March 28, 2026

Ohio's 2026 Midterms Are Shaping Up to Be the Most Consequential in a Generation. Here's What You Need to Know.

Ohio's 2026 Midterms Are Shaping Up to Be the Most Consequential in a Generation. Here's What You Need to Know.

If you live in Ohio or care about what's happening in a state that still shapes national politics, the next seven months are going to be pivotal. The Statehouse is moving at full speed, primary elections are May 5, and the decisions being made right now touch everything from your voting rights to your grocery bill to your gas bill.

I covered all of this on the latest Purple Political Breakdown, and the details deserve more attention than they're getting.

The Mail-In Voting Fight

President Trump called for ending no-excuse mail-in voting nationwide during his State of the Union. Ohio has operated under this system for roughly two decades, and it's been broadly supported by leaders in both parties. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, defended the system as effective, efficient, and secure. Governor DeWine backed the current setup without directly pushing back on the President.

The key context: Ohio already eliminated its four-day post-Election Day grace period for mail ballots last year in response to a Trump Administration legal threat. DeWine signed that law reluctantly. The precedent of adjusting election rules under federal pressure is already established.

State Rep. Allison Russo, a Democratic candidate for Secretary of State, said voters are constantly expressing concern about interference with the 2026 election. Whether Ohio officials are ultimately working for Ohioans or responding to federal pressure is a question this cycle will answer.

Abortion Access Under Pressure

The Ohio House advanced HB 347, a 24-hour waiting period for abortion patients. Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights in 2023 with 57 percent support, and a judge already blocked a nearly identical law for likely violating that amendment. Abortion rights supporters argue this bill creates the same burden. Abortion opponents say the amendment didn't capture voters' nuanced opinions.

There is a reasonable case that consulting with a doctor before a major medical decision has value. But the broader pattern here is what matters: the legislature is repeatedly testing the boundaries of a constitutional amendment the voters approved. If the people voted one way, the government needs to respect that outcome.

Additional bills include one requiring in-person doctor visits before receiving the abortion pill, and another mandating fetal development videos for students in grades 5 through 12.

SNAP Funding at Risk

Ohio faces the possibility of its SNAP program costs tripling under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act unless it reduces its error rate below 6 percent by September. The state hasn't hit that mark since 2017, with the most recent rate just above 9 percent. The legislature passed $12.5 million to counties to offset $70 million in federal cuts, but the equal distribution formula means Cuyahoga County (which lost $7.2 million) receives the same as counties that lost a fraction of that. The distribution should be proportional to actual losses while still ensuring smaller counties are supported.

Hemp Ban Now in Effect

Senate Bill 56 is law. It bans intoxicating hemp products including THC and CBD beverages, reduces THC levels, and adds criminal penalties, modifying the recreational marijuana law voters approved in 2023. The referendum effort fell short of the 248,092 signatures needed. About 6,000 businesses are affected. Lawsuits have been filed, including challenges to the Governor's line-item veto of the THC beverage provision. The situation is a case study in what happens when voter-approved laws get modified by the legislature and the effort to let voters weigh in on those changes doesn't materialize.

Alternative Voting Methods Deserve Your Attention

Governor DeWine signed a statewide ban on ranked choice voting, financially penalizing any local government that tries to implement it. On the episode, I discussed this extensively because I've spent significant time studying alternative voting methods. While I believe ranked choice voting shouldn't be banned, it has documented inefficiencies.

Methods like approval voting and STAR voting address many of the same problems without the same failure points. Approval voting lets you vote yes or no on every candidate. STAR voting uses a five-star rating system with an automatic runoff between the top two. Both give more weight to independent and third-party candidates and force major parties to put forward stronger candidates. Duncan Seanor is working to advance STAR voting in Columbus, and I've spoken with Sarah Wolk from the Equal Vote Coalition about these methods on previous episodes. If ranked choice voting being banned concerns you, these alternatives deserve your attention.

The Attorney General Race Matters More Than You Think

The AG provides legal counsel to every state department, handles criminal appeals, and shapes how the state enforces its laws. With Dave Yost term-limited, the seat is open.

Republican Keith Faber, currently State Auditor, is running on constitutional rights, consumer protection, drug enforcement, and anti-trafficking efforts. He's closely aligned with the Trump platform.

Two Democrats are competing in the May 5 primary. John Kulewicz is a 44-year veteran of a major Columbus law firm who has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. He serves on Upper Arlington City Council and has built endorsements spanning the Ohio Democratic Party, AFL-CIO, Chamber of Commerce PAC, UAW, teachers' unions, and Planned Parenthood. His platform targets corruption, fraud, and consumer exploitation. He describes himself as a lawyer, not a politician.

Elliot Forhan is a Yale Law graduate and former one-term state representative whose campaign has been overshadowed by a viral TikTok video about pursuing capital punishment against President Trump through legal proceedings. Both parties condemned the video. Forhan's legislative tenure also ended after his own Democratic leadership stripped him of committee assignments for a documented pattern of harassment and intimidation. He received 12 percent in his 2024 reelection bid.

Rapid Updates

The Ohio House passed a bill banning public performances by people presenting a different gender identity than their biological sex. Gas bills have doubled since 2020. AEP is pushing to own nuclear generation facilities. The FirstEnergy bribery trial jury is deliberating. A $98 million solar farm was rejected in Morrow County, the seventh since 2020 with no engineering issues found. And the legislature is making vaccination opt-outs easier even as measles outbreaks return.

Ohio's primary is May 5. Pay attention to your local elections, because they have a much more immediate impact on your daily life than anything happening in Washington.

Full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-does-the-ohio-attorney-general-race-matter-plus/id1626987640?i=1000757914368

Sources:

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Radell Lewis

Podcast Host

Navigating the vast amount of bouncing around the political spectrum my entire life I have finally figured something important out. It doesn't matter. I've been religious, been in the military, went to a liberal school and all in all none of the political biases matter. We shouldn't let toxic discourse cloud our judgement and find a solution through logic and conversation. In pursuit of this mission I created this podcast to focus on these important conversations.

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