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Columbus, Ohio- In case you missed it, new reporting from Mother Jones highlighted Republican OH-13 candidate Kevin Coughlin’s long career as a special interest lobbyist. On the campaign trail, Coughlin claimed he’ll work for Ohioans instead of lobbyists, but failed to mention his long career as a lobbyist.

“If Coughlin can’t even be honest about his career as a lobbyist, clearly any claims of putting Ohioans first are just empty promises,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “OH-13 voters won’t cast a ballot for an insider who is only looking out for his special interest buddies while leaving working families behind.”

READ MORE about the insider lobbying gig Coughlin is desperate to hide:

• Former Ohio state Sen. Kevin Coughlin—a self-described “husband, father, [and] small business owner”—is running to be the Republican nominee for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District seat in the 2026 midterms. He promises to “put Ohio workers and their families first,” according to his campaign website. “Never politicians, lobbyists, or special interests.”

• What Coughlin doesn’t say is that the “small business” he touts was, in fact, a lobbying firm. Indeed, for all his disparagement of lobbyists, Coughlin himself was registered as one in the state of Ohio from at least January 2012 to December 2016. His clients ranged from companies in the health care industry—Dentaquest, Internal Medicine Specialists Inc., and Rocky Mountain Dental Association—to the National Real Estate Investors Association and Solar Planet.

• But if Coughlin is pitching himself in this potentially competitive matchup as the candidate best prepared to fight lobbyists and their corporate interests, it may be because he knows the profession from the inside.

• Coughlin was appointed to the state Senate in 2001 and served until he was term-limited in 2010. He served as chair of the Health, Human Services, and Aging Committee and introduced multiple bills related to health care. One sought to prevent Ohio’s government from enforcing the federal Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate.

• In August 2010, a couple of months before his term officially ended, Coughlin registered his new business, Lexington Strategic, with the state of Ohio. There, he would go on to lobby on behalf of multiple companies that had vested interests in Ohio health care and Medicaid policy—issues he worked closely on in the state Senate.

• And yet Coughlin, who did not return a request for comment, seems to be quite aware that politicians who bend to lobbyists may be politically vulnerable at the polls.

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Columbus, Ohio- Yesterday, the Joint Redistricting Committee officially kicked off Ohio’s latest round of congressional redistricting by holding a hearing that presumably was to hear from Ohioans. Although Republicans showed up to do their legally required duties, that was about it. 

Ohioans are currently governed by maps that were ruled unconstitutional seven times. Republicans have also made it more difficult for eligible voters to cast a ballot, authored misleading ballot language, and even attempted to change our state constitution to confuse voters.

Republicans are likely to unveil congressional maps that are out of touch with how Ohioans actually vote. In 2024, 55% of Ohioans voted for the Republican candidate, but 66% of our Congressional seats are gerrymandered for Republicans. In a fair constitutional map, Ohio’s 15 congressional districts would be 8 Republican and 7 Democratic, not 10 and 5, respectively.

“While Ohioans are waiting to find out exactly how little their vote matters to Republicans, committee members made it painfully clear they were only listening to testimony because they were legally required to,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “In contrast, Democrats have proposed a fair, constitutional map that gives all Ohioans an equal voice in our state. Instead of going through the motions, we’re calling on Republicans to do their job and join us in passing a constitutional map.”

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Columbus, Ohio- Following the first meeting of the Joint Committee on Redistricting, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde released the following statement: 

“Ohioans deserve fair maps and a redistricting process that leads to voters choosing their elected officials and not the other way around. That’s why Democrats have proposed a map that accurately reflects how Ohioans vote. We’re calling on Republican legislators to work with us to pass these maps and make sure every Ohioan can be heard. 

If Republicans move forward with their plan to further rig Ohio’s already gerrymandered districts in order to avoid accountability from the voters, Ohio Democrats will use every tool at our disposal to fight back.“

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Husted: “Nobody is going to lose their Medicaid coverage in our state” 

490,000 Ohioans will lose health coverage, according to expert analysis 

Columbus, Ohio – In case you missed it, Senator Jon Husted was caught lying yesterday about the devastating consequences of the GOP’s budget bill that will strip 490,000 Ohioans of their health care and put at least eleven rural Ohio hospitals at risk of closure. 

See for yourself: 

Husted: “That’s not true for Ohio. Ohio hospitals are going to see record increases, and nobody is going to lose their Medicaid coverage in our state.”

Interviewer: “So, no Ohioans would lose coverage because of this?” 

Husted: “No.” 

Here’s the truth: 

• Senator Husted voted for cuts to healthcare funding including Medicaid that will cause 490,000 Ohioans to lose their health care coverage, according to Joint Economic Committee analysis. 

• The bill has put eleven rural hospitals in Ohio at risk of closure. 

• This week, Husted voted against permanently extending tax credits that millions of Americans rely on to afford their health insurance — which will cause premiums to increase by up to 93% and make health care more expensive for 500,000 Ohioans. 

Read More: 

Akron Beacon Journal: Medicaid cuts will affect everyone as nation struggles with changes | Opinion

• More than 3.2 million Ohioans, including 1.3 million children, are covered by Medicaid. In some Ohio legislative districts, as much as 38% of the population is covered by Medicaid. This translates to Medicaid being a significant portion of the payer mix of many Ohio health systems. 

• The One Big Beautiful Bill will prevent President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts from expiring, essentially cutting taxes by approximately $4.5 trillion over the next 10 years. In order to cut taxes to this extent, $911 billion will need to be cut from Medicaid. 

• In general, Medicaid helps enrollees access health care which makes it easier for them to work and meet their basic needs, including buying food and paying their rent or mortgage. Recent comments from Ohio Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, like ones he made in Akron on Aug. 14, would have us believe the opposite.

• These cuts to Medicaid have made the One Big Beautiful Bill deeply unpopular. 

• If fully realized, these cuts to Medicaid will impact everyone. People who buy their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will see their premiums increase by at least 18%. People living in rural communities including pregnant women will have their ability to access health care limited. In the fallout of program cuts, 1 million people will lose their jobs, leading to an almost 1 percentage point increase in the national unemployment rate.

• Over 7 million people are expected to be uninsured because of these Medicaid cuts. When people lose their health insurance, they do not stop going to the emergency room. They delay getting the routine health care they need and then go to the ER when they are sicker and need resource-intensive care. Hospitals will experience not only a decrease in revenue but also an increase in uncompensated care as a result of cuts to Medicaid. Healthcare systems will respond by charging patients with commercial insurance more, increasing the cost of healthcare for everyone.

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Columbus, Ohio – Today, Senator Jon Husted voted to make health care more expensive for 500,000 Ohioans from losing their health care.

Ohio Democratic spokeswoman Katie Seewer made the following statement: 

“Jon Husted sold out Ohio when he voted for a budget law this summer that will rip health care from thousands – all to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Now, he’s spitting in our face again by voting to make health care more expensive for 500,000 Ohioans. Husted is failing Ohioans in every possible way, and he will face the consequences next year.” 

Here’s what Senator Husted voted against: 

• Husted voted against reversing the GOP budget law’s health care cuts that are set to kick 15 million Americans off their health care. 
• Husted voted against permanently extending tax credits that millions of Americans rely on to afford their health insurance — which will cause premiums to increase by up to 93% and jeopardize health care for 500,000 Ohioans. 
• Husted voted restoring funding for life-saving NIH research funding. 
• Husted voting against restoring funding for public broadcasting stations that Americans rely on for emergency awareness. 

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