	And they were also going
00:08:33	to try and strengthen
00:08:37	their party's presence.
00:08:39	Their party's power.
00:08:41	And to do that,
00:08:41	they gerrymander.
00:08:43	Ryan Steuben
00:08:43	Roush, from the no.
00:08:45	One one campaign, says
00:08:45	voters overwhelmingly
00:08:47	approve the current setup,
00:08:47	which he admits has problems.
00:08:51	no one thinks that everything
00:08:51	that the system is perfectly
00:08:54	I certainly don't I'm
00:08:54	not here to defend
00:08:55	maps or lines
00:08:55	or anything like that.
00:08:57	is the people who elect
00:08:57	What I'm here to defend
00:09:00	the map makers should be
00:09:00	Ohioans, should be voters.
00:09:04	And what issue one does is
00:09:05	it takes away
00:09:05	the accountability
00:09:06	that Ohioans
00:09:06	have had for 222 years.
00:09:09	If you don't like the maps
00:09:09	and how they're drawn,
00:09:12	fire the map makers.
00:09:14	It's been that simple
00:09:14	for quite some time.
00:09:16	But the real difference here,
00:09:16	what we're seeing in Ohio is
00:09:19	that policies change, politics
00:09:19	change, parties change.
00:09:23	And that's why Republicans
00:09:23	are dominant in Ohio.
00:09:26	It's not because of maps, it's
00:09:26	because of voters.
00:09:30	I mean, look at the last 28
00:09:30	statewide executive elections.
00:09:35	Democrats are oh for 28.
00:09:38	And so that's not gerrymander.
00:09:39	You can't gerrymander a state
00:09:41	that's just shifting
00:09:41	policies and shifting,
00:09:43	political preferences.
00:09:45	Issue one is supported
00:09:45	by most elected Democrats
00:09:48	as well as civil rights
00:09:49	organizations, unions, faith
00:09:49	groups, pro-choice groups,
00:09:52	and a bipartisan coalition
00:09:52	of business leaders.
00:09:55	Issue
00:09:55	one as opposed by elected
00:09:57	Republican officeholders
00:09:57	in Ohio,
00:09:59	including governor
00:09:59	Mike DeWine,
00:10:00	who is on the redistricting
00:10:00	commission.
00:10:02	He has said he'll work
00:10:03	with lawmakers
00:10:03	to put in a system
00:10:05	like the widely respected
00:10:05	one in Iowa,
00:10:07	and is also opposed by
00:10:07	the Ohio Chamber of Commerce
00:10:10	and other major business
00:10:10	groups,
00:10:11	along with Ohio Right to Life
00:10:13	and the Buckeye Firearms
00:10:13	Association.
00:10:16	Citizens, not politicians,
00:10:17	sued over the ballot
00:10:17	summary language
00:10:19	that was written by Secretary
00:10:19	of State Frank Larose.
00:10:21	It was also on the Ohio
00:10:23	Redistricting Commission
00:10:24	and approved by the ballot
00:10:24	board, which he chairs.
00:10:27	O'Connor called it
00:10:27	illegal, unconstitutional
00:10:29	and the worst ballot language
00:10:29	she's ever seen.
00:10:32	But the Ohio Supreme Court's
00:10:32	majority Republican justices
00:10:35	upheld that language
00:10:35	as constitutional
00:10:37	with a few changes.
00:10:39	Citizens, not politicians,
00:10:39	raised more than $39 million
00:10:42	in the last year
00:10:42	to pass issue one,
00:10:44	with 83% of that money coming
00:10:44	from sources outside of Ohio.
00:10:48	The opposition group Ohio
00:10:48	Works, has raised $5.6 million
00:10:52	since August, with about 52%
00:10:52	coming from out of state.
00:10:57	The vote on issue one
00:10:57	next month
00:10:58	marks the sixth time
00:10:58	that Ohio voters
00:11:00	have been asked to change
00:11:00	the redistricting process
00:11:03	since 1967 to previous efforts
00:11:03	to create an independent
00:11:07	commission to draw district
00:11:07	maps failed in 2005 and 2012.
00:11:12	This is the first
00:11:12	presidential election in Ohio
00:11:14	where voters are required
00:11:14	to show a valid photo ID,
00:11:17	such as a driver's license,
00:11:17	a passport, a military ID
00:11:20	or state issued ID.
00:11:22	But sometimes there's
00:11:23	a problem and a voter's
00:11:23	identity can be in question.
00:11:26	I talked about options
00:11:26	for those voters
00:11:28	in those situations
00:11:28	with nasal compassion.
00:11:30	But the League of Women
00:11:30	Voters of Ohio
00:11:32	you know, voters
00:11:32	sometimes forget their ID.
00:11:34	It's expired.
00:11:35	A poll worker doesn't think
00:11:36	their signature matches
00:11:36	the one in the book.
00:11:38	What do voters do in
00:11:38	those kind of circumstances?
00:11:41	Yeah.
00:11:42	So if you show up to vote
00:11:42	and for any reason,
00:11:45	the poll worker is telling you
00:11:45	that you cannot vote
00:11:47	a regular ballot
00:11:47	because like you said, your,
00:11:51	ID might be expired
00:11:51	or you moved.
00:11:54	We have a field safety in Ohio
00:11:54	called a provisional ballot.
00:11:57	And it's really
00:11:57	for the benefit of the voter.
00:12:01	The good news is that if
00:12:01	any of those things happened,
00:12:03	you can vote
00:12:03	that provisional ballot
00:12:05	and that you have four days
00:12:05	to cure your ballot.
00:12:09	So it really depends
00:12:09	on your circumstance.
00:12:11	Why you could
00:12:12	why you needed to vote
00:12:12	that provisional ballot.
00:12:14	But let's just say,
00:12:14	for example, that your ID
00:12:17	was expired in the four days
00:12:17	you have to carry your ID,
00:12:21	you need to go to the BMV,
00:12:21	update your ID,
00:12:24	they'll give you
00:12:24	an interim ID,
00:12:26	which is a paper ID,
00:12:26	and that's totally okay.
00:12:28	And then you would take that
00:12:28	to the Board of Elections
00:12:31	and show them your ID
00:12:32	and your provisional
00:12:32	ballot will be counted.
00:12:35	Same thing,
00:12:35	for example, like if you're
00:12:38	if you had a name change,
00:12:38	you have four days to show up
00:12:41	with your, you know, court
00:12:41	order or your marriage license
00:12:45	or whatever it is to, to again
00:12:45	cure, cure your ballot.
00:12:49	And so you need to
00:12:51	make sure to pay attention
00:12:52	to the instructions
00:12:52	from the poll worker
00:12:54	to do whatever it is
00:12:54	you need to cure that ballot.
00:12:58	Now, there are limits
00:12:58	on provisional ballots,
00:13:00	though
00:13:00	you can only cast them in your
00:13:04	in your correct precinct,
00:13:04	right? You can't cast anyone.
00:13:06	That's correct.
00:13:08	It's really important
00:13:09	that people show up to their
00:13:09	correct polling location.
00:13:12	And it's
00:13:14	the way to think about this
00:13:15	is that every every location
00:13:15	has a different ballot
00:13:19	because there are local issues
00:13:19	on your ballot. Right?
00:13:21	So you can't show up
00:13:22	somewhere else
00:13:22	where they're voting
00:13:24	potentially
00:13:24	on different things.
00:13:26	So if you if you live in Ohio
00:13:26	and you moved within Ohio,
00:13:30	you can still go vote.
00:13:31	But you you can't vote
00:13:31	at your old voting location.
00:13:34	You've got to go to your
00:13:35	voting location
00:13:35	that's assigned
00:13:36	to the residence
00:13:36	that you live in.
00:13:39	And so you can
00:13:39	you can call your county
00:13:42	Board of elections
00:13:42	to figure out what that is.
00:13:43	Or you can call
00:13:43	the League of Women Voters,
00:13:45	and we'll help you,
00:13:46	but show up
00:13:47	to the correct
00:13:47	polling location
00:13:49	that is assigned
00:13:49	to the residence
00:13:51	that you live in.
00:13:52	And then you can you can get
00:13:52	that straightened out.
00:13:55	You might have to vote
00:13:55	a provisional ballot,
00:13:57	but you can get that
00:13:57	straightened out
00:13:58	in the next four days.
00:14:00	Either way,
00:14:00	what about college students?
00:14:02	Where do they vote?
00:14:03	They have to go home.
00:14:04	Or can they vote?
00:14:05	Like if they're from Cleveland
00:14:06	and going to Ohio State,
00:14:06	can they vote in Columbus?
00:14:09	Yeah. College
00:14:09	students are special.
00:14:10	They get their choice.
00:14:12	So college
00:14:12	students can vote at home.
00:14:15	At home of their,
00:14:16	if they consider
00:14:16	their parents
00:14:18	house, their home residents.
00:14:20	Many other states.
00:14:21	I don't have it memorized
00:14:22	for every state,
00:14:23	but I know
00:14:23	that our surrounding states
00:14:25	like Pennsylvania
00:14:25	and Michigan.
00:14:26	If you are from out of state,
00:14:26	you can vote at home.
00:14:30	But if you are from
00:14:30	another county again, you can
00:14:33	you can choose your
00:14:34	at home residents
00:14:34	as your voting residence,
00:14:36	but you can also choose your
00:14:38	dorm or apartment on campus
00:14:38	to be your voting residence.
00:14:41	And so you already.
00:14:42	The important thing is,
00:14:42	now that the, voter
00:14:46	registration
00:14:46	deadline has expired.
00:14:48	So you have to figure out
00:14:49	where you are
00:14:49	registered to vote.
00:14:50	You can't change it
00:14:50	at this point,
00:14:52	and then you've got to vote
00:14:52	at that location.
00:14:55	Also important
00:14:55	to know that the, deadline
00:14:58	to, to request a mail
00:14:58	ballot has also changed.
00:15:02	So at this point,
00:15:03	you're going to have to vote
00:15:03	in person
00:15:05	if you haven't requested
00:15:05	that mail ballot already.
00:15:07	So, Sunday is the last day
00:15:07	of early voting.
00:15:11	If you need to travel,
00:15:12	like out of your area
00:15:12	or out of county,
00:15:15	there is still a weekend of
00:15:15	voting ahead of us to do that.
00:15:19	What are the
00:15:19	assurances that voters have
00:15:21	that their provisional ballot
00:15:21	will be counted?
00:15:25	Well,
00:15:25	Ohio has very, like good
00:15:31	bipartisan, transparent
00:15:31	structures in place
00:15:34	to make sure
00:15:34	that every voting is counted
00:15:37	and that the election results
00:15:37	are accurate.
00:15:40	So for provisional ballots,
00:15:40	for example,
00:15:42	those provisional ballots,
00:15:42	you know, they
00:15:45	they all have different
00:15:45	circumstances.
00:15:47	They are reviewed,
00:15:49	but in a public meeting
00:15:49	by the Board of elections.
00:15:52	And so people can show up
00:15:52	and like see
00:15:54	what that looks like,
00:15:54	like what is the
00:15:56	what is the procedure for,
00:15:56	for reviewing
00:16:01	a provisional ballot.
00:16:01	Why is it denied?
00:16:03	Why is it approved?
00:16:04	And if any
00:16:05	and if people have
00:16:05	any questions, they can
00:16:07	they can raise them
00:16:07	at that meeting.
00:16:09	the Ohio
00:16:09	Voter Rights Coalition, runs
00:16:11	the Ohio Election
00:16:11	Protection Hotline
00:16:13	for voters
00:16:13	who have concerns or problems.
00:16:15	It's at 866 our vote.
00:16:19	The Ohio Department of Health
00:16:19	is making some welcome news.
00:16:21	Official statewide
00:16:21	unintentional drug overdose
00:16:24	deaths are still declining
00:16:24	after a 5% decrease in 2022.
00:16:29	Ohio recorded a 9% year
00:16:29	over year decrease in 2023.
00:16:34	Governor
00:16:34	Mike DeWine says he credits
00:16:35	the progress
00:16:35	to the state's strategy
00:16:37	at addressing the addiction
00:16:37	and overdose crisis,
00:16:40	which combines intervention,
00:16:40	treatment
00:16:42	and enforcement programs
00:16:42	like Recovery Ohio.
00:16:45	For a state
00:16:45	that saw the second
00:16:47	highest percentage
00:16:48	of deaths nationwide
00:16:48	for a time in the 20 tens.
00:16:51	DeWine says it is a reason
00:16:51	to celebrate, but cautiously.
00:16:54	4400 Ohioans
00:16:54	died of a drug overdose
00:16:57	last year,
00:16:57	a little over 12 people a day.
00:17:00	Every overdose
00:17:00	death represents a son,
00:17:03	daughter, sister,
00:17:03	brother, mother, father.
00:17:07	We owe
00:17:07	it to every Ohio family,
00:17:10	every person
00:17:10	struggling with addiction
00:17:10	to continue this battle
00:17:14	preliminary data
00:17:14	shows that downward trend in
00:17:17	continuing into 2024, in Ohio
00:17:17	and the United States.
00:17:21	The state of Ohio
00:17:22	until next fall.
00:17:22	won't finalize those numbers
00:17:25	Five of Ohio's six
00:17:25	living governors
00:17:28	were among the standing room
00:17:29	only crowd of hundreds
00:17:30	of mourners at the statehouse
00:17:30	to remember Joanne Davidson.
00:17:34	She was the first
00:17:34	and only woman to serve
00:17:36	as speaker of the Ohio House
00:17:36	of Representatives,
00:17:38	and was a fixture in
00:17:38	Republican politics in Ohio.
00:17:41	Davidson
00:17:41	died Friday at 97 years old.
00:17:44	She became speaker in 1995
00:17:44	and was first
00:17:47	elected to the House in 1980.
00:17:49	She served three terms
00:17:49	as speaker
00:17:51	and left the legislature in
00:17:51	2001 because of term limits.
00:17:55	Davidson was the first chair
00:17:55	of the Ohio Casino Control
00:17:58	Commission in 2011,
00:17:59	and was a trustee
00:17:59	for several universities.
00:18:02	She was also the Republican
00:18:02	National Committee
00:18:04	woman from Ohio
00:18:04	from 2005 to April 2024,
00:18:07	and helped to bring the 2016
00:18:07	Republican National Convention
00:18:11	to Cleveland.
00:18:12	Though she supported then
00:18:13	Governor John Kasich over
00:18:13	Donald Trump.
00:18:16	Republican governors
00:18:16	Mike DeWine and Bob Taft
00:18:18	were among the attendees,
00:18:20	along with John Kasich
00:18:20	and Nancy Hollister,
00:18:22	who served for nine days
00:18:22	as governor.
00:18:24	After George Voinovich left
00:18:24	to take his seat in the U.S.
00:18:27	Senate in January 1999.
00:18:29	And Hollister
00:18:29	was sworn in to her new job
00:18:31	as a state representative
00:18:31	right after that by Davidson.
00:18:35	It's amazing.
00:18:35	The gathering of.
00:18:39	Soldiers.
00:18:41	It's leadership.
00:18:42	Personality.
00:18:44	Super.
00:18:44	It's a love scene.
00:18:48	I had some students came to me
00:18:52	and described to me
00:18:52	she was a friend.
00:18:55	She was a mentor.
00:18:56	And she was my favorite.
00:18:59	Kasich called Davidson
00:18:59	incredible.
00:19:01	she's a great leader.
00:19:02	You know, the Lord
00:19:02	gave her a lot of tools
00:19:04	and she used them
00:19:04	all to the maps.
00:19:06	God did so much good
00:19:06	for so many people.
00:19:08	And she's a great friend.
00:19:09	Former Governor Ted Strickland
00:19:10	was among the Democrats
00:19:10	in attendance.
00:19:13	obviously she is a legend.
00:19:16	If it wasn't
00:19:16	for the influence,
00:19:19	she did so much good.
00:19:22	You know, definition.
00:19:28	So she's no activist leader.
00:19:32	And this is a sad day
00:19:32	for all of us.
00:19:37	Most of her.
00:19:38	It's a wonderful day
00:19:38	in terms of remembering
00:19:41	all the good stuff
00:19:41	that is behind.
00:19:46	And yet just talk with her
00:19:48	and sons and many others.
00:19:55	How about of.
00:20:00	This is
00:20:00	and what has turned into here.
00:20:04	I said that speech which
00:20:10	combines.
00:20:16	Republican House Speaker
00:20:17	Jason Stevens
00:20:17	was at the memorial,
00:20:19	along with former speakers
00:20:19	Bob Cup and Cliff Rosenberger,
00:20:22	the first Asian-American
00:20:22	speaker of the House
00:20:25	who met Davidson
00:20:25	when he was working for
00:20:27	President George W Bush.
00:20:29	Joanne blazed the trail
00:20:29	for a lot of folks.
00:20:32	And I say this often.
00:20:34	It's not just for money.
00:20:36	So for minorities
00:20:36	and also to myself and,
00:20:40	there's a lot to, you know,
00:20:40	she she showed me that,
00:20:43	you know,
00:20:44	because I'm Asian-American
00:20:44	doesn't
00:20:45	mean that
00:20:45	I don't have a chance to.
00:20:47	So, I have a lot of respect
00:20:47	for and,
00:20:50	grateful for this.
00:20:54	And that's all I to say.
00:20:57	I don't think
00:20:58	I want to think about the a.
00:21:02	Also among the mourners,
00:21:02	former Senate President
00:21:04	Larry Bob Hof,
00:21:04	Tom Niehaus and Doug White,
00:21:07	who remembers Davidson,
00:21:07	born in rural Indiana
00:21:10	before moving to Findlay
00:21:11	and supporting him in what
00:21:11	he called an impossible race.
00:21:15	This country folk
00:21:16	who stand up for one another
00:21:16	and solid for a lifetime.
00:21:19	Also at the memorial, three
00:21:19	term Senate president Richard
00:21:22	Fine and currently
00:21:22	the mayor of even Dale
00:21:24	near Cincinnati,
00:21:24	She was a very fine speaker.
00:21:28	So when you.
00:21:32	When she's
00:21:32	going through something,
00:21:34	this is how it's going to be
00:21:34	even worse.
00:21:38	You know,
00:21:38	it was going to step by step.
00:21:41	We used to have a long
00:21:44	history that went on.
00:21:48	At one time,
00:21:50	she didn't agree with me.
00:21:52	I didn't agree with her.
00:21:53	We would step out of the room
00:21:53	and just, you know,
00:21:57	and we worked it out.
00:21:58	The other I remember one time
00:22:01	I told her the,
00:22:04	you know,
00:22:04	I think the pages really
00:22:08	are getting worse.
00:22:09	So she says, I think she
00:22:14	she said,
00:22:14	let's put in a question.
00:22:17	I said, I'm asking
00:22:17	and we're going to reptiles.
00:22:21	We have blue jackets.
00:22:24	And we thought
00:22:26	this was a great person.
00:22:27	It former higher education
00:22:27	chancellor and Senator Randy
00:22:31	Gardner was the House
00:22:32	majority leader and speaker
00:22:32	pro tem under Davidson.
00:22:35	It was just an absolute honor
00:22:35	to work with someone.
00:22:38	The intellect, the energy,
00:22:38	the ability
00:22:41	to bring people together.
00:22:42	And, Also among
00:22:42	the crowd were dozens
00:22:44	of graduates of Davidson's
00:22:44	Leadership Institute for women
00:22:47	in Politics and Business,
00:22:47	most of them wearing red.
00:22:50	Since it was founded in 2000,
00:22:52	487 women have gone through
00:22:52	the eight month program,
00:22:55	including Ruth Edmonds.
00:22:57	So I think that
00:22:58	they meant so much
00:22:59	to us as a pioneering woman,
00:22:59	pioneering the opportunities
00:23:02	for women of all colors
00:23:02	of all ages
00:23:06	throughout the state of Ohio
00:23:06	to be involved
00:23:10	with government,
00:23:10	whether it was like this issue
00:23:14	within official
00:23:15	or just somewhere
00:23:15	within the administration,
00:23:18	and she she just challenged us
00:23:18	to go forth,
00:23:22	to go to work,
00:23:22	and there was never going
00:23:24	to be the right time.
00:23:25	So you just do it.
00:23:27	Columbus, attorney Frank Reed
00:23:27	was working as a page
00:23:29	for the Ohio Senate
00:23:29	when Davidson became speaker,
00:23:32	taking over for longtime
00:23:32	Democratic Speaker Vern Rice.
00:23:35	Never mind. Yes, the
00:23:35	Third Reich never actually up
00:23:39	to. What he did.
00:23:42	He didn't give her
00:23:44	never a ceremony
00:23:44	with class in style
00:23:48	to you.
00:23:52	The eulogy was delivered
00:23:52	by Davidson's longtime friend,
00:23:55	Betty Mitt Romney,
00:23:56	a former state senator
00:23:56	and one of the few people
00:23:58	to be elected to two statewide
00:23:58	executive offices,
00:24:01	and her case auditor
00:24:01	and attorney general.
00:24:04	to win this upcoming?
00:24:08	She was
00:24:10	strategic.
00:24:11	She was Texas.
00:24:12	She was gracious.
00:24:16	She was honest.
00:24:18	She cared desperately.
00:24:20	So public policy.
00:24:22	And she loved this
00:24:22	institution.
00:24:24	She's wonderful.
00:24:27	Other speakers at the service
00:24:27	included Republican
00:24:29	former U.S.
00:24:30	Representative Deborah Price
00:24:30	and Emily Enslin,
00:24:32	one of Davidson's
00:24:32	three grandchildren.
00:24:35	That is it for this week
00:24:35	from my colleagues
00:24:37	at the Statehouse News
00:24:37	Bureau of Ohio Public Media.
00:24:39	Thanks for watching.
00:24:40	Please check out our website
00:24:40	at State news.org
00:24:43	or find us online
00:24:43	by searching.
00:24:44	State of Ohio show.
00:24:46	You can also hear more
00:24:46	from the Bureau
00:24:48	on our podcast,
00:24:48	The Ohio State House scoop.
00:24:50	Look for it
00:24:50	every Monday morning
00:24:52	wherever
00:24:52	you get your podcasts.
00:24:54	And please join us again next
00:24:54	time for the State of Ohio.
00:25:04	Okay.
00:25:23	Okay.
00:25:31	This is.
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Note : Transcripts are compiled from uncorrected captions