Ohio Politics Explained

A USA TODAY Network Ohio investigation found at least 219 people died in county jails over four years. Where is the system falling short?

We discuss President Joe Biden's ballot status, a new plan to tweak the recreational marijuana law, why Republicans want to crack down on foreign campaign money and how some lawmakers want to change private school standards.

This week, we discuss chaos in Ohio's teacher pension system, a new challenge to Ohio abortion restrictions, why J.D. Vance ended up on Donald Trump's VP shortlist and how an obscure law could penalize student protesters.

We discuss President Joe Biden's status on the November ballot, a bill to limit cell phone use in schools, how one lawmaker wants to combat antisemitism and why Ohio doesn't require dark money disclosures.

We discuss the politics of campus protests, a new proposal to raise the minimum wage, what marijuana rescheduling means for Ohio and how lawmakers changed a controversial parents' rights bill.

We discuss the latest in the Biden ballot debacle, a key ruling in the lawsuit over Ohio's ban on gender-affirming care for minors, how Gov. Mike DeWine wants to solve the child care crisis and why marijuana sales could start sooner than expected.

This week we discuss how former PUCO chairman Sam Randazzo has died by suspected suicide, how FirstEnergy gave $1 M in donations through dark money groups to back Jon Husted, and how Ohio House GOP votes to take control of House campaign funds. Finally, we talk about how President Joe Biden won’t make it on the November Ohio ballot unless state law is changed and recap the key takeaways from Gov. Mike DeWine’s State of the State address.

We discuss the latest lawsuit over abortion access, a new bill to deal with parking payments, why marijuana users can't smoke in public and how Sam Randazzo's Christmas costume ended up in court filings.

We discuss new charges against former House Speaker Larry Householder, shoot houses for armed school employees, double-dipping in the Medicaid program and a lawsuit over Ohio's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

We dissect the results from Ohio's 2024 primary and what lies ahead for the November general election.

This week, we discuss the last days of Ohio's Senate primary, a proposed ballot issue to raise the minimum wage, why Gov. Mike DeWine wants to limit cell phones in schools and what state officials are saying about the solar eclipse.

This week, we discuss the latest Republican U.S. Senate debate, what the governor’s adviser knew about a payment to Sam Randazzo, why a Republican dropped out of an Ohio congressional race and how a state Supreme Court decision could affect college students.

Ohio is no longer the presidential battleground it once was. What does that mean for 2024?

We break down the key races on the March 19 primary ballot, from the Republican U.S. Senate race to contentious Ohio House primaries.

This week, we discuss Larry Householder's appeal, which companies get to frack under Ohio parks, why Donald Trump Jr. visited Butler County and how Republicans want to change campaign finance laws.

This week, we discuss the big issues in Ohio's U.S. Senate race, who's running in the Ohio Supreme Court primary and why closed-door deals are a problem in the House Bill 6 case.

USA Today Network Ohio Bureau Chief Anthony Shoemaker speaks with politics reporter Laura Bischoff on the latest episode of the Ohio Politics Explained podcast. During this edition we discuss new charges in Ohio’s largest public corruption case HB 6, how Ohioans who worked from home during COVID are not eligible for a tax refund, discuss how a social media law was put on hold, and what state parks have planned for the upcoming April eclipse.

This week, we discuss $350 million in state spending, why fracking bids are kept secret, how lawmakers are dealing with property tax woes and the latest in a fight over the teachers' pension board.

We discuss a new death penalty proposal, how Ohio wants to make school buses safer, why liberal groups are funding redistricting reform and what's holding up rail safety a year after the East Palestine derailment.

This week, we break down Ohio's first Republican Senate debate, a proposed plan to get rid of state income taxes and two veto overrides that set new laws on tobacco and transgender health care.