What you need to know about Ohio Politics and Policy
Nova Dugan-Mezensky · January 17, 2025
Columbus, OH – 1.17.25 – Today, Innovation Ohio expresses profound concern following Gov. DeWine’s announcement of Jon Husted to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat. This decision underscores a continued alignment with corporate price-gougers and further political division that threatens the well-being of Ohioans. Raising significant concerns about the direction Senator Husted would take Ohio and our nation.
“For Americans who may not know Jon Husted, allow an Ohioan to tell you all about him” – Nick Tuell, Senior Communication Director at Innovation Ohio. “Husted is backed by big businesses that price-gouge us at the supermarket and at the gas pump, while they post record profits. As Ohio House Speaker, Husted eliminated taxes for corporations at the expense of higher sales taxes on our everyday goods. Jon Husted is a career politician who always backs his big business pals over Ohio working families. He doesn’t care about us, he is only looking out for himself.”
Texts revealed that Husted lobbied for the passage of HB6, a government bailout for FirstEnergy which later revealed to be a pay-to-play bribery scandal orchestrated by former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder. Householder was found guilty of racketeering and is currently serving a 20 year sentence in federal prison. The company involved, FirstEnergy, secretly sent $1 million to support Husted’s failed gubernatorial campaign. Today, two 2 former FirstEnergy executives were indicted on related racketeering charges.
Innovation Ohio will continue to advocate for policies that reflect the values of inclusivity and progress. We urge all Ohioans to critically evaluate the implications of this Senate selection.