Ohio Coalition Forms in Opposition to November Adult-Use Marijuana Ballot Initiative

A broad coalition of Ohio leaders has joined together in order to defeat an attempt by marijuana legalization activists to put an initiative to legalize the purchase and sale of marijuana by Ohio residents aged 21 and older on the ballot in November.

The initial coalition represents respected leaders across children’s health care, business, veterans, and law enforcement institutions including Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, Ohio Adolescent Health Association, Buckeye Sheriffs Association, Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, Ohio Veterans First, Veterans Court Watch, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, State Senator Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario), Former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, Phillips Tube Group CEO Angela Phillips, and Smart Approaches to Marijuana CEO Kevin A. Sabet Ph.D.

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Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou to Lead Ohio Republican Party

COLUMBUS, Ohio- The Ohio Republican Party has named Alex Triantafilou, longtime leader of the Hamilton County Republican Party, as its next chairman.

Following a vote Friday by the Ohio Republican Party’s Central Committee Triantafilou will replace Bob Paduchik who has led the state party since February 2021.

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Hamilton County GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou to Lead Ohio Republican Party

COLUMBUS, Ohio- The Ohio Republican Party has named Alex Triantafilou, longtime leader of the Hamilton County Republican Party, as its next chairman.

Following a vote Friday by the Ohio Republican Party’s Central Committee Triantafilou will replace Bob Paduchik who has led the state party since February 2021.

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Ohio Republican Party Chair Bob Paduchik Won’t Seek Re-Election

Ohio Republican Party (ORP) Chairman Bob Paduchik announced that he won’t seek reelection as state party chairman following a GOP sweep of statewide offices.

“I will not run for reelection for the chairmanship of the Ohio Republican Party. It is time for a new leader to take leadership of the party and I look forward to the January election of ORP officers,” Paduchik wrote in a letter to members of the Ohio Republican Party’s governing body.

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Renacci Blasts Paduchik for ‘Fake News’ About Campaign Loan

Ohio gubernatorial candidate and former U.S. Congressman Jim. Renacci (R) blasted Ohio Republican Party (ORP) Chairman Bob Paduchik, who falsely accused him of repaying a $4 million loan given to his own campaign. 

“The Ohio Republican Party Chairman needs an accounting lesson. Four minus four plus four equals four. No wonder the ORP’s books are a mess,” Renacci said. “The establishment knows we are going to win this election and are resorting to low fake news attacks in the final days to try to distract from all of DeWine’s failures.” 

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Strongsville GOP Leader: Why We Are Backing ‘Reliable Conservative’ Josh Mandel for Senate

The leader of the Strongsville GOP, Ohio’s largest grassroots Republican organization, told The Ohio Star why he, and his group, are backing former state treasurer Joshua A. Mandel in the fight for the Republican Senate nomination.

“We had our endorsement meeting last month, and we had more than 150 members in attendance, and overwhelmingly we voted to endorse Josh Mandel,” said Shannon Burns, the president of the Strongsville GOP and a member of the Ohio Republican Party’s Central Committee.

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Timken Endorsers Silent on Her Alleged Mismanagement of Ohio Republican Party Funds

Jane Timken For U.S. Senate

Three U.S. Senators who this week endorsed Ohio Republican candidate Jane Timken for U.S. Senate are silent after The Ohio Star reached out to ask about Timken’s alleged mismanagement of Ohio Republican Party (ORP) funds. 

Tuesday, Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) endorsed Timken in the hotly contested primary race that includes candidates J.D. Vance, Mike Gibbons and Josh Mandel. 

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Ohio Senate Candidate J.D. Vance Slams Proponents of Intervention in Ukraine

Noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “an evil man,” U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance Tuesday slammed proponents of U.S. intervention in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. 

“The media and political elites are seething at me because I uttered aloud what everyone deep down knows is true: that the Russia-Ukraine border dispute has nothing to do with our national security, no American interest is served by our intervention, and that the obsession with Ukraine from our idiot leaders serves no function except to distract us from our actual problems,” Vance said in a press release. 

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Senator Rob Portman, Kellyanne Conway Endorse Jane Timken in Ohio U.S. Senate Race

Former Ohio GOP Chair Jane Timken’s campaign for U.S. Senate has gained momentum, as Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway have endorsed the candidate.

Portman, whose seat Timken is running for, detailed that she was the best candidate to win the general election in November, a crucial seat for Republicans to gain control of the chamber.

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New Poll: Mike Gibbons Leading Race for Ohio GOP Nomination for U.S. Senate

Mike Gibbons, a Republican businessman and candidate for U.S. Senate, is in the lead for the GOP nomination, according to a new poll.

The survey, conducted by polling firm Cygnal, demonstrates that Gibbons, who sits at 16 percent, holds a 3 percent lead over the next closest opponent—former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel.

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Attorney Running for Ohio House Suing State GOP for ‘Corruption’

A Republican candidate for the State House of Representatives in District 98 is suing the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) for what he says is corruption.

“I’m the new attorney for a group of State committee members trying to end the corruption in the Ohio Republican Party,” Scott Pullins, of Pullins Law Firm in Mt. Vernon told The Ohio Star.

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Ohio Senate Candidate Tim Ryan Moves Further Leftward, Attacks Manchin and Sinema over Filibuster

Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), who is running for U.S. Senate, moved further leftward, opting to attack moderate Senators Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) for their support of the filibuster.

The two Democrats chose to stand up to their party, who attempted to gut the 60-vote threshold required for certain pieces of legislation.

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New Poll Shows Mandel as Republican Frontrunner in Senate Contest, with Vance, Gibbons and Timken Battling for Second

A new poll, conducted by the Trafalgar Group, showed that Josh Mandel is leading the crowded field seeking the Republican nomination to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate.

However, JD Vance, Mike Gibbons, and Jane Timken are all within striking distance of the frontrunner, as the trio battles for second place.

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Ohio Senate Candidate Shifts Gears to Education Reform After Youngkin Win

After Republican Glenn Youngkin won Virginia’s gubernatorial race on the back of conservative parents who protested the liberal indoctrination of their children in public schools, other Republican candidates for office are taking notice. 

Jane Timken, a GOP candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, is among them. 

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GOP Senate Candidate Timken’s Leadership PAC Backed 21 Ohio School Board Winners Among 43 Funded Candidates

Republican primary candidate for U.S. Senate Jane Timken said her political action committee (PAC)’s support for supporting conservative candidates for Ohio school boards helped 21 candidates win seats at the November 2 ballot boxes across the state.

Her Jobs for A New Economy Political Action Committee supported 43 school board candidates throughout the state this fall with donations as well as providing field support, robocalls and text messaging assistance in the weeks and days leading up to the election.

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U.S. Senate Candidates Timken, Ryan Unveil Third Quarter U.S. Senate Fundraising Ahead of October 15 Deadline

U.S. Senate candidates Jane Timken and U.S. Representative Tim Ryan offered a peak into their third quarter fundraising efforts this week ahead of the formal Oct. 15 deadline.

Jane Timken, the former Ohio Republican Party chairwoman, announced raising $1.7 million from about 1,200 donors during the quarter ended Sept. 30, leaving her with $3.1 million cash on hand in the race against six other announced candidates for the GOP nomination to replace outgoing U.S. Senator Rob Portman, R-OH.

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Ohio GOP Committee’s Bainbridge Charges Ex-Chair Timken with Mismanagement, Conflict Amid ‘Financial Trainwreck’

A leader of the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee’s reform caucus has offered more details regarding the poor integrity of the state GOP’s financial records and practices as well as a warning to fellow members in a recent letter sent to the Committee’s 66 members.

The latest salvo from Mark Bainbridge, a District 16 SCC member from suburban Columbus, specifically calls out U.S. Senate candidate and former ORP Chairwoman Jane Timken for failing to put in place internal financial controls and practices necessary during her tenure and what he considers a conflict of interest in the selection of an auditor for the party books earlier this year.

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Josh Mandel Campaign Releases Ohio Senate Poll with Him Still Heading GOP Pack

Josh Mandel

Former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel’s polling has him remaining at the head of the pack among Republicans vying for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate.

The poll also shows venture capitalist and “Hillbilly Elogy” author J.D. Vance still well behind in second place and Cleveland businessman Mike Gibbons edging out former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken.

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Ohio General Assembly Veteran Joins Crowded GOP Race for U.S. Senator Portman Seat

A suburban Cleveland state lawmaker has become the latest Republican to join the crowded GOP field seeking the nomination to replace retiring U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio.)
Ohio Senator Matt Dolan, R24-Chagrin Fall, a three-term Ohio House member term-limted from seeking re-election to the state senate, jumped into the race with three high-profile contenders and several others lesser know candidates mounting some level of challenge as the national GOP attempts to wrest control of the upper chamber of Congress in the mid-term elections.

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Ohio Senate Candidate Jane Timken Pledges Support of Constitutional Amendment Against ‘Court-Packing’ in Wake of SCOTUS Abortion Ruling

U.S. Senate contender Jane Timken has formally signed onto efforts in support of  a constitutional amendment to keep the number of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court at nine  as the political left again attempt to expand the court’s membership.

Timken’s statement follows the recent U.S. Supreme Court “shadow docket” ruling not to immediately block a Texas law restricting abortion to the first six weeks has revived calls from political progressives to put more justices on the court beyond the nine set by tradition since 1869. The so-called “court packing” tactic first threatened in the 1930s New Deal era gained favor among the political left a few years ago as former President Donald Trump place three conservative/libertarian justices on the court.

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Ohio U.S. Senate Hopeful Timken Joins Calls for Biden to Resign, Adds Sacking of Secretaries of State, Defense and Joint Chiefs Chair

U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken joined several Republicans calling for President Joe Biden to resign in the aftermath of the chaotic withdrawal of American troops and diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan.

U.S. Representative Jeff Van Drew, (R-NJ-2) began the call for Biden’s resignation Sunday evening as video streaming from broadcast news outlets showed Afghanis crowding U.S military air transports, desperate to leave with the fall of the Afghani capital of Kabul as well as provincial capitals to the extreme Islamists known as the Taliban.

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GOP Senate Candidate Mike Gibbons Calls for Resignation of President Biden After Fall of Afghanistan

The rapid collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban and miscalculations during the disorderly withdrawal of American Troops has led U.S. Senate candidate Mike Gibbons to call for the resignation of President Biden.

Congressional Republicans from Ohio also joined the widespread condemnation of the Biden administration’s poor handling of the withdrawal of American troops nearly 20 years after President George W. Bush directed the invasion of the west Asian country in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2011 terror attacks by Islamic extremists trained in that west-central Asian country.

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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem Endorses Jane Timken in Ohio Senate GOP Primary

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) on Tuesday endorsed former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken in the crowded GOP primary for U.S. Senate. 

“I am proud to endorse Jane Timken for the United States Senate. I saw firsthand Jane’s leadership skills when she served as the first female Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) and delivered the State of Ohio for President Trump by substantial margins in 2020,” Noem told Fox News when announcing the endorsement.

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Ex-GOP Chair, U.S. Senate Candidate Jane Timken Dodges Questions in Ohio GOP Accounting Mess

Jane Timken For U.S. Senate

  U.S. Senate Candidate Jane Timken has refused to answer questions about the health of Ohio Republican Party’s financial records during her tenure as the chairwoman of the State Central Committee. Revelations of pressure within the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) to clean up the organization’s accounting practices and its leadership’s…

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Ohio GOP Central Committee Members Challenge Chairman Paduchik on $638k Write-Off in 2021 and $1.7 Million Deduction to Equity in 2017

Lingering accounting issues dating back at least four years have pitted three members of the Ohio Republican Party’s Central Committee against Ohio Republican Party (ORP) Chairman Robert Paduchik over the scope of the ongoing audit of the ORP’s financial records – the first complete audit of the party’s finances in at least 16 years.

The Ohio Star has obtained internal emails exchanged between three of the Ohio Republican Party Central Committee 66 members – Audit Committee member Laura Rosenberger and Fiscal Review Committee members Mark Bainbridge and Denise Verdi – and Chairman Paduchik that discuss the need to improve the financial reporting practices of the ORP to accounting industry and government regulatory reporting standards, starting with an expansion of the years covered by a standard audit just now getting underway.

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Author and Investor J.D. Vance Officially Enters Crowded Ohio GOP Senate Primary

J.D. Vance, bestselling author and investor, officially launched his campaign on Thursday for the U.S. Senate, joining an already crowded and growing field.

“You have leaders of this country, in government and in business, who don’t think they owe anything to the country that made them who they are,” Vance said to a crowd of supporters. 

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Trump Rally Crowd Boos Ohio Senate Candidate Jane Timken

At his rally in Wellington, Ohio, former President Donald Trump took an informal, impromptu poll of the support for each declared U.S. Senate candidate running for the seat being vacated by Senator Rob Portman (R-OH).

As Trump listed the names of the four candidates, the attendees responded with various levels of cheers to demonstrate their support. However, former Ohio GOP chairwoman Jane Timken’s name was met with boos from supporters of President Trump.

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Ohio Senate Candidate Jane Timken Angers Trump Allies with Picture Appearing to Claim Endorsement

Jane Timken, U.S. Senate Candidate and former Ohio GOP Chairman, angered individuals close to former President Donald Trump when her campaign placed a picture of her and Trump together under the “Endorsements” section of her website.

The picture, which was taken down after receiving media attention, appeared as though Timken was claiming an endorsement from the powerful figure in Republican politics. However, Trump has not endorsed Timken nor weighed in on the race at any level. 

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Ohio GOP Meets Friday to Decide on New Members, Term Limits, and Whether to Censure Pro-Impeachment Lawmakers

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Members of the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee (SCC) are scheduled to meet Friday to determine if the party will censure Republican lawmakers who voted in January to impeach President Trump, elect two State Central Committee Members, and to vote on an initiative that would extend the term limit from two years to four.

According to one central committee member the initial intent was to censure U.S. Congressman Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16) for his impeachment vote but the effort has been “watered down” to include broader language that shifts the focus from Gonzalez and includes all GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach.

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EXCLUSIVE: Mike Gibbons Tells The Ohio Star Why He’s the Best Candidate for the U.S. Senate Job

Mike Gibbons announced Tuesday that he will run for the Ohio seat in the U.S. Senate up for grabs in 2022. A Cleveland Republican, Gibbons is an investment banker, entrepreneur and real estate investor who made his first bid for U.S Senate in 2018 when he competed in the Republican primary.
The Ohio Star talked with Gibbons Tuesday morning shortly after he announced his candidacy. His full press release can be viewed below.
“I’ve got five kids and five grandkids. I’ve never been more frightened for their future in my life,” Gibbons responded when asked why he’s running. “When I started, I didn’t know I’d do as well as I have. We were able to send our kids through college and grad school without loans – I started with nothing.”

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Commentary: Ohio U.S. Senate Candidate’s Insider Record Clashes with Her Trump-Supporting Rhetoric

The antics of the Democratic Party make it easy to lose sight of other enemies, especially those standing right beside us. The fog of political war conceals not only the foes in the field but also fake allies. Jane Timken’s case is illustrative.

Timken recently announced her plan to run for the Senate in 2022, following incumbent Ohio Republican Rob Portman’s recent decision not to seek reelection. She served as vice chairwoman of the Stark County Republican Party until becoming the first female chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party in 2017. Timken resigned in February when Portman’s retirement presented her with a possible path to the Senate. High-profile praise from a few people in Donald Trump’s orbit has already come her way. 

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Clevelander Mike Gibbons Announces Statewide Listening Tour in Potential Preparation for Run at U.S. Senate

Monday morning Cleveland businessman and 2018 U.S. Senate candidate Mike Gibbons announced a statewide tour during which he will listen to what Ohio voters have to say as he considers a run for office in 2022.

“This listening tour will allow me the opportunity to meet directly with the voters who understand that we can’t afford to send another politician or party insider to Washington. We need to send someone with a business background, who will fight for working-class Ohioans, who’s unafraid to stand up to his own party and who will always tell the truth,” said Gibbons.

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Again: US Senate Hopeful Jane Timken Changes Opinion on Impeachment Vote, Gets GOP Backlash

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Monday U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken called for U.S. Representative Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16) to resign.

“It is clear Congressman Gonzalez’s wrongful decision to vote with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to impeach President Trump has undermined his ability to effectively represent the people of the 16th District,” Timken wrote in her statement.

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The Ohio Republican Party Chooses Its Next Leader Friday

The Ohio Republican Party (ORP) will select its next leader Friday when the State Central Committee (SCC) members cast their votes for chairman.

SCC members will meet in person at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center or join the meeting virtually. The SCC currently has 65 members who are eligible to vote as opposed to their traditional roster of 66 – one seat is vacant. The Ohio GOP leader will be decided by a simple majority vote.

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Former State Rep Who Brought Impeachment Against DeWine Announces Run for Ohio GOP Chair

Friday, former Ohio lawmaker John Becker, who represented Ohioans from House District 65 between 2013-2020, announced his candidacy for Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party (ORP).

The top spot in the Ohio GOP is open after former Chairwoman Jane Timken announced her resignation on February 5 to run for the U.S. Senate.

The Southwestern Ohio Republican declared his candidacy in a letter to the ORP State Central Committee that contained his resume.

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In Announcement for U.S. Senate Bid Timken Untangles from Kasich, Binds to Trump

Jane Timken, former chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party (ORP), announced Thursday she will seek the 2022 Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat that is currently occupied by Republican Rob Portman who announced last month he will retire from federal politics at the end of his current term.

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Josh Mandel Announces Another Ohio Senate Run: ‘Sham Impeachment Has Made My Blood Boil’

The Ohio Star reported last week on the strong possibility of a Josh Mandel run for the U.S. Senate Seat vacated by Republican Rob Portman.

Wednesday morning Mandel confirmed – he’s in.

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Timken Leaves Ohio GOP Chairmanship for Likely Run at U.S. Senate

  COLUMBUS, Ohio – Jane Timken announced Friday her immediate resignation as Chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party (ORP).  The message came during a spur of the moment meeting of the Ohio Republican Central Committee during which Timken did not say whether she was leaving to pursue a seat in…

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Ohio GOP List of Replacements for Sen. Portman Long but Narrowing

Rob Portman’s U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs after the establishment Republican announced he would not run for re-election in 2022. Portman cited gridlock and more time with family as primary reasons driving his decision to step away from federal politics – ending his 33 year career since his first political job as a legal aid to President George H.W. Bush in 1989.

Following the announcement, the Ohio rumor mill swirled with talk about many prospective Republican replacements.

Jim Jordan (R-OH-4) is a strong Trump advocate and member of the House Freedom Caucus who has represented Ohio in D.C. since 2007. His spokesperson said the congressman was honored by the overwhelming support to run for U.S. Senate but is solely focused on representing Ohio’s Fourth District and would not be running.

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Ohio Elections Chief Okay’s Drop Boxes Inside, Outside Boards

Ohio’s secretary of state adjusted his one-box-per-county restriction Monday to say counties may collect absentee ballots both at their buildings and at locations outside, an update to an order that has landed him in both state and federal court.

Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose characterized his revised order as a “clarification” in a case that has highlighted the interest in access to ballot drop boxes amid coronavirus concerns, cuts at the U.S. Postal Service and President Donald Trump’s baseless assertions that mail-in voting is rigged.

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‘Patently Absurd:’ Governor DeWine’s Office Says of Ohio State Rep. Becker’s 10 Criminal Charges Against the Republican Governor

Ohio State Representative John Becker (R-Union Township, Clermont County) filed a Private Citizen Affidavit announcing 10 criminal charges against Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine Monday.

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Timken, FirstEnergy Helped Householder Achieve His Dream of Regaining Position as Speaker

FirstEnergy donated generously to Mike DeWine, his son Patrick DeWine, Larry Householder, who wanted to become House speaker for the second time in his life, as well as the Ohio Republican Party, as our special series shows.

FirstEnergy, as well as Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, helped Householder achieve his dream in January 2019. His first time as speaker was 2001-2004.

Householder, according to a story by cleveland.com, recruited a group of candidates for the House’s 2018 election who would need his help to gain office, the newspaper said, citing a federal charging document.

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DeWine, Timken, Householder Learn the Art of Funneling Donations Through Ohio Republican Party

The Dayton Daily News in January 2014 reported on allegations of pay-to-play in Attorney General DeWine’s office concerning an advisory panel.

His calendar shows he met frequently with (now deceased) Alex Arshinkoff, a lobbyist and the chairman of Summit County Republican Party who represented four companies doing business with DeWine’s office.

DeWine was not the only Ohio Republican engaging in pay-to-play. Indeed, previous news reports and public records show the Ohio Republican Party funneled money to DeWine and now disgraced former House Speaker Larry Householder from such donors as FirstEnergy.

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Data Shows Long History of Pay-to-Play Among Ohio Republican Party, DeWine, Householder and FirstEnergy

Mike DeWine, as former Ohio attorney general, often awarded no-bid contracts to lawyers and collections agencies to do state work. Many of those chosen vendors also happened to be his campaign donors.

The Dayton Daily News in July 2014 reported on the connections between Attorney General DeWine’s awarding of collections contracts to vendors who also just happened to be campaign donors.

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Leading Ohio Republicans Ask Larry Householder to Resign After His Recent FBI Arrest

Leading Ohio Republicans have called on Speaker of the House Larry Householder (R-Glenford) to resign after his recent arrest for allegedly participating in a $60 million bribery scheme.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested Householder along with Matt Borges, the former Ohio Republican Party chairman; Jeffrey Longstreth, a longtime political strategist for Householder; Neil Clark, the former budget director for the Ohio Republican Caucus; and Juan Cespedes, a Columbus lobbyist.

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President Trump Endorses Christina Hagan in Her Bid to Unseat U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan in 13th Congressional District

President Donald Trump has set his sights on one of Ohio’s big races — former State Rep. Christina Hagan’s bid to defeat U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13).

Trump on Friday tweeted his support for Hagan.

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Ohio Republican Party Frays, Leadership Falters As 2020 Election Heats Up

  Is Jane Timken the leader the Ohio State Republican Party needs to help President Donald Trump win re-election when her party seems to be engaged in a civil war? The stakes are high in the Buckeye State. Trump and Biden are locked in a dead heat, according to a…

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2019 Was the Slowest Year for New Jobs in Ohio in a Decade, Economist Says

An economic expert says Ohio’s latest unemployment data show 2019 was the slowest year for new jobs in a decade — and the state lagged behind the nation in creating new jobs.

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