Ohio House Republicans voted to censure the members, stating, according to a resolution, the backing of Stephens “dishonors the vote of the Ohio House Republican Caucus, dishonors the historic brand of the Republican Party, and misrepresents the voice of Ohio Republican voters who collectively voted for these 22 members in order to defeat the dangerous and perverse Democratic Party Caucus agenda.”
The Butler County GOP overwhelmingly censured the same 22 Statehouse members, and the Central Committee members who live in the 47th House District voted 21-4 to censure Carruthers. The Journal-News was told that four people have asked she steps down for backing Stephens over Merrin.
The Butler County GOP is the latest county party to vote to censure, a formal process expressing disapproval of a person’s actions.
“Last night, the Butler County Republican Party Central Committee, after debate and discussion, chose through a majority vote to censure the 22 State House Republicans who voted with 32 House Democrats to elect the Statehouse speaker,” said Butler County GOP Executive Chair Todd Hall. “Several other GOP county parties around the state, including the state GOP also voted to censure these representatives.”
Days after the Ohio House Speaker vote, Shelby County’s GOP Central Committee and Monroe County’s Executive and Central committees voted to censure those Republicans.
Republicans had a then-67-member supermajority (it’s now 66 as Rep. Kris Jordan, R-Ostrander, unexpectedly died on Feb. 25), and could have elected a speaker without the Democrats. It takes 50 votes to elect a speaker. Merrin lost the speakership vote 54 to 43.
The Ohio House Republican Caucus vote in November was close, where 31 backed Stephens. It was presumed that all members of the party’s supermajority would vote in lockstep on Jan. 3. Carruthers told the Journal-News in January she stood by her vote, and reaffirmed that position on Friday.
“I was an unwavering Stephens supporter from Day 1, and cast my only vote for him on the floor,” she said. “It’s disappointing the Butler County GOP chose to take this action based on false information, and unwittingly doing the dirty work of others with disingenuous motivations. No matter what, I will keep working for the people of Butler County, because that’s who I work for.”
What got many Republicans riled up was the fact that the 32 House Democrats also supported Stephens following a deal Minority Leader Allison Russo negotiated. The Columbus Dispatch reported that Russo said Democrats backed Stephens because he said he would work in good faith with issues like redistricting, school funding, workers’ rights, and infrastructure projects.
While censure does not have any direct ramifications for her position in the Ohio House, especially since it was done by GOP organizations, it can impact her in a re-election bid in terms of endorsements and financial support.
Carruthers was re-elected to a third term in the Ohio House in November, and will represent the newly drawn 47th House District, which encompasses portions of central and northwestern Butler County, including the cities of Hamilton and Oxford, for the next two years. Due to term limits, she is eligible to seek a fourth term.
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