Mr. Jones goes to Washington
Chuck Jones, the former FirstEnergy CEO, is not allowed to travel while awaiting state and federal criminal trials from his alleged bribing of both an Ohio House Speaker and a state utility regulator. But he just received judicial permission to go to Washington, D.C.
The former executive told a judge he’s going to meet with “regulatory counsel” in D.C. in person to review “documents and other relevant information in preparation for the trial of this matter.”
This means Jones is going back to where it all began. Federal prosecutors say the whole two-pronged bribery plot began over a series of “fancy” steak dinners in 2017 as Donald Trump was inaugurated for his first term.
Jones’ attorney didn’t return a phone call for details about the trip.
Map quest
Allison Russo, a Democrat from suburban Columbus, launched her campaign for Secretary of State last week while touting her experience negotiating with Republicans over redistricting earlier this decade.
Her decision to highlight redistricting reflects the national attention on the issue that has followed President Donald Trump’s pressure on Texas and other Republican-controlled states to gerrymander their congressional district maps to help the GOP keep its control of Congress.
But some Democrats think Russo has little to brag about, pointing out that she sided with Republicans on votes that led to Oho’s current state legislative district maps, which many view as unfair to Democrats. The vote from Russo also may be at odds with where Democratic voters are today. Recent polling shows they are more likely to say they want their leaders to take aggressive, principled stands against Trump and other Republicans rather than seek compromise.
Andrew Tobias spoke with Russo’s critics and allies to see why she did what she did and how the issue is playing out in the campaign. Read more here.
Union strong
The construction building trades are widely viewed as among the most politically conservative groups among the organized labor movement, commonly donating to both Republicans and Democrats.
But, nonetheless, the Northwest Ohio Building Trades Council – an umbrella group of unions in the Toledo area – raised eyebrows recently when it endorsed Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted in next year’s U.S. Senate race over Democrat and longtime union backer Sherrod Brown.
Brown, who voted in lockstep with unions for years in Congress before losing re-election last November, recently announced he’s seeking a comeback by challenging Husted.
The labor council’s leader, Shaun Enright, didn’t respond to a request to talk about the endorsement, nor did several local Democratic leaders with close ties to the union. In a statement, Enright called Husted “a friend both personally and professionally to every working man and woman” within his organization.
The development highlights the widening schism between the Democratic Party and blue-collar workers. It also could be a bad sign for the area’s longtime congresswoman, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who, like Brown, has had a close relationship with labor. She faces another tough reelection contest next year.
Josh Culling, a local Republican consultant, said Husted has worked to build a relationship with labor leaders across the state. He’s done this in part by talking about how as lieutenant governor he emphasized the importance of trade education.
“I think they see the way the winds are blowing in Ohio and nationally, and they want to have the right relationships for the future,” said Culling, who’s working for one of Kaptur’s Republican challengers, state Rep. Josh Williams.
Brown, meanwhile, has rolled out several labor endorsements of his own since launching his campaign earlier this month, including one from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers International. Brown is expected to have plenty more.
Price tags
We’ve been wondering what it costs for Gov. Mike DeWine to send troops into Washington, D.C.
An Ohio National Guard spokeswoman said last week she didn’t have cost estimates, but the federal government will pay the tab.
But one reference point comes from the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s missions at DeWine’s behest to patrol the Southern Border in both 2021 and 2023. OSHP spokesman Brice Nihiser said he couldn’t provide final costs. But the trips were estimated to cost the state $230,000 in 2021 and $330,000 in 2023.
The Ohio National Guard, which DeWine has also deployed to the border, still hasn’t responded to requests for cost data on the operations.
Comedy stand off
It’s not clear whether Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Ryan will face off politically in next year’s election. But if a fun night out can be a competition, one of them was the clear winner recently.
Ryan, a former Democratic congressman, posted a picture Sunday night of his view while he watched a performance in Columbus by comedian Nate Bargatze.
“Unbelievable night,” Ryan wrote in a post that included a photo of the view from his seat (which, as far as we could tell, was pretty good). “Freaking hilarious dude.”
Vivek Ramaswamy, the Columbus-area billionaire entrepreneur, had a similar idea, and apparently saw Bargatze for his encore performance in Columbus the following night. But while Ryan was first to post, Ramaswamy’s post earned more social media clout, as evidenced by a photo Ramaswamy posted showing him and Bargatze posing together backstage.
“Great to welcome our friend Nate Bargatze to Ohio!” Ramaswamy wrote. “Killing it in Columbus tonight.”
Ryan and Ramaswamy were like two ships passing in the night last weekend. But they could end up meeting in the November 2026 election for governor. Ryan has said he’ll decide before the end of next month whether to join Dr. Amy Acton, the former state health director, in the Democratic primary contest for governor. Ramaswamy, meanwhile, is the strong frontrunner in the Republican race.
Keep on truckin’
Kelly Loeffler, the administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and a former U.S. senator from Georgia, visited a concrete business in Columbus last week to tout Trump’s signature Big Beautiful Bill legislation. Here’s a video of her driving a large truck in the business’ parking lot.
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