Ohio Republicans are facing an ugly backlash after reports that some lawmakers and lobbyists want to curb executive power before Democratic Gov.-elect Amy Acton takes office, with one furious Reddit user declaring: “This is why we think they’re scum.”
The anger follows News 5 Cleveland’s report that some Republican lawmakers and lobbyists are considering reducing the authority of incoming statewide Democratic officials after the party’s major election gains.
For Ohio’s left-leaning Reddit contingent, the possibility was immediately framed as hypocrisy and an attempt to rewrite the rules after losing power. Comments accused Republicans of caring more about maintaining control than respecting the result voters delivered, with one user arguing: “They expect their base to want to ‘win’ not effectively govern.”
Another wrote: “Rules for thee but not for me,” while others pointed to previous battles over marijuana, abortion and state government as evidence of a broader distrust toward Ohio’s Republican establishment.
But there is an awkward complication for anyone treating this as a straightforward Republicans-versus-Democrats fight: the Republican currently holding the governor’s office wants no part of it.
DeWine Breaks With His Own Side
Gov. Mike DeWine, who endorsed the Republican ticket, told News 5 he would oppose any attempt to dramatically weaken the office before Acton takes over.
“I don’t think any governor is going to approve anything, whether you’re Democrat or Republican, that would dramatically change the powers of the governor,” DeWine said. “I just don’t think that’s appropriate.”
He also stressed that Republican legislative leaders had not presented him with a specific proposal, making the current row as much about what lawmakers might do as what they have actually committed to doing.
Republican State Rep. Adam Mathews of Lebanon struck a more cautious note, arguing that “checks and balances” should be considered case by case. Incoming Senate President Bill Reineke, another Republican, said he would “wait and see what comes up on the agenda.”
That nuance has not cooled the online fury. The Reddit thread is overwhelmingly hostile toward Republicans, with commenters repeatedly portraying any attempt to reduce Acton’s authority as a partisan power grab.
Yet DeWine’s opposition makes the coming fight harder to reduce to party labels alone. The real test will come if Republican lawmakers actually put legislation on his desk.
Until then, Ohio has plenty of outrage, plenty of suspicion, and one Republican governor warning his own party not to change the rules simply because someone else is about to hold the office.
