Ohio’s governor and U.S. Senate and races are dominating TV and social media right now, but I’m about to say something controversial:

The most important elections are further down your ballot.

This November, Ohio Democrats have a chance to break the Republican Statehouse supermajority that has been devastating our state for 15+ years.

One of most common sentiments I hear from Ohioans is, “what happened to Ohio? This isn’t the state I grew up in.”

The answer is the Republican supermajority.

Republicans have ruled our state legislature with zero checks on their power for years. They have grown more extreme over time. They have passed laws and policies no one asked for — and changed voting laws and district lines to make sure they stay in office.

By flipping just six Ohio House seats, Democrats can break that supermajority this year.

We can create an Ohio where a governor’s common sense vetoes cannot be overridden by a hoard of extremists drunk on power.

We can return checks and balances to our state government.

Still not convinced that these are the most important races on your ballot? Think about it from a national perspective instead.

In America, states control elections. The federal government does not.

States also draw the district lines that decide who represents us in Congress.

And states go to court to block illegal demands from the federal government (such as "give me your unredacted voter file…").

We have even entered a world where MAGA politicians are trying to convene a Convention of States to change the U.S. Constitution. If they’re ever successful (which is looking increasingly likely), they’ll have to send their proposed changes to the states to be ratified.

It will literally be state governments that keep our nation’s Constitution intact — or not. States are the last line of defense against a rogue federal government.

So what can you do? These 5 key actions could make all the difference:

1. Commit to voting all the way down your ballot. DO NOT SKIP the state and local races.

2. Register to vote or update your voter registration:

   • Ohio: VoteOhio.gov

   • All states: Vote.gov

3. Find your State Senator and State Rep by typing your address below these maps. Take a little time to research them.

   1. Are they up for re-election this year? Do they deserve your support? Is someone better running for that seat?

4. Spread the word. Tell everyone you know about these critically important state legislative races (and repeat the message often).

   1. Here’s an article you can share

5. Remind friends and family to vote the ENTIRE ballot. The people in your life know and trust you. Your reminder could be what makes up their mind.

Ohio’s governor and U.S. Senate races are vital. But they won’t be the first ones I’m checking on Election Night this November.

We all know AI data centers are wildly unpopular. Over 70% of Americans oppose data centers near their homes, with 48% saying they are strongly opposed. And if you’ve driven through rural Ohio recently, you’ve likely seen the homemade “no data centers” signs in people’s yards.

The data center hate is especially strong in rural Ohio.

Have you been seeing Ohioans gathering signatures to ban large scale data centers? That organic movement started in rural Adams and Brown Counties, two places where Democrats have been hemorrhaging voters in recent years.

More than 80% of Adams and Brown County voters supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

We have also recently learned that the EPA is drafting a new permit to allow all Ohio data centers to release untreated wastewater and stormwater directly into rivers and streams. Yes, you read that correctly.

This story is all over right-leaning social media right now, and people are ANGRY (as they should be).

This is a massive opportunity for Ohio Democrats. A once-in-a-generation chance to win back votes that may otherwise be lost to our party for decades.

And it’s slipping through our fingers.

This morning, Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, finally released a public statement regarding data centers:

Yet her statement was significantly weaker than the one released yesterday by Republican U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno:

What are we doing, friends? This is a layup. This is a gimme. This is tens of thousands of votes up for grabs. Are we just going to let Republicans have them?

Amy Acton especially should be loudly demanding a data center moratorium. Her opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, is heavily financially invested in data centers.

Vivek has also been openly supporting data center expansion while campaigning for governor. There’s absolutely no chance he plans to regulate them.

Dr. Acton should be sharing these facts in every speech. In every ad. Why on Earth isn’t she?

Even MAGA state legislators are starting to talk about the need for a moratorium. If Democrats don’t step up and lead on this issue, they’re going to hand Republicans an incredibly memorable policy win.

It also helps that opposing AI data centers is simply the right thing to do. Last month, the United Nations’ academic arm issued a terrifying report on the environmental impacts of AI data centers.

Their research found that, within the next five years, AI will be using up the amount of water needed for 1.3 BILLION people. Read that sentence again.

And don’t you dare tell me that opposing data centers is anti-union. I am passionately pro-union and pro-workers’ rights. Always have been. Always will be. Without workers, we have nothing.

Democrats can and SHOULD be loudly and proudly pro-union without sacrificing other values. It just means 1.) standing up to union leaders and lobbyists when necessary, and 2.) being proactive in working to bring new, actually beneficial projects to Ohio.

For example, unions and Democrats (and common sense Republicans) could work together to demand more wind and solar projects for Ohio. Thanks to Republican legislators, we’re currently one of the most anti renewable energy states. Those projects would come with many more permanent jobs AND future growth potential!

The solution is simple. The message is simple. We have no excuse. No more AI data centers. Let’s fight to build good things instead.

You’ve probably noticed that the past several days have been uncomfortably, even dangerously, hot. Communities across the country are dealing with a deadly heat wave and working to address the impacts.

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to take basic steps to prevent the power grid from overloading:

Several MAGA politicians jumped all over Mayor Mamdani’s statement, calling it “Socialism.”

Vivek Ramaswamy took the opportunity to demonstrate yet another startling lack of awareness about the state he wants to lead:

Has Vivek spent any time whatsoever in Ohio during the past several Summers?

Ohio officials and utility companies are constantly urging us to take the very same actions to conserve energy and keep our own grid from overloading.

In 2025, AEP Ohio begged customers to turn their thermostats up, turn off the lights, and avoid using washers, dishwashers, and ovens to prevent “rolling outages.”

Several Ohio communities have issued similar warnings in Summer 2026 as well. The Mahoning Valley was literally asking residents to conserve energy while Vivek was attacking NYC’s mayor for doing the exact same thing.

Last year, Ohio Republicans even introduced a bill to let energy companies remotely adjust the thermostat in some Ohioans’ homes during peak usage times.

Clearly, the potential for grid overload remains an ongoing threat in Ohio. Perhaps because our Republican politicians are actively working to kill renewable energy.

You’d think a guy who wants to be our governor would be aware of this reality….

Even Trump’s Department of Energy urges Americans to turn up their thermostat during heat waves! ….But they started deleting those pages from their website when Mayor Mamdani gave the same advice last week 🤦🏻‍♀️

So — back to my original question: Is Vivek Ramaswamy running for governor in a state he knows nothing about?

Or is he a con man willing to lie in order to score political points?

Either way, he is unfit to lead Ohio.

MAJOR VICTORY FOR OHIO! Governor DeWine has VETOED (rejected) HB 472!

This obvious voter suppression bill would have “ended vote-by-mail as we know it” in our state.

Governor DeWine did not mince words when he announced his veto. He said, “House Bill 472 would not discourage fraud, would not add any real security, and would create an additional and significant burden for Ohioans who vote by mail.”

The governor also reminded Statehouse Republicans that the bill is not needed, “because Ohio does an excellent job running elections.”

THANK YOU to everyone who called, emailed, posted, and rallied to stop this terrible bill.

Your actions matter. And your VOTE matters. If it didn’t, they wouldn’t try so hard to take it away.

(Infuriatingly, the governor also signed an awful bill that will speed up and expand fracking in Ohio’s state parks, but I’m choosing to focus on joy for a few minutes)

Earlier this month, Ohio’s Republican-dominated legislature passed a series of terrible bills before heading out on a long Summer break (must be nice). Two of those bills are now sitting on Governor DeWine’s desk.

The governor is running out of time to make a decision on these two dangerous bills. The people of Ohio need him to VETO (reject) them both.

HB 472

HB 472 started out as a good, bipartisan bill that would waive ID and birth certificate fees for homeless Ohioans. Then, just as it was about to pass, Statehouse Republicans hijacked HB 472 and added language making it incredibly difficult to vote by mail in Ohio.

HB 472 would now require photo ID for all mail-in ballots. Many Ohioans would need to:

• Find a scanner/printer

• Learn how to use a scanner/printer

• Make sure there’s ink in the printer

• Potentially pay to scan and print their ID

• Trust the mail enough to mail a copy of their photo ID to their county Board of Elections along with their ballot

• Risk their unredacted photo ID information falling into the hands of scammers and/or facial recognition companies

This bill will hurt older Ohioans and rural Ohioans the most.

In fact, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio says this bill would “end vote-by-mail as we know it.”

The Ohio Voter Rights Coalition (OVRC) warns that it would also “introduce new identity theft and privacy concerns for voters.” It’s truly just a terrible idea. Read more about HB 472 here and here.

TAKE ACTION — Tell Governor DeWine (and his top staff) to VETO HB 472: https://bit.ly/MikeDeWine

• Sample script #1:

  • Hello — My name is [name]. I am an Ohio voter. My zip code is [zip code].

  • I [strongly / passionately / sincerely / etc.] urge Governor DeWine to VETO HB 472.

  • When the governor signed HB 458 in 2023, he said that was the last “election integrity” bill he intended to sign as governor. If his word means anything, he’ll VETO this newest attack on voting rights.

  • Even Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is against HB 472. He says there will be “unintended consequences” to passing a massive voter bill so quickly. He also says this bill comes with major costs that the legislature failed to consider.

  • Do the right thing. VETO HB 472.

• Sample script #1:

  • Hello — My name is [name]. I am an Ohio voter. My zip code is [zip code].

  • I [strongly / passionately / sincerely / etc.] urge Governor DeWine to VETO HB 472.

  • HB 472 would require photo ID for all mail-in ballots. It would force many Ohioans to find a scanner/printer, learn how to use a scanner/printer, make sure there’s ink in the printer, potentially pay to scan and print their ID, trust the mail enough to mail a copy of their photo ID to their county Board of Elections along with their ballot….and many more completely unnecessary steps.

  • On top of all that, forcing people to send unredacted copies of their driver’s licenses through the mail would be a dream come true for scammers and facial recognition companies.

  • This bill will hurt older Ohioans and rural Ohioans more than anyone else.

  • Ohio already has the most restrictive voter ID law in the country. HB 472 is completely unnecessary. Please VETO it.

SB 219

SB 219 would speed up every step of the process to frack Ohio’s state parks and public lands. Yes, you read that correctly.

This sickening bill:

• Allows drilling inside Ohio parks for the first time

• Strips ODNR of its ability to regulate injection wells and orphan wells

• Prevents the state from fining companies that cause spills or break the rules

• Full analysis here

TAKE ACTION:

• Tell Governor DeWine (and his top staff) to VETO SB 219: https://bit.ly/MikeDeWine

• Action alert from Save Ohio Parks

WHAT TO SAY:

• Governor DeWine already vetoed these same provisions in last year’s state budget. SB 219 is a sneaky, underhanded attempt to push them through again.

• This bill would allow fracking inside Ohio’s state parks and wildlife areas for the first time.

• This bill would prevent ODNR from fining oil and gas companies that break the rules or cause environmental damage.

• Governor DeWine already vetoed numerous provisions in the bill when they were put into the state budget.

• Ohioans are counting on him to protect our parks and veto this bill.

Hopefully Governor DeWine has a shred of decency left after all these years in politics. If he does, he will veto both of these bills.

ALERT — Ohio Statehouse Republicans plan to pass a new bill THIS WEEK that could kill mail-in voting in our state.

Until today, HB 472 was a good, bipartisan bill that would waive ID and birth certificate fees for homeless Ohioans.

The NEW, SUBSTITUTE VERSION OF HB 472 would req…

Read more

This post is Part 2 in a series. Read Part 1 here.

The deadliest bill in Ohio just got worse.

HB 795 would devastate Ohio’s Medicaid program. It would directly cause many Ohioans to die and force many others into institutions, because at-home care would no longer be an option.

No…

Read more

The most blatantly evil thing happening in Ohio right now is flying almost completely under the radar.

If you’re lucky enough to avoid far-right social media, you’ve probably missed it entirely. But it’s about to become incredibly important, so we need to discuss it.

Earlier th…

Read more

Looking for something to do this week?

There are life-altering bills moving through the Ohio Statehouse that need your attention!

Just go to TakeActionOhio.com, click on a bill that interests you (or a bill that fills you with rage), and take the actions listed.

Here’s our curre…

Read more

Yesterday, Vivek Ramaswamy posted an outrageously long, rambling tweet about the desperate need for voter ID laws in Ohio.

People immediately began mocking Vivek, because Ohio already has the strictest voter ID law in the country. Ohio’s Republican candidate for governor should…

Read more

Ohio’s Republican Statehouse supermajority plans to to give themselves a lengthy Summer break this year, so they’re trying to cram several months of evil into just a few weeks.

If you have some free time today (5/17/26) or tonight, there are many key bills that need public tes…

Read more

The Ohio Statehouse is back in Session, and they’re diving in headfirst. Several important bills are scheduled for hearings on Tuesday (5/12) and Wednesday (5/13).

Do you have some free time this weekend? Pick a bill or two (or three!) from the list below and write some testimo…

Read more

Have you heard about Ohio HB 486, the “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act”?

This bill is moving quickly through the Statehouse and may move again next week.

It would urge public schools and universities to teach about “the positive impacts of” Christianity on American society.

HB…

Read more

At 8:06 am EST this morning, Donald Trump posted that “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

There’s no way to read the president’s post other than as a threat to use nuclear weapons against the innocent people of Iran. To my knowledge, there’…

Read more

Ohio Statehouse Republicans have clearly learned a few tricks from Donald Trump, including the value of creating chaos.

They’ve scheduled committee hearings on dozens of important bills in the same two-day span this week.

Several of the committees that are accepting public testi…

Read more

This morning, news broke that Ted Carter, president of The Ohio State University, has abruptly resigned over an “inappropriate relationship” with someone who received “access to top officials” while “seeking public resources to support her personal business.”

We now know that C…

Read more

As you’re likely aware, gas prices have skyrocketed since President Trump illegally bombed Iran last week.

On Friday morning, GasBuddy shared a list of states with the biggest recent rise in gas prices. Ohio was #3 on the list. Today we’re #2…

This is on top of the outrageous co…

Read more

Today we learned that Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, “has turned over the voter registration data of nearly 8 million Ohioans to the U.S. Department of Justice.”

Why does that matter?

First of all, your state government just gave your private voting data to …

Read more

Last night, while most Americans slept, Donald Trump illegally bombed Iran without congressional approval. At least 100 school children were murdered in the attack. Many others died as well.

HOW OHIO’S U.S. SENATORS RESPONDED:

Shamefully, both of Ohio’s U.S. Senators — Bernie Mo…

Read more

Yesterday, the Ohio House passed SB 63, which will ban Ranked Choice Voting in Ohio and punish communities that try to use it.

New York City used Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in their recent, high-profile mayoral election. RCV gives more candidates a chance to prove themselves an…

Read more