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Rotunda Rumblings
Pension pleas: A rally calling for Congress to save some 200 struggling pension plans drew a crowd of at least 5,000 to the Capitol grounds, cleveland.com's Jackie Borchardt reports. The rally was held in advance of a special field meeting of a joint congressional committee looking at the issue at the Statehouse on Friday. Ohio Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman are both on the committee.
Stormy controversy: Stormy Daniels, the porn star who claims she had an affair with President Donald Trump, was arrested at a Columbus strip club early Thursday morning for illegally touching several customers while on stage - including three undercover police officers. As cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer writes, just as bizarrely, the charges were dropped hours later because the 2007 "no-touching" law states it only applies to strippers who "regularly" perform at the same establishment. Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said she was looking to find another Columbus-area club to perform at Thursday night.
Speaking of Avenatti: He's planning to come to Ohio next month to speak at the Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman's Dinner, according to the Youngstown Vindicator's David Skolnick.
The story behind Ohio's "no-touching" law: State lawmakers passed it as part of the Community Defense Act in 2007. Pelzer has a look at the colorful history of the law - including why the "no-touching" ban includes an exemption for strippers' immediate family members.
Double or nothing: Two Ohio senators are betting that the state's residents want sports gambling. Sen. Sean O'Brien tells cleveland.com's Laura Hancock he is seeking input before specifics will be added to Senate Bill 316.
You snooze, you lose: Payday lenders didn't propose realistic changes to House Bill 123, which is why they could be stuck with a bill they don't like. Hancock lists the winners and losers after Tuesday's Senate vote on the bill.
Doctor's orders: The state medical board added 46 names to the list of doctors approved to recommend medical marijuana on Wednesday. Cleveland.com has information for all 185 doctors approved so far in a searchable database.
They're baaaack: For the first time in four years, the Libertarian Party of Ohio will be on the ballot this November. As Pelzer explains, the Libertarians now need their gubernatorial candidate, Travis Irvine, to get at least 3 percent of the vote to keep state recognition for the 2020 election.
Full court press: Cleveland.com's Andrew Tobias takes a look at the possible impact the impending fight to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court may have on Ohio's Senate race. Will Sherrod Brown feel the heat like some other Democrats in states Trump won? Can Jim Renacci use it to his advantage? Read more here.
More on the Senate race: Term limits have also become an issue in the race between Brown and Renacci. Cleveland.com's Sabrina Eaton examines how Brown reversed his support for term limits over time. Renacci, too has changed his position, but the opposite way.
Kasich in DC: Ohio Gov. John Kasich continues to make the rounds as a possible 2020 candidate-in-waiting, this time appearing before the National Press Club in Washington D.C. In a speech to reporters, Kasich criticized Trump's "America alone, not America first" foreign policy, and as he often does, also said he's not sure what the political future holds for him, Eaton reports.
Pureval on Pelosi: Aftab Pureval, the Democratic nominee for Ohio's first congressional district, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that if he's elected he will not support California Rep. Nancy Pelosi to lead his party in the U.S. House. Pureval is challenging U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot in the Southwest Ohio district.
Debate debut: A month before the special election, Democrat Danny O'Connor and Republican Troy Balderson participated in the first debate between the two candidates for Ohio's 12th Congressional District on Thursday, writes the Columbus Dispatch's Jim Siegel. The two talked about tax cuts, Social Security, Medicare and more in an exchange that was "largely polite and respectful."
GOP groups make big OH-12 TV buys: The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC with ties to House GOP leadership, has bought $203,000 worth of TV ads between Thursday and next Tuesday, according to Politico. In addition, the National Republican Congressional Committee has purchased another $254,000 worth of broadcast TV time in the final two weeks before the Aug. 7 primary.
Five Questions
Nelsonville City Councilman Taylor Sappington, 26, is running as a Democrat for House District 94 in southeastern Ohio. In November, he faces Rep. Jay Edwards, a Republican who is running for re-election.
1. Describe the 94th District for those of us who are not familiar with it.
"You have rural swaths of Vinton County, Meigs County and Washington (County) where there are a lot of forests, it's very rural - country roads, hollows and old mine shafts... And then you have places like Marietta (which is) very split politically between the two sides... And you have Athens County, and a university town plopped right in the middle -- extremely Democratic."
2. How will you appeal to the different people who live in the district?
"I strongly believe that Appalachia is a region left behind, and it's by no accident. And I strongly believe that Columbus likes to take a look at Appalachia during election time, because you have folks who want to protect their majority, but when it comes to actual policy, we're certainly not getting a fair deal."
3. How would you evaluate Rep. Edwards' representation in the district?
"What I've seen in the last two years is a state government getting super interested in culture wars. I've seen total bans on a right to choose (proposed),... But I don't see anything changing as far as the structural disadvantages down here."
4. You have over 21,000 followers on Twitter? Did you purchase followers?
"I did not buy them. I don't have the money to buy them. If you just tweet about topics that are universal to people, there are folks on Twitter who will pay attention and will follow you."
5. What do you like to do for fun during the summertime?
"Getting ready for football is always a big thing down here, and I'm a huge football fan. The high school season typically kicks off with the rivalry game with Trimble (versus Nelsonville-York.) .... And there are summer practices that people attend to see how the team's doing and how they expect them to play when that first game kicks off."
Birthdays
Saturday: State Reps. Anthony DeVitis and John Rogers
Sunday: George Voinovich, former Ohio governor and U.S. senator (1936-2016)
Straight From The Source
"A mistake was made."
-Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs, explaining on Twitter Thursday why her officers thought they could arrest Stormy Daniels.
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