Is a record of bipartisanship rewarded with re-election, or is polarization winning via the worst partisans? How partisan is your State Rep or State Senator, and did they seek and win another term? To find out, I looked at the 2022 state election results where an incumbent or former legislator was running, and compared that to how partisan they are.

RationalOhio values bipartisanship as an indicator of good faith leadership, so I used our recently released Bipartisan Ratings For Ohio State Lawmakers, which rates nearly every Ohio lawmaker since 1997 using an objective formula. Each incumbent is shown with their most recent bipartisan rating from 2021 in parenthesis. A positive score is good and negative is subpar. 1 or higher is outstanding and -1 or less is awful. In addition to the objective rating, below I also include information about specific bills, actions or public statements which are extreme or hyper-partisan.

State Senators

Up for election, very good bipartisan scores

• Nickie Antonio (1.06889) has been highly bipartisan in recent years as a Senator, more so than her start in the House.
• Kirk Schuring (0.92448) ran against a write-in candidate and won. Has maintained generally high scores all the way back to 1997.
• Hearcel Craig (0.75755) ran unopposed. Very high scores throughout his career since 2017.
• Teresa Fedor (0.62659) ran for State Board of Education and won. Earlier lost the primary for Lt. Governor. Hitting the Senate term limit this year. Consistently positive scores since 2001.

Seeking re-election with middling ratings

• Positive scores: Andrew Brenner, Michael Rulli, Nathan Manning, Stephen Huffman, Cecil Thomas
  • Rulli ran against long time legislator Bob Hagan, who consistently had very low bipartisan ratings, most recently at -1.63158 in 2013-2014. Rulli won.
  • Thomas ran for a switch to State Representative and won.
  • Manning is the lead sponsor of a bipartisan bill to reform criminal justice in Ohio.
• Slightly negative: Kristina Roegner, Steve Wilson
  • Roegner was the primary sponsor of a controversial abortion ban bill which has no exceptions for rape or incest. Rulli and Wilson were among the cosponsors.

Most bipartisan Senators, with continuing terms

• Vernon Sykes (1.61229) is co-chair of the Ohio Redistricting Commission. He rightly rejected maps that were ultimately all ruled unconstitutional.
• Stephanie Kunze (1.56975) lost a bid for Congress, for which RationalOhio also recognized her as the most bipartisan candidate using a separate subjective criteria.

Continuing terms with middling ratings

• Positive ratings: Theresa Gavarone, Louis Blessing, Tim Schaffer, Matt Dolan, Mark Romanchuk, Sandra O’Brien
  • Gavarone publicly criticized Trump for his “Grab them by the pussy” comments for Access Hollywood, and her primary opponents Riedel and Majewski used that against her during her failed Congressional bid.
  • Dolan ran a failed bid for US Senate as the only conservative candidate who accepted the 2020 election.
  • O’Brien was the other primary sponsor of the abortion ban bill, with Schaffer and Romanchuk as additional cosponsors.
• Slightly negative: Bill Reineke, Jerry Cirino, Bob Hackett, George Lang
  • Cirino and Lang also cosponsored the total abortion ban.
• Despite the middling ratings, Romanchuk and Lang supported overturning the 2020 election.

Worst scores, up for re-election

• Rob McColley (-0.62151) approved unconstitutional maps as a short-term member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission.
• Tina Maharath (-0.64195) introduced a resolution to “recommend that Ohioans replace the handshake greeting with a fist bump” indefinitely, to slow the spread of any disease. In the culture of her Laotian parents, greetings traditionally consist of prayer hands, but in America, the handshake is a long-standing tradition, which has already survived one pandemic in 1918 and will likely continue on after this one. Although it’s a good idea for people to freely choose to limit social contact mid-pandemic, it’s ill advised for legislators to intrude on our consensual cultural practices, and best to leave healthcare advice to the medical professionals. Maharath was defeated by challenger Michele Reynolds.
• Bob Peterson (-0.80416) ran unopposed for a switch to State Rep, after losing a bid for US Senate.

Worst scores, with continuing terms

• Frank Hoagland (-0.73245)
• Terry Johnson (-0.74642) is recently one of the most partisan Senators, after keeping more middling scores a decade ago. He cosponsored the heavy-handed abortion ban bill. Nevertheless, he keeps his social media messaging consistently positive:

• Niraj Antani (-0.85941) has had consistently negative scores over his career. Cosponsored the “abortion is murder” bill.

Not seeking re-election

Kenny Yuko (0.5059) and Jay Hottinger (0.70671) are term-limited. Williams Sandra (0.19051) left to work in the private sector.

Hottinger’s long legislative career bounced between being the most very partisan in the late 1990’s and 2005, but decently bipartisan in recent years. His Twitter feed is always positive and uplifting, with daily “Jay’s Jots” like this:

State Representatives

Up for re-election, excellent bipartisan scores in 2021

• Scott Oelslager (1.18909)
• Gayle Manning (1.17622)
• Brett Hillyer (1.15854) signed efforts to overturn the 2020 election, despite his high score. He ran unopposed.

Seeking re-election, good scores

• Andrea White (0.99354)
• Jamie Callender (0.79061)
• Brian Baldridge (0.76133) signed efforts to overturn the 2020 election, despite his positive rating. Won re-election.
• Gail Pavliga (0.60253)
• James Hoops (0.57186)
• Haraz Ghanbari (0.56845) signed efforts to overturn the 2020 election, despite his positive rating. Won re-election.
• Daniel Troy (0.54672)

Running for re-election, middling scores

• Positive scores: Sharon Ray, Dontavius Jarrells, Rick Carfagna, Scott Lipps, Dick Stein, Phil Plummer, Darrell Kick, Susan Manchester, Thomas West, Ron Ferguson, Mark Fraizer, Brian Lampton, Allison Russo, Jean Schmidt, Brian Stewart, Rodney Creech
  • Russo is a member of the Ohio Redistricting Commission who rightly rejected maps that were ultimately all ruled unconstitutional. She recently lost a bid for Congress.
  • Ferguson supported impeaching Justice O’Connor for not approving Republican gerrymanders.
• Slightly negative: Douglas Swearingen Jr., Adam Bird, Don Jones, Sara Carruthers, Bill Roemer, Cindy Abrams, Bob Young, Jeffrey LaRe, Jon Cross, Alessandro Cutrona, Jason Stephens, Beth Liston, Tavia Galonski, Joseph Miller, Mary Lightbody
  • LaRe lost a bid for Congress, but was backed by Steve Stivers who achieved high marks both in State and US legislatures. LaRe approved unconstitutional maps as the short-term Co-Chair of the Ohio Redistricting Commission.
  • Galonski sponsored a decent Congressional map

Although their scores were not exceptionally low, these lawmakers all sought to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory: Lipps, Stein, Plummer, Kick, Manchester, Swearingen, Jones, Carruthers, Roemer, Abrams, Stephens, with efforts led by Cross and Cutrona. They all won re-election in 2022, with Manchester and Stephens running unopposed, and Kick facing only a write-in opponent.

Jean Schmidt introduced a full abortion ban, even more strict than the law that forced a 10-year old rape victim to leave Ohio to obtain an abortion. She had previously said of a child rape victim, “there’s an opportunity for that woman no matter how young or old she is”, doubling down on forcing minors to carry a rapist’s pregnancy.

Ohio State Rep. Jean Schmidt (R) defends her cruel bill, which is a near-total abortion ban with no exception for rape:

“Rape is a difficult issue, and it emotionally scars the individual … Just because you have emotional scars, doesn’t give you the right to take the life.” pic.twitter.com/yHWghg6PLC

— The Recount (@therecount) April 27, 2022

Partisans up for re-election or other office

• Richard Brown (-0.52401) sponsored a decent Congressional map. He was behind challenger Ronald Beach IV by just 96 votes in the unofficial results, but narrowly held on to his seat when the provisional ballots were counted.
• Tom Young (-0.55989)
• Catherine Ingram (-0.57829) ran to switch to Senate
• Kevin Miller (-0.61989)
• Crawley Erica (-0.62538) ran for Franklin County Commissioner
• Thomas Hall (-0.65285)
• Craig Riedel (-0.66204) supported overturning the 2020 election. Lost his bid for Congress to JR Majewski, who is likely even more partisan than Riedel. He left the Statehouse at the end of 2022.
• Diane Grendell (-0.66262) supported overturning the 2020 election. Ran for Geaugu County auditor, but lost in the primary.
• Adam Holmes (-0.66407)
• Gary Click (-0.6792) supported impeaching Justice Maureen O’Connor for invalidating Republican gerrymanders. He won re-election.
• Bride Rose Sweeney (-0.68432)
• Jennifer Gross (-0.72764) declared 2020 election “corrupted”, called for audits and “decertification”. She also invited the nutty Dr. Sherri Tenpenny to the Statehouse to speak against vaccines, where Tenpenny claimed vaccines makes your body magnetized and receive 5G wireless signals!
• Shane Wilkin (-0.73702) supported overturning the 2020 election. He ran for a switch to Senate and won.
• Riordan McClain (-0.746) supported overturning the 2020 election. He ran unopposed.
• Phillip Robinson (-0.75694)
• Jessica Miranda (-0.76963)
• Adam Miller (-0.78945)
• Juanita Brent (-0.79408)
• Bill Seitz (-0.7972) gloated when courts allowed maps to be used which were already ruled unconstitutional. He was re-elected.

• Kent Smith (-0.83904) won his bid to switch to state Senate
• Thomas Brinkman (-0.84922) supported overturning the 2020 election. Ran for Hamilton County Auditor, but lost to Brigid Kelly.
• Mike Loychik (-0.92599) calls for the wanton imprisonment of Democratic leaders. Wants to rename a State park after Trump, despite his attempted coup. Won out over an Independent candidate.
• Brigid Kelly (-0.92863) won election for Hamilton Count Auditor. She’s taking the place of retiring Dusty Rhodes, a defender of Trump’s Big Lie.
• Scott Wiggam (-0.94693) was a leader of the effort to support overturning the 2020 election. Won re-election.

Worst partisan incumbent candidates

Many of the worst partisans with the lowest scores tried to undo the will of the American people by rejecting Joe Biden’s clear presidential victory.

• Thomas Patton (-1.02427) won re-election.
• Marilyn John (-1.03312) ran unopposed.
• Paula Hicks-Hudson (-1.04276) ran to switch to state Senate
• Sarah Fowler-Arthur (-1.15249) sponsored a bill prohibiting “divisive concepts” in public schools, and said she wants teachers to teach both sides of the Nazi holocaust, including “the perspective of a German soldier”. Notably, she was homeschooled, so she may not be the most qualified to weigh in on how things are done in public schools. She was re-elected in 2022.
• Terrence Upchurch (-1.19822) ran unopposed.
• Tracy Richardson (-1.21826) supported overturning the 2020 election. Won re-election.
• Derek Merrin (-1.22543) supported overturning the 2020 election. Won re-election.
• Casey Weinstein (-1.23536) won re-election.
• Bill Dean (-1.27828) supported overturning the 2020 election. Won re-election.
• Willis Blackshear Jr. (-1.3241) ran unopposed.
• Reggie Stoltzfus (-1.33666) supported overturning the 2020 election. Ran unopposed.
• Jay Edwards (-1.42978) supported overturning the 2020 election. Won re-election.
• Kris Jordan (-1.52672) supported overturning the 2020 election. Ran unopposed.
• Jena Powell (-1.58654) supported overturning the 2020 election. Ran unopposed.
• Michael Skindell (-1.66518) won re-election.

Stephanie Howse (-1.75603) had the lowest score of 2021. She insists that the US Constitution is racist, even in its current form, which I dispute here. She is now serving on Cleveland’s city council.

Statewide candidates

Some statewide candidates used to be legislators. How bipartisan were they in the Statehouse?

• Mike DeWine, won re-election as Governor – as a US Sentor he maintained mostly very high Lugar bipartisan scores, most recently at 1.036291 in 2005-2006. He also served as US Rep and Ohio state Senator in the 1980’s and 90’s, but we don’t have bill data for that timeframe.
  • DeWine approved all of the unconstitutional gerrymanders on the Ohio Redistricting Commission (ORC).
• Jon Husted won re-election to Lt. Governor. He had all slightly negative scores as a State Senator and State Rep, most recently at -0.07871 in 2009-2010.
• Robert Sprague won re-election as State Treasurer. He had slightly positive bipartisan scores as State Rep, most recently at 0.22567 in 2017-2018.
• Frank LaRose won re-election as Secretary of State. He had mid to high marks for working across the aisle when he was State Senator, most recently at 0.18798 in 2017.
  • LaRose approved all of the unconstitutional gerrymanders on the ORC, despite admitting that their rationale was “asinine”. He also spoke favorably about impeaching Chief Justice O’Connor for striking down his gerrymanders.
• Jeff Crossman, who lost his challenge for Secretary of State, had a negative bipartisan scores as State Rep, at -0.64124 for 2021.
• Keith Faber won re-election to State Auditor. He had negative to very partisan scores while State Rep and State Senator, most recently at -0.71347 for 2017.
  • Faber approved most of the unconstitutional gerrymanders on the ORC.

Other statewide candidates weren’t in the legislature, so they don’t have bipartisanship ratings: Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, Cuyahoga County Council member Cheryl Stephens, Attorney General Dave Yost, Nelsonville Auditor Taylor Sappington, Forest Park council member Chelsea Clark, Marion Mayor Scott Schertzer.

Conclusion

It seems that incumbency led to re-election in almost all races, regardless of partisanship. Nevertheless, I encourage lawmakers to be open to working across the aisle, to put the common good before party tribalism, for the sake of our state and country. I hope voters will join me in pushing back against extremes and hyper-partisanship, by lifting up reasonable politicians and rewarding them with our votes.

Ohio political awards

12/22/22: Cleveland.com newsletter readers voted for lawmakers in various categories. They voted “most bipartisan” Matt Dolan, Laura Lanese, Bride Rose Sweeney and Stephanie Kunze. By our measure, all of them did have positive bipartisan scores in 2021, except for Bride Rose Sweeney. Readers seemed to like her, rating her a “Democratic rising star”. Kunze and 14 other state Senators have been much more bipartisan than Dolan, but he probably was most known because of his US Senate run.

They also rated State Senator Niraj Antani “most arrogant”, and he holds the position of most partisan by our scoring. Readers gave Rep. Weinstein the dishonors of “biggest troll” and “worst use of social media”, probably because of his feisty Twitter account, and he is one of the more partisan Democratic state Reps.

References

11/9/22: Ohio Republicans look to have picked up one Ohio Senate seat, and perhaps 2 to 4 in the Ohio House