The results of one Summit County primary could affect a potential leadership shakeup in the Ohio Statehouse.
The Ohio House District 32 seat, which covers the southern portion of Akron as well as Barberton, Green Township and New Franklin, has been vacant since former Rep. Bob Young (R-Green Township) resigned in October 2023. Young was convicted of hitting his wife and sentenced to probation.
When a legislator resigns, party officials from the district have 30 days to nominate a replacement to fill the rest of the term. The Summit County Republican Party nominated Jack Daniels, a longtime business owner and current New Franklin City Council President.
While open seats are usually swiftly confirmed, House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) opted not to confirm Daniels' nomination - likely because of an ongoing battle between House Republicans, said Bryan Williams, chair of the Summit County Republican Party.
“I conclude or believe that the reason the seat has not been filled is because the Speaker does not want to appoint somebody he fears would not be loyal to his reelection,” Williams said.
In January 2023, Stephens thwarted Rep. Derek Merrin’s bid to become Speaker of the House. The Republican caucus had picked Merrin, but Stephens made a deal with House Democrats and 22 Republicans – who some are calling the “Blue 22” – to break from the caucus and vote Stephens for speaker instead.
Former Rep. Young was one of the 22 Republicans who voted for Stephens – meaning, whoever wins the primary to replace him might not have the same allegiance to Stephens, Daniels said.
“If a lot of those seats are overturned and the ‘Blue 22’ turn into the ‘Blue 10,' the results of that are going to be not good for Stephens, theoretically,” Daniels said. “I think I would have just added more confusion to that, is my guess, so, just leaving the seat empty until after the primary was easier.”
Whoever wins the District 32 primary will face a Democratic challenger in the primary: Jim Colopy of Akron. The winner of the general election will take part in the speaker vote after the election.
It’s likely that the primary winner will be appointed to serve the rest of Young’s term this year, but that’s not guaranteed, Williams said.
“He has no obligation to make the appointment, although it would be unprecedented for him to leave a district unrepresented,” Williams said. “It is logical to assume, Jack would be appointed to that vacancy because the voters have spoken, but there is no legal requirement for Stephens to put this to a vote of the caucus for appointment.”
Daniels told Ideastream Public Media that if elected, he plans to vote for whomever the Republican caucus nominates; however, he said he does not have any political allegiances.
“I do believe in the party system, and I did make a pledge to get the Summit County Republican Party endorsement, that I would vote with the caucus when we got to the floor. I would not be a ‘Blue 22,’” Daniels said. “In the caucus, I’ll vote on what matters to me, independently.”
Daniels' opponent in the Republican primary, Mary Stormer, had also applied to replace Young.
Stormer would most likely vote with the Republican caucus for speaker as well.
“I’ll do my job,” Stormer said. “I’ve spoken to Speaker Stephens; I met with him and talked to him a few weeks ago. I think, you know, we’re likeminded about some things.”
Stormer is a former clerk for the Akron Municipal Court and member of the Akron Public Schools Board of Education. If elected, she would prioritize public safety and supporting vocational education for students, she said.
“Our workforce is dwindling, and I feel that I’ve been talking about this for years and the situation has only gotten worse,” Stormer said. “I think that where public education has really missed the ball with building a workforce is not exposing students hands-on to skilled trades when they’re in junior high, and they’ve just really pushed most of the kids to try to go to college.”
Daniels, who has owned a trucking company for more than 30 years, plans to focus on taxation and supporting small businesses if elected.
He wants to revise or eliminate the state income tax, he said.
“I think we really need to take a hard look at taxation overall in the state of Ohio, because I think these little taxing streams keep growing, and since there’s not a statewide control, I guess, you know, it’s in disarray. It’s confusing, to say the least,” Daniels said.
What sets him apart from Stormer, he said, is that he would provide a “fresh perspective” in the statehouse, he said.
“When you are new, fresh and naïve, it’s much easier to listen to ideas with a fresh perspective that’s not engrained in tradition,” Daniels said.
Stormer said she has more political experience than Daniels.
“The people who run the Summit County Republican Party, the head of it – they’re lobbyists, so they want somebody down there who’s going to do their fray, and I’m not that person. And they know that,” Stormer said.
Williams with the Summit County Republican Party denied this and said the nomination committee found Daniels a much stronger candidate than Stormer due to his business experience.
Williams added that Daniels told them he would vote with the Republican caucus and “not align with a group of Democrats” in a hypothetical speaker vote.
Several candidates who voted with the ‘Blue 22’ are running in primaries across the state – including Rep. Gail Pavliga, who is running to keep her seat in District 72 in Portage County.
Candidates challenging the ‘Blue 22’ incumbents have well-funded campaigns, Williams added.
“They’re running with a lot of support. That’s very unique,” Williams said. “It’s all about those Republicans who sided with 32 Democrats to pick the speaker and empower the Democrats in a way that they should not be empowered, since they only have 32 seats out of 99.”
