COLUMBUS, Ohio — Come January, new lawmakers will be at the head of both chambers in the Ohio Statehouse.

What You Need To Know

  • Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) pulled his name out of the running to remain as the majority party leader in the chamber

  • Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and State Rep. (R-Ft. Loramie) are among the legislators being considered for the position

  • The House Republican caucus will hold a private meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday to determine the party's nominee for speaker, a formal vote will not take place until the next general assembly begins in January

State Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) will be sworn in as part of the Ohio House of Representatives next general assembly, and current House Speaker Jason Stephens pulled his name from remaining as the majority party leader in the chamber.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday members of the Republican caucus will hold a closed-door meeting to come to a consensus on who they want to nominate as their choice for next speaker of the Ohio House.

It’s an informal process that did not work out as the caucus planed two years ago, when the party’s nominee State Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Twp.) lost his speakership bid to Stephens, who won the position thanks to the support of democratic representatives. The move caused a split in the caucus and infighting, that University of Cincinnati Political Science Professor David Niven said prevented the legislature from passing bills.

“And it wasn’t even so much that they fundamentally disagreed, they just had personality conflicts and they didn’t have the exact same priority list,” Niven said. “So it wasn’t like one side was pushing in this direction, the other in the other.”

Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said she is disappointed Stephens will not be returning to the position, but is looking forward to continuing to work with him as a rank-and-file member.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Speaker Stephens,” Russo said. “He and I don’t agree on everything, but we’ve had a good working relationship that has been built on mutual respect and lots of communication.”

When asked after last week’s Ohio Senate session about his chances for the chamber’s top spot, Senate President Matt Huffman said he was sending his resume to caucus members for their review.

“It’s a private meeting,” Huffman said. “No one’s supposed to talk about what is said and what is not said. Including before you say it.”

But first-term State Rep. Tim Barnhorst (R-Ft. Loramie) declared his intent to seek the speakership in a statement Tuesday:

“One month ago, I would have never imagined that I would write this, but I am now extremely certain it is a statement that I need to compose. Today, I’m announcing that I will seek to become the next Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. It is clear the good voters of Ohio want a Speaker that will stand with the grassroots of Ohio and promote the Trump agenda. I do not believe that will occur unless I run in the Republican Caucus as a candidate for Speaker. 

The last two years have, unfortunately, been marked with animosity and political posturing within the Ohio House. There have been expensive primaries and lawsuits. Many members felt torn between various individuals seeking to be the leader of the House Chamber. Most of them felt caught in the middle. That will end. My supporters believe that I am the candidate that can unite the Republican caucus and bring everyone together to heal this divide. Most importantly, we will unite around the America-First policies that propelled President Trump to a historic victory.

We have seen far too many bills die, languish, or get gutted after passing the Ohio House. This is not acceptable and under my leadership, we will always pass good legislation that support the people of Ohio regardless of who sponsors them, or which special interest group opposes them.

I am convinced many of my colleagues believe that it is inevitable a certain candidate in this race will win, and it will be better for them to be on his team.  However, I believe it is better for all of us to stand by our convictions.   I believe it is better for Ohio when this House votes our collective conscience instead of doing so out of fear and obligation. 

I encourage all my colleagues to search their hearts and decide what direction we want the Ohio House to go. We can either have a Speaker that stands against medical freedom and much of Trump’s agenda, or we can have a Speaker that will stand with our President and the grassroot voters of our State.

Our constituents desire a change, and it is clear to me they want a Speaker that will promote an American First agenda in our State.  I promise you that I will be that leader.”

Niven said the speakership title may bring with it the chance to make more of an impact this upcoming session than in the past, as we enter the final two years of Gov. Mike DeWine’s (R-Ohio) political career.

“So when you think about who’s running state government, you could make a very good argument that the leader of the state House will be one of the few, if not the most significant voices in running Ohio for the next two years,” he said.