COLUMBUS, Ohio — After two years of bitter Republican infighting, Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens has decided not to seek reelection to one of the highest posts in the state.
In a sudden press conference Monday afternoon, Stephens explained that he is taking himself out of the race for speaker.
"I have done what I said I would do," Stephens said. "Ohio is definitely in a better place because of the leadership of the People's House."
The internal GOP speakership vote is set to take place on Wednesday.
"While I will attend, I will not have my name placed in nomination as a candidate for speaker during the Wednesday caucus," Stephens said. "I am honored and look forward to continuing to serve the great constituents of the beautiful 93rd District of Ohio as state representative; I will keep working hard to stand for a strong economy that cares for both the young and the old, that supports our schools and our children's education, and ensures we have a government that has run responsibly, efficiently and with accountability."
He started the press conference by talking about the accomplishments he and the House accomplished, including a historic budget, transportation for workers, tax cuts and record funding for public education.
"There are so many opportunities in the future to serve the people of Ohio when these are your core values, and I look forward to what the future may hold," the speaker said.
Stephen's type of conservative ideology will be missed by many House Democrats, as he emphasized bipartisan legislation.
Stephens supports public school funding, union rights and following what the voters chose in the November election on abortion and marijuana. Stephens does support the private school voucher system to an extent but wants to fully fund public education. He also does not want to overhaul the college education system and didn't think the Aug. special election was a good idea. He has tried to protect against other "anti-Democratic" proposals that the Senate has sent to the House, such as making it more difficult for citizens to get issues on their local ballot. He is interested in lowering taxes but has not said anything about completely repealing the income tax, just that he supports a flat tax.
"I want to thank Speaker Stephens for his service during this General Assembly," House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said. "While we didn’t always see eye to eye, he was a trustworthy, respectful colleague. I look forward to working with him and the Majority Caucus in the next General Assembly finding bipartisan solutions to improve people’s lives."
What happened to prompt this?
This drama stems from January 2023 and how Stephens came to power. The Republican caucus had previously chosen state Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) as speaker months before the full House floor vote.
Twenty-two Republicans (known "affectionately" by the other faction as the "Blue 22") and 32 Democrats voted for Stephens for speaker during the actual vote, while the majority of Republicans voted for Merrin. Stephens, still a conservative, is significantly more moderate than Merrin — he is also more moderate than Huffman.
CLICK HERE to read more in-depth about the Republican infighting.
This led to the "Blue 22" being censured by the Ohio Republican Party and competitive, aggressive primary elections.
RELATED: Analysis: How GOP infighting is causing messy primaries, but the speaker could keep the gavel
What this means
This Wednesday, the House GOP caucus will be choosing their next speaker. One confirmed candidate is current Senate President Matt Huffman, who is moving over to the House due to term limits. There will likely be another competitor, one that Stephens supports, who will be either a proxy or a way not to have Huffman's eight-year speakership.
Who will Stephens vote for?
"We'll see what happens in the next 48 hours," he said. "I'm sure there will be a lot of people who are interested in running for speaker. As far as I'm concerned, this really resets the entire race — it's really a new speakers race."
The race between Stephens and Huffman was considered one of the most interesting political battles in Ohio, as the result would have determined the state's conservative ideology.
RELATED: The most interesting ideological political battle in Ohio is between ... 2 Republicans
Huffman would be a very different leader than Stephens. He is very focused on legislation around the private school voucher system. Also, he would likely eliminate the income tax, which could double the sales tax. He wants to crack down on unions. Huffman wants to change universities to prevent so-called liberal bias and supported the August special election from the beginning, even suggesting that the amendment to raise the threshold could be made on a future ballot. His leadership team has said that voters didn't actually know what they were voting for when they legalized marijuana, so they should be able to change the policy.
"I do have a resume of things that I've done in the legislature, and most recently with Issue 1," Huffman said last week. "I'm going to be sending that out to the members for their review."
The attorney has been the leader of the Senate — ruling effectively — for four years. He believes he can unify the Republicans.
"It's difficult, when, in effect, you have three caucuses... When it's two sides versus three in contentious issues, it's easier to get to a conclusion," he said.
I reached out to Huffman's team, but they declined to comment since it was a "House matter."
Other than Huffman, several other names have been floated.
Dozens of House lawmakers I spoke to say they are supporting State Rep. Tim Barhorst (R-Fort Loramie).
"I've kind of grown up in a place where if you can't find somebody to help you, you got to put your name out there — then be a leader," Barhorst told me.
Barhorst is an insurance agent from rural West Central Ohio. He has had successful bipartisan legislation, like providing more transparency on hospital prices. He is a freshman this General Assembly. Unlike the Senate, he won’t rule with an “iron fist,” he said.
"We're gonna be a member-up organization, and our caucus has to find that equilibrium where the policy is," he continued. "I'm going to be more of an open-minded speaker with conversations ongoing with everyone."
Taking some shots at Huffman, he said the other chamber hasn't really "stood" anywhere when it comes from a policy standpoint. He also said he won't just unilaterally stop legislation.
"I think I can bring value here because we have a lot of people that have a lot of stuff stopped over there and bills killed," he said. "I think there is more than my opponent will think is out there."
Other than the two frontrunners, state Rep. Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) has been interested in the position for a while. State Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) said he has been asked by colleagues and "isn't ruling it out."
Stephens won’t say who he and his supporters are backing, but due to his animosity toward Huffman, it likely won't be the president.
"This really resets the entire race," Stephens said. "It's really a new speaker's race."
How do the Democrats weigh in?
Huffman has been speaking with Democrats and plans to have a good relationship with the entire chamber, referencing how he works in a bipartisan way with Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood).
“I'm this president of the Senate for 33 members, not just the folks in my caucus,” Huffman said back in March. “If a state senator needs something, I'm gonna do it for them.”
Barhorst is focusing on gaining the coalition of House Republicans now but plans to collaborate with the Dems — as he has on a couple of bills.
"I think if we can do this together as a caucus, we can then work with the Democrats, after we're unified, on bipartisan policy," Barhorst said.
Retribution?
I asked Stephens if he was worried that a new speaker might retaliate against him for his ability to gain speakership in 2023.
"I don't worry about much," he laughed.
I followed up by asking if he was worried about the people who supported him originally. He said no but threw shots at Huffman.
"The people who support me and continue to support me, they do so because they choose to — I don't force people, I don't threaten, I don't engage in any of those kind of things," Stephens said. "I think that is why we've had such a successful General Assembly because we can listen to all sides of all opinions.
He added that even within the caucus, there are diverse opinions.
"I think good leadership listens to that and is able to act upon it and where the majority goes," he said. "That's my leadership style, and I think that's why we've been successful this G.A."
The House GOP vote takes place during caucus on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
"We'll see what kind of leadership style is successful as we have this brand new speakers race over the next 48 hours," the speaker said.
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