OHIO CHAMBER WINS BIG IN NOVEMBER ELECTION
While the November General Election may have been divisive for many Ohioans, the statewide business community enjoyed across-the-board victories on election night and the hope of brighter days from a pro-business state government. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce, taking positions in numerous races, scored the following wins: OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Leading up to the November general election, the Ohio Cham- ber Political Action Committee (OCCPAC) endorsed 73 total candidates between Ohio House and Ohio Senate races. Of the 73 bipartisan endorsements – 13 Ohio Senate candidates and 60 Ohio House candidates – the OCCPAC had 72 vic- tories, a win rate of 99%. This included 27 total open seats, which bodes well for a solid initial start to legislative relationships between the Chamber and incoming policymakers. OHIO SUPREME COURT Perhaps the most significant victory was all three OCCPAC endorsed judicial candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court winning their races. Aided by the Ohio Chamber’s leadership in raising $4 million to promote these efforts, the following OCCPAC-endorsed candidates won: • Justice Joe Deters, Ohio Supreme Court (55.20%)
• Judge Megan Shanahan, Hamilton County Common Pleas Court (55.70%) • Judge Dan Hawkins, Franklin County Common Pleas Court (55.07%) These three justices-elect follow the previous three OCCPAC-endorsed victories in 2022:
• Justice Sharon Kennedy, Ohio Supreme Court (56.08%) • Justice Pat DeWine, Ohio Supreme Court (56.31%) • Justice Pat Fischer, Ohio Supreme Court (56.91%)
The Ohio Chamber likewise worked to raise $4 million for that campaign effort in 2022. In just two years, the Ohio Chamber has now led the way to achieve a 6-1 pro-business Ohio Supreme Court majority, ensuring a large degree of certainty and predictability in rulings for Ohio’s business community. STATE ISSUE 1 Ohioans also soundly defeated the lone statewide ballot measure, Issue 1, by a percentage of 53.78% NO to 46.22% YES. The proposed constitutional amendment, which was opposed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, would have scrapped the existing process for drawing legislative maps for both the state legislative districts and federal congressio- nal districts, replacing it with a cumbersome, convoluted system with no accountability to voters. The Chamber’s position came on the heels of a Board of Directors’ vote at its Q3 meeting in September to formally op- pose Issue 1. That vote was predicated on the acceptance of an Ad Hoc Committee’s recommendation to oppose the measure after several meetings and deliberations. Both the Ad Hoc Committee and the full Board of Directors agreed that Issue 1 was problematic, complex, and not a panacea for either political extremism or fairer maps. Armed with the Board’s opposition stance, the Ohio Chamber also was one of the largest financial supporters of the opposition’s cam - paign, serving as the biggest disclosed donor to the effort. Ohio Chamber President and CEO Steve Stivers stated the following about Issue 1: “ Our concern is, if passed, the con- sequence could result in raising the cost of doing business in Ohio, making our state less competitive for business, and impacting critical issues our members care deeply about, including minimum wage, legal reform, tort reform and forced unionization. The Chamber is not endorsing the status quo; the current system is flawed and should be fixed through bipartisan efforts. ”
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