Lang wins election to first full term; vows to put businesses first

Ohio Rep. George Lang has won election to his first full term representing the 52nd House District.

And the West Chester Twp. Republican said he’ll “do the exact same thing I’ve been doing for the last 16 years in West Chester and that is putting business first.”

COMPLETE ELECTION RESULTS: Ohio and Butler County races, issues

Lang beat Democrat Kathy Wyenandt, of Liberty Twp., with 58.7 percent of the vote, according to unofficial final results from the Butler County Board of Elections. Wyenandt received 41.3 percent of the vote.

Lang said his business-first approach worked for West Chester Twp., which he said is “the most business-friendly community in Ohio” and he wants Ohio to have that moniker in the nation.

Three of Lang’s six bills that are still in lame duck session of the General Assembly are pro-business and he plans to push those. If they are not passed, he will re-introduce those in the 133rd General Assembly, he told the Journal-News.

“Come the next General Assembly, the only thing I’m going to work on is pro-business legislation,” Lang said.

Lang has started a small business-first caucus in the Ohio House, which he said has 20 to 25 members, and said within the first 12 months of the caucus believes it will be “the main driver of legislation.” Ohio Rep. Scott Wiggam, R-Wooster, is the co-chair of the caucus.

Lang thanked Wyenandt for the positive race. The first time they met, they agreed to run a clean campaign, he said.

“What a world-class person she was (during the race), and what a world-class race she ran,” he said. “Today, the hypocrisy on the left is equally as bad as the hypocrisy on the right, and all the mudslinging that’s going on at the national level and the local level.”

Wyenandt said she was “extremely proud” of the campaign she ran. She also believes she made some end roads in this race where a Democrat can once again win a partisan race in Butler County.

“We had a lot of Republican crossover support. People are tired of the nastiness and polarization and they’re ready for change in some ways,” she said. “But at the end of the day we didn’t come up on top but that’s okay. We moved the needle and change takes time.”

The 52nd Ohio House District includes all or parts of Fairfield Twp., Liberty Twp., West Chester Twp., Hamilton and Sharonville.

Lang was appointed to the seat in September 2017 following the resignation of former Republican lawmaker Margy Conditt.

About the Author