Ohio House GOP votes to take control of House campaign funds from Speaker Jason Stephens

The majority of Ohio House Republicans voted to strip Speaker Jason Stephens of control over House GOP campaign funds during a Wednesday morning meeting.

The resolution − backed by 38 of 67 House Republicans and a designee of the Ohio Republican Party − would give Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, sole authority over House Republicans’ campaign coffers, known as the Ohio House Republican Alliance, state Rep. Brian Stewart said.

If successful, the move could hurt Stephens’ bid to retain control of the speaker’s gavel next year. Stephens said Wednesday afternoon that he was not aware of the vote.

Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, is returning to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2025 and is openly campaigning to replace Stephens, R-Kitts Hill. If Stephens can’t spend campaign cash, it could hamstring his ability to elect candidates this November who support his bid for speaker.

In the March primary, Stephens spent at least $3 million defending Republican incumbents, most of whom backed his 2023 leadership bid. Four Republican lawmakers lost their seats to primary challengers.

“Jason Stephens has used the current OHRA bank account to spend all the caucus’ money defending a few hand-picked people,” Stewart, R-Ashville, said. “We cannot have that situation heading into the fall elections, and we cannot have the campaign fund being managed by a speaker who has every incentive to lose Republican seats.”

Stephens won the speakership in January 2023 with all 32 Democratic votes and 22 Republican votes for a total of 54. His challenger, Toledo area Rep. Derek Merrin, had 43 GOP votes.

Stephens’ opponents have tried once before to wrest control of campaign money. They filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to block Stephens and his allies from spending the money, but Judge Mark Serrott denied their request before the primary. “It is impossible to ignore the specter of political gamesmanship that looms over this litigation,” Serrott wrote.

Stewart said the new vote was taken Wednesday to formalize what most House Republicans already said they wanted: Stephens to let go of the campaign account.

The resolution gives Plummer the power to form a new entity called the Ohio House Republican Organization to raise money and spend it on candidates − if Stephens doesn’t release the purse strings, Stewart said. “We are going to give people the opportunity to comply with the law and comply with the majority wishes of the caucus.”

All House Republicans were invited to the meeting, which occurred Wednesday morning at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel downtown, Stewart said.

Meanwhile, a member of the Ohio Republican Party governing body Josh Brown has circulated a petition, asking the state party to “deal with Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens’ illegal, anti-Republican political spending.” That request will be addressed at the Ohio GOP’s next meeting, spokesman Dan Luscheck said.

Reporter Erin Glynn contributed to the article.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.