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Ex-Speaker’s Ohio House Seat Will Go to GOP Primary Winner
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The winner of the Republican primary will hold ex-Speaker Cliff Rosenberger’s vacant Ohio House seat for the rest of the year.
The Hillsboro Times-Gazette reports that is the deal struck by Rosenberger’s GOP caucus, which has the job of appointing his successor.
The 36-year-old Rosenberger, of Clarksville, resigned last week amid an FBI inquiry surrounding his activities. He initially said he’d leave May 1, but made his exit immediate on Friday following political pressure.
That leaves the 91st District seat in southwest Ohio open until the May faceoff between Highland County commissioner Shane Wilkin and Clinton County businesswoman Beth Ellis is decided. The winner faces Democrat Justin Grimes in November.
House spokesman Brad Miller says waiting for the primary wasn’t ideal but lawmakers determined it was fairest to both candidates.