Lawmakers in the Ohio House of Representatives selected Speaker Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican, to lead them for the next two years.
After years of tumultuous leadership fights, FBI investigations and GOP infighting, Huffman’s unanimous selection was extraordinary only because of how ordinary it was.
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The sole hurdle was weather-related: Legislators traversed inclement weather, including near-record snowfall in Cincinnati, to attend Monday’s opening ceremonies.
Lawmakers picked Huffman, who recently served four years as Ohio Senate president before winning a House seat, to lead the House for the next two years. Huffman, 64, can serve for eight years if voters and legislators keep electing him.
During his first address as House speaker, Huffman promised a “professional, fact-based and thorough process” for lawmaking.
“If we do this right there will be more smiles than tears,” Huffman said.
More:Who’s Matt Huffman? The Lima man running the show at the Ohio Statehouse
In a November internal vote, House Republicans picked Huffman as their next leader shortly after House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, dropped out of the race. GOP infighting loomed over much of Stephens’ two-year term after Democrats helped elect him as speaker in 2023 and Huffman decided to challenge Stephens for the top spot.
Before that, two House speakers left under the cloud of FBI investigations. (One was convicted of a pay-to-play scheme, while the other was never charged.) Two GOP speakers won the top job with help from Democrats − an unorthodox approach that infuriated fellow Republicans.
But Monday’s vote had none of that intrigue.
What can Ohioans expect from Huffman’s speakership? He backs school choice, including taxpayer-funded vouchers for children to attend private schools; lowering the state’s income tax; changing higher education, including eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs; tackling energy policy and limiting access to legal marijuana approved by voters in 2023.
In addition to Huffman, House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, was once again selected to lead fellow Democrats. Russo is one of several Democrats who could run for governor in 2026 when GOP Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited. Four Republicans voted against her leadership team.
“It is our responsibility to put people over politics whenever we can,” Russo told her colleagues. “Together, we can get more done for this state than we ever imagined.”
In the Ohio Senate, lawmakers officially picked Rob McColley, a Napoleon Republican, as Senate president for the next two years. He previously served as Senate majority leader and in the Ohio House.
“Ohio, I believe, is at a crossroads right now,” McColley told senators. “I believe that if we work together, our best days are in front of us.”
Democrat Nickie Antonio, of Lakewood, will continue to serve as Senate minority leader, the top Democratic role in that chamber.
Republicans will hold a veto-proof majority for the next two years with 65 of the 99 seats in the House and 24 of 33 seats in the Senate. The GOP also holds all but one statewide elected office.
Jessie Balmert covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
