© 2024 Ideastream Public Media

1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 916-6100 | (877) 399-3307

WKSU is a public media service licensed to Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
2018 was a big election year in Ohio. Republicans held onto all five statewide executive offices including governor and super majorities in both the Ohio House and Senate. But there were a few bright spots for Democrats, among them the reelection of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and the election of two Democrats to the Ohio Supreme Court.With election 2018 over, the focus now shifts to governing. Stay connected with the latest on politics, policies and people making the decisions at all levels affecting your lives.

Powerful Ohio Senator Hite Unexpectedly Resigns

Ohio Sen. Cliff Hite
Ohio Senate

A high-ranking Republican senator from northwest Ohio has abruptly resigned his seat. 

Cliff Hite is a former high school history teacher and football coach from Findlay who’s been in the Statehouse for a decade.

Just last month Hite said he planned to run for re-election in 2018, and was considered an important voice on agriculture and a supporter of wind energy, often breaking with the party on that issue.  In his resignation, Hite says he will focus on his health and spending time with his family.

Attempts to reach Hite for further comment were unsuccessful.

Among those who could be appointed to replace Hite are state lawmakers Robert McColley, who recently dropped out of the race for House speaker; and freshman Rep. Craig Riedel. Rep. Robert Sprague is also a possibility, but is now the party’s lone candidate for treasurer next year.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.