Ohio Politics & News
Ohio news from The Daily Signal, covering state politics, voting law battles, industrial policy, and the Buckeye State’s pivotal role in national elections and conservative strategy.
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exclusive
AFP Action Continues to Fight for Sen. Jon Husted Ahead of Special Election in Ohio
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—With the midterms less than five months away, Americans for Prosperity Action is engaged in another ad campaign in support of Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, ahead of his special election. Husted, who was appointed to office by Gov. Mike DeWine in January 2025 to replace Vice President JD Vance, is facing… -
analysis
Is Project 2029 Democrats’ Revenge Tour 2.0?
Nationwide, Americans are struggling with affordability, public safety, and government waste—and Democrats’ big, bold solution is a revenge tour against President Donald Trump. During a Thursday on NewsNation’s “Katie Pavlich Tonight,” Daily Signal Senior Political and Legal Analyst Mehek Cooke argued that the Democratic Party’s new agenda, “Project 2029,” focuses more on opposing Trump than… -
news
Ohio Officials Testify Before Fraud Task Force
The House Oversight Committee task force, led by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, met on Wednesday to study Medicaid fraud in Ohio. Lawmakers heard from The Daily Wire’s Luke Rosiak, as well as Ohio Auditor Keith Faber and State Rep. Mike Dovilla. The hearing also saw a simple question from Gill nearly bring a Ohio lawmaker… -
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‘NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT’: Mehek Cooke Says Ohio Lacked the Political Will to Confront Medicaid Fraud
On Tuesday, Mehek Cooke, Daily Signal’s senior national security & legal analyst, testified at a hearing examining fraud within Ohio’s Medicaid system. This transcript of Cooke’s testimony has been slightly edited for clarity. Opening Statement Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify to strengthen Ohio’s Medicaid funding system so that we could prevent fraud. I… -
exclusive
EXCLUSIVE: Poll Shows Ohio Voters Support Voter ID Amendment
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—With this week’s passage of Senate Joint Resolution 10 in the state Senate, Ohioans are that much closer to voting on a ballot initiative this November that will enshrine photo voter ID into the state constitution. The passage of SJR 10, with the state House also set to vote on such… -
exclusive
DOJ FRAUD CHIEF: Fraudsters Should Fear a 6 A.M. Knock on the Door
In an exclusive interview, Daily Signal legal analyst Mehek Cooke discussed with Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald why the Justice Department launched its inaugural state partnership roundtable in Ohio, how data sharing could help investigators identify fraudsters who target multiple government programs, and why other states should join the effort. This transcript has been slightly… -
news
Ohio Auditor Praised for Anti-Fraud Efforts
As Ohio officials crack down on fraud, their hard work has not gone unnoticed. The State Financial Officers Foundation, in a recent update celebrating highlights from the month of May, touted the success of its spring meeting and praised state officials who are making government more efficient and less vulnerable to fraud. Among the officials… -
analysis
‘Most Stringent’ Voter ID Effort to Make Moves in Ohio
The Ohio Senate is expected to take up a vote in the coming days on a resolution that could produce one of the strongest voter ID laws in the country. “If this is passed by the voters, this will be the most stringent voter ID law in the country,” state Sen. Jane Timken, the sponsor… -
news
Group Calls on Cleveland to End Race-Based Contract Programs
The Center Square—A nonprofit, Ohio-based think tank is demanding that Cleveland end what the organization calls its race-based contracting programs, saying they are “unconstitutional and discriminatory.” “It has now been more than a year since the city of Cleveland publicly recognized that it must abandon its unconstitutional race-based programs,” David C. Tryon, director of litigation at the… -
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DeWine Announces Tax Exemption Pause on Data Centers
As lawmakers study the impact of data centers in Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday announced a pause in consideration of new tax exemptions for data centers. Despite the directive, DeWine’s statement praised data centers, including how they have contributed to Ohio’s success. “Data centers are a critical component to today’s technology-driven economy, which… -
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Dr. Oz Visits the Buckeye State, Discusses Fraud Focus
Officials have long promoted a partnership between state and federal governments, and that came to fruition this week as Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, visited the Buckeye State. While Ohio has seen updates at the state level on tackling childcare fraud, the issue of fraud remains a newsworthy… -
news
Childcare Fraud Bills See Updates From Ohio Legislature
A bill introduced in the Ohio General Assembly earlier this year is seeing changes as lawmakers craft how to deal with concerns about childcare centers. In January, Republican state Reps. Josh Williams and DJ Swearingen introduced House Bill 649, with the House Children and Human Services Committee continuing to review the bill. The bill requires… -
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Judicial Confirmation Hearing Has ‘You’re No Justice Jackson’ Moment
A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on whether to confirm former Ohio Solicitor General Benjamin Flowers to a vacancy on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals notably mentioned Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. During Wednesday’s hearing, Republican and Democrat members brought up the justice’s viewpoint on commenting on the 2020 election. In one of… -
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Where Does Sherrod Brown Stand on ICE?
As he seeks a comeback, former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, spoke with CNN about what another term of his would look like, sparking chatter about his stance on Immigration and Customs Enforcement. During the interview, CNN’s Manu Raju asked about the leftward shift of his party. “Since you left Washington, there are some issues in… -
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GOP Congress Goes After the ‘Ethnic Scam’ Crippling America
Republicans are discovering billions of taxpayers’ dollars going to waste, being spent fraudulently, and abused by American bureaucracy systems, specifically the welfare state. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, is leading the fraud investigations, rooted in immigration policy issues, in Congress. “A lot of this is being done by foreigners,” Gill said at a Republican Study Committee… -
opinion
Ohio’s Medicaid Fraud Bombshell: Whistleblowers Warned the State Months Ago—Officials Looked Away
This past December, whistleblowers came to me, and they started warning about what they believed to be massive Medicaid home health care fraud here in the state of Ohio. They weren’t just talking about a few bad claims. They were actually describing what they believed to be a systemic fraud pipeline right here in Columbus…. -
news
Ramaswamy, Ohio Republicans Address Fraud in Press Conference
In the wake of a recent investigative report from The Daily Wire’s Luke Rosiak on suspected Medicaid fraud in Columbus, Ohio, Republicans held a press conference on Tuesday to lay out their plans for tackling the issue. Rosiak also spoke, discussing his findings. As Rosiak recapped, Ohio has home health centers, a program allowing people… -
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Ramaswamy Calls for Voter ID Constitutional Amendment for Ohio
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is championing the effort to solidify voter ID in Ohio, calling for the requirement to be enshrined in the state constitution. “Ohio must enshrine voter ID in its constitution,” Ramaswamy wrote Monday morning for the Cincinnati Enquirer. Ramaswamy acknowledged that Ohio already has voter ID, but he said it needs stronger protection…. -
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Ohio Secretary LaRose Continues to Fend Off Dems on Voter Data
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose continues to defend his decision to send voter data to the federal government despite increased Democrat opposition. LaRose has been complying with a directive from the Trump administration’s Department of Justice to hand over statewide voter registration lists to identify and remove ineligible voters from the rolls. The data… -
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Bipartisan Committee to Study Ohio Data Centers
With data centers increasingly in the news—and increasingly contentious—a bipartisan committee in Ohio has been created to study the impact of these large facilities, both the benefits they could bring to residents of the Buckeye State as well as concerns. The Ohio Joint Data Center Committee, consisting of six Republicans and two Democrats from the…