Ohio Supreme Court rejects fourth Ohio state legislative map: Capitol Letter

Round 5, anyone? The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected yet another set of state legislative maps. As Andrew Tobias writes, the latest ruling came down Thursday with the court majority giving the Ohio Redistricting Commission until May 6 to pass new maps. The new deadline extends past an April 20 deadline by which federal judges have signaled they might take over the process if Ohio doesn’t approve its own state legislative map. Notably, the Ohio Supreme Court majority, with Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor joining the three Democratic justices, gave the redistricting commission about three weeks to draw a new plan, compared to the 10 days it had in more recent orders.

Classroom antics: If you’ve wondered what state lawmakers want to do in your kids’ schools, Laura Hancock provides an exhaustive look at dozens of bills waiting to pass in the Ohio General Assembly. They cover a variety of topics – some controversial and some not – from dictating how racism is taught in history and current events to increasing the tax deduction teachers can claim for buying classroom supplies.

Ad-Vance-d placement: Republican Senate hopeful J.D. Vance may be in for a big electoral bump soon, with NBC News’ Marc Caputo reporting that former President Donald Trump is planning to endorse Vance in the race. The move would do much to shed some of the former heavy critiques he launched against Trump, such as saying he was considering voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, which have dogged Vance throughout the election.

Free Ohio ain’t free: The dark-money group Free Ohio, which has spent nearly $778,000 on TV and radio ads on behalf of Gov. Mike DeWine’s re-election this year, got more than $1 million in donations during the first three months of 2022 – all from a political action committee affiliated with the Republican Governors Association. As Jeremy Pelzer and Tobias report, the RGA’s Right Direction PAC previously reserved hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad time to help DeWine during his 2018 campaign.

Bad vibes: Seven people who conduct business with the city of Cincinnati told FBI agents that ex-Cincinnati City Council member PG Sittenfeld was “heavy-handed and inappropriate” or “communicated a subtle message of extortion” in soliciting contributions, according to newly filed court documents. As Kevin Grasha and Sharon Coolidge of the Cincinnati Enquirer report, the court filings don’t name the seven people who interacted with Sittenfeld, who says he’s innocent of federal corruption charges.

Portman Down Under: Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio visited Australia this week with a bipartisan group of U.S. Congress members to discuss the two nations’ mutual security interests. The group released a statement that said it shares Australia’s concern about China’s efforts to expand its influence. They said they admire “Australia’s own resistance to Chinese digital authoritarianism and applaud its decision to reject Huawei 5G, which serves as a powerful show of strength in the face of immense pressure and demonstrates the Australian government’s unwavering commitment to the security and prosperity of its people.”

PAC Woman: A super PAC funded by cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is spending more than $1 million on television, radio and digital ads to benefit Warrensville Heights Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown’s re-election campaign, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission show. Protect Our Future super PAC’s website said it is “designed to help elect candidates who take a long-term view on policy planning.” A statement from the campaign manager for Brown’s Democratic primary rival, former Ohio Sen. Nina Turner, said, “corrupt interests are pumping money into campaigns and super PACs because they know Nina Turner and progressives like her aren’t going to Washington to be a partner with them. Let’s be clear, those corporate interests don’t make donations, they make investments. And they expect a return on those investments.”

O’Connor Out: Franklin County Recorder Danny O’Connor, who ran two competitive, but unsuccessful races for Congress in 2018, announced Thursday he would not run this year in the newly redrawn 15th Congressional District, a Republican-leaning district extending west from southern Columbus to cover mostly rural areas in five counties. That leaves one Democrat in the race: Gary Josephson, a real-estate appraiser and ex-labor leader who ran for Ohio Democratic Party chair in 2020 on a platform that included recruiting comedian Dave Chappelle for U.S. Senate and having Democrats endorse Gov. Mike DeWine and Secretary of State Frank LaRose (both Republicans) for re-election. Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Carey of Columbus is favored to win re-election in the district this fall.

Busy schedule: DeWine said Thursday he might not attend the April 23 rally in Delaware County by former President Donald Trump because of a previous scheduling commitment. Per the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Jessie Balmert, DeWine said he had previous plans to attend a ceremony commemorating the 200th anniversary of former President Ulysses S. Grant’s 200th birth. “So we’ll have to kind of see if that works out,” DeWine said.

A stretch of highway in Ohio is named for a former Cleveland Browns player. What highway is it and who is the player?

Email your response to [email protected]. The first correct respondent will be mentioned in next week’s newsletter.

Thanks to everyone who answered last week’s question:

The grandmother of an Ohio-born president is buried in Portage County. Who and where?

Answer: Rachel Kelly Grant, the grandmother of Ulysses S. Grant, died in 1805, is buried at Deerfield Cemetery. Grant’s father, Jesse Grant, eventually settled in Point Pleasant, where the future president was born on April 27, 1822.

Matt Fitzsimmons of Rocky River was the first with the correct answer.

The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association has awarded Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor with its President’s Award, honoring her for her role in the ongoing redistricting litigation.

FreedomWorks for America endorsed Republican candidate Madison Gesiotto Gilbert in Ohio’s 13th Congressional District.

FirstEnergy’s chief Federal Energy Regulatory Commission compliance officer, Bob Mattiuz, is retiring as of July 1, according to company spokeswoman Jennifer Young. Mattiuz, whose job title also includes vice president, compliance and regulated services, will be succeeded by Ollie Pannell, Young said. Mattiuz’s departure comes as the FERC is reviewing FirstEnergy’s analysis about how it’ll issue customer refunds with interest for improperly accounting for part of the approximately $71 million used to lobby for the scandal-ridden House Bill 6. The analysis was ordered as part of a FERC audit released in February.

Friday, 4/15: Barbara Brisbane, former legislative aide to state Rep. Mike Skindell

Saturday: Carla Carvalho, former Ohio Senate Democrats’ policy adviser; state Rep. Brett Hillyer

“There is only one true America First candidate in the #OHSen race. Mr. President, JD Vance openly supported Hillary Clinton in 2016 and said himself he was a ‘never Trump guy’. @MikeGibbonsOH has had your back since day 1!”

– Cavan Hagerty, political director for Mike Gibbons’ U.S. Senate campaign, sharing the NBCNews Story that reported former President Donald Trump is making plans to endorse JD Vance in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race. Other Gibbons campaign aides similarly shared the story while urging Trump not to endorse Vance.

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