Snollygoster

There can be no doubt—at least for the Republican party—that Ohio is firmly MAGA country. A crowded primary for the U.S. Senate revealed a clear choice for Bernie Moreno by Ohioans. OSU Political Scientist Paul Beck joins the show to discuss this week's election results.

Suddenly, Matt Dolan has become the center of attention in the Republican U.S. Senate Primary in Ohio. Ohio Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler joins the show to discuss the recent polls and endorsements in the race.

Ohio's 9th Congressional District was a pretty safe Democratic district for years. It is much more competitive now, and Republicans think they have a shot. University of Toledo Political Science Professor Sam Nelson joins the show.

Primary Election Month is here. Early voting began Wednesday. The big race in Ohio is the GOP primary for the US Senate, with the winner getting to take on Sherrod Brown. University of Cincinnati Political Science Professor David Niven joins the show.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin was in Ohio this week on a listening tour. During his appearances, the Democrat promoted the new political group Americans Together, which claims to be a platform for moderate voters.

Senator JD Vance continues to double down on his support for Donald Trump despite initial comments that were quite critical. Whether he is a true believer or a political opportunist is up for debate. Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins the show.

The death penalty debate has resurfaced in Ohio after years of dormancy. A new method involving nitrogen gas has emerged, as demonstrated by Alabama's recent execution. Gary Mohr, who served as Director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections from 2011 to 2018, joins the show.

Ohio Republicans may not have much of a presidential primary to decide when they go to the polls on March 19, but they will have a U.S. Senate primary to sort out. We discuss the recent debate with NBC4 TV’s Colleen Marshall.

The Ohio House voted to override the governor's veto of a bill banning various forms of gender-affirming care for minors. Additionally, the bill seeks to prevent transgender girls and women from participating in female sports teams in high schools and colleges in Ohio. Ohio Public Radio reporter Jo Ingles joins the show.

Gov. DeWine vetoed a bill to ban many forms of healthcare for transgender minors and ban transgender girls from participating on female sports teams in high school and college. Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio joins the show to discuss the issue and the effort to override the governor's decision.

We take a deep dive into the politics of Ohio, reflecting on the eventful year of 2023 and looking ahead to the upcoming 2024.

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens floated the idea of eliminating term limits for the state's lawmakers last week. We take a closer look at term limits with Democratic strategist and lobbyist Derrick Clay.

On the finale of The Power Grab we take a look at the cost of corruption cost and if it has led to any meaningful changes in the state.

Recreational cannabis is legal in the state of Ohio, but legislators are determined to make changes to the law that was overwhelmingly approved by voters. Republican State Rep. Jaime Callender joins the show.

FirstEnergy figured they could get their customers to subsidize their poorly performing nuclear power plants. To do so, they paid a $4 million bribe to Sam Randazzo just before Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him as the chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

Thursday, Dec. 7, is the date when Ohio's new abortion rights amendment takes effect and when recreational marijuana becomes legal in Ohio. We'll discuss what conservative lawmakers have planned for with Ohio Public Radio’s Karen Kasler.

Dark money for political campaigns helped make the Ohio nuclear bailout bribery scandal possible. But that $60 million FirstEnergy doled out to elect Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and his allies, to pass HB 6 and stop it from being rolled back, wasn’t the only cash that traded hands.

Lobbyist Neil Clark was paranoid that he was on the FBI’s radar and he was right for the nuclear bailout bribery scheme. The Columbus lobbyist from humble beginnings had made it far in Ohio politics. He was a fierce competitor and prided himself on going scorched earth for a cause. He left nothing on the table and hated to lose. He didn’t care if he believed in the cause or not.

Ohio Democrats and Republican lawmakers are weighing their next steps after Issue 1 passes. Dan Kobil, a law professor of Capital University in Columbus discusses proposed strategies.

In this episode, we’ll explore how Larry Householder rounded up votes to become Ohio House Speaker. And, how he strong-armed opponents of the bill he promised to FirstEnergy, known as HB 6. We’ll see how FirstEnergy’s team reacted to a campaign to fight the bill and how the conspirators scrambled to keep it all together as federal investigators honed in.

Ohio voters overwhelmingly passed ballot measures for abortion and reproductive rights, as well as the legalization of marijuana for recreational use. We take a look at the results and talk about where we go from here with Anna Staver, the host of WOSU's "All Sides with Anna Staver."

In the first episode of the WOSU podcast The Power Grab, we delve into the shocking arrest of Republican House Speaker Larry Householder and the federal racketeering charges against him.

Starting Monday, November 6, WOSU's original podcast The Power Grab will take a tour of Ohio’s backrooms and listen in on clandestine FBI recordings of schemes by Larry Householder and FirstEnergy to wrangle power for corporate and personal profits.

A look at the ramifications of Ohio abortion ballot measures with Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler with Election Day looming, and we get a sneak-peak at a new podcast about the Larry Householder bribery scandal.

Ohio voters will soon decide whether to whether to legalize recreational cannabis. Twenty-three states have already done so, with Maryland being the latest. Aaron Klein, a senior fellow in Economic Studies with the Brookings Institute, joins the show.