The History of Special Interests Dominating Ohio's Republican Party

It was progressive reformists and special interests that championed a change from a Summer primary to an early spring primary as a way to protect incumbents. The first Spring primary occurred in 1932 in Ohio.

Ohio Primaries

Despite dominating modern American politics, the primary election as we know it is a rather recent development. The 1980 Reagan electoral cycle was the first year that primaries were in a majority of states.

The progression of candidate selection in the United States has broadly taken three forms throughout our history: nomination by the statehouse or congressional caucus, nomination by a convention, and open caucus or primary elections.

When Ohio became a State in 1803 there were not many laws surrounding how political parties operated. They were considered private organizations and were free to run their party the way they wanted to. Political parties that were active in the Ohio territory stepped up their efforts to shape government with a Christian ethos. This was a time when there was a great religious imperative to act ethically to produce good government. This was after all, a relatively short time (16 years) after the U.S. Constitution had been adopted (1787) and most of America’s founding fathers were still alive. 

Jeremiah Morrow “Win or Lose - it matters how you play the game!”

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other” was a quote from John Adams in 1798 to the Massachusetts militia - that very much inspired and affirmed the convictions of those that were running for office to act ethically. The people of Ohio generally expected and got ethical behavior from their political party leaders. This can be  the explanation as to why Ohio politics operated for nearly 100 years with Ohioans generally liking the system of choosing who went on to the general election.

But all good things must come to an end. As the political machines became more developed and influential, they wielded greater power. The enticement to act unethically in order to control the party grew. At the 1802 State Convention Ohio’s political parties operated in just 9 counties that had been formed.

One of the founders of the State of Ohio was a leader of the Democrat-Republican party, Jeremiah Morrow - a future governor of Ohio. He was outspoken during the first Ohio State Constitutional Convention on the need to provide checks and balances on the control of the parties. Jeremiah Morrow was Ohio’s 9th Governor and was the friend of four presidents: Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and the younger Adams. Although he was a supporter of their administrations, he never sought or secured an office or a contract for any of his relatives or friends because he thought that - that would  be perceived as unethical. Jeremiah Morrow was so admired for his ethics and virtue in government, that at 78 years of age he was asked to be involved in Ohio’s second Constitutional Convention in 1850. He declined the seat in the Constitutional Convention saying that he “...had assisted in framing one constitution, it was worn out, (he) was worn out with it. The new one ought to be framed by those who would live under it.”

The Concern of Dying Ethics are Validated

By the late 1800s and early 1900s Morrow’s fears were being realized. Ohio residents were becoming more and more disenchanted with corruption within the political process. These concerns contributed to the era’s growth of the reformist movement across the entirety of the United States. One reform instituted by reformists in many states was the direct primary. Until the advent of the direct primary, Ohio’s political parties had generally chosen their candidates through political county and state conventions. Because there were not many laws governing the process, a few influential people (the establishment or swamp) were often able to manipulate the party's choice of candidates. 

There were no laws governing political parties like there are now. While there were County chapters to the parties, they selected their own candidates to run the party. There were no public elections for County or State Central Committee members. These positions were normally determined from within the party and were determined by the establishment. Many times the determining factor was family, friends, or how much money one donated to the party. As ethical behavior devolved in society, so too did the parties' ability devolve in to fend off manipulation by special interests.

Reformists believed that this process led to political corruption and kept elections from being truly democratic and representing the will of the people. The thought was that with a direct primary election system by the public, the voters would choose for themselves who would represent their political party in the regular general election instead of the establishment.

Wisconsin was the first state to implement the direct primary, and other states soon followed its example. The Reverend Herbert Bigelow of Cincinnati was instrumental in gaining passage of the direct primary in Ohio, which became law in 1906. Ohio's direct primary law required a primary election for party leaders at the county level, and candidates running for state, county, and local offices.

The Swinging Pendulum from Ethics to Corruption - from the people to the Special Interests

As we can see, the pendulum swings back and forth from the parties representing the will of the people to the parties representing the will of special interests throughout Ohio’s history. The direct primary worked for only a short time in Ohio before the special interests went to work manipulating the system. The Ohio State legislature has seen fit to time and time again impede the influence of special interests on party politics. It is only recently that legislators have failed to act to ensure that the political parties are represented by registered Ohioans and are not purchased by the Special Interests.

The Ohio State Legislature put in place public elections for major parties -specifically the popular election of precinct committee members. Then, guess what? The special interests tactic was to get a few lawyers elected to the county central committee who could bully the rest and then they would run the party how they saw fit. This is still a tactic even to this very day. The legislature has a responsibility to ensure a fair process and to make certain that ethical behavior is enforced.

The legislature then provided for County and State Conventions which was initially a gathering of all of the registered members in the County for County Conventions and all the county precinct members in the State for the State Convention. 

The special interests then countered the County and State Conventions with a State law that required a County executive committee for the Party. The special interests could then somewhat control the County Party through the required County Executive Committees. The executive committees planned the County Conventions and the resolutions that were sent to the State Convention. County and State Conventions are still provided for in the Ohio revised code - they have just been made optional - more on that later.

During the 1920s and 1930s the Mob in Ohio helped to control many politicians that allowed their activity to continue unabated.

Women’s Suffrage used as a Tool of the Special Interests

As the women’s suffrage movement came to fruition in Ohio, in the 1920s, the special interests once again introduced another measure that would give them even greater influence on party politics. They did this under the cloak of the equal rights movement. Instead of composing the State Central Committee of the chairman of County Central Committees - they would now have districts for a newly formed State Central Committee that would no longer connect the local County Committees of the parties to the State Central Committee. They did this under the veil that the parties would now have to elect one woman and one man to each Senate district now giving women equal representation on the newly disconnected State Central Committee. The County Chairmen were then left out of the planning and the choice of  topics for the State Convention - this further empowered the Special Interests.

The State Convention was the last check on the State Central Committee to prevent it from being bought out by the special interests. 

In the 1950s, Ohioans rose up again against the special interests to take back their party and were able to get the legislature to pass a law to require a State political convention and the things that were required to be addressed at such conventions. The people had 30 years under the management of the State Central Committee and few Convention opportunities existed because the State Central Committee would either not have one , or - if they did have one - there would be little that anyone could do to address any disagreements in the party due to the control of the State Central Committee and County Central Committees. 

The Butler County Republican Party

Disconnecting the Party from its Local Roots

When the State Central Committee was composed of the County Chairmen - it was much harder for the special interests to influence the State Central Committee because each County Chairman was held accountable by a local County Party. Chairman could and were removed by much more active county party members. 

This new system disconnected any real or tangible accountability to the County Parties. This is responsible for registered Republicans losing interest in the party and party membership began to fall.

Compounding the discontent of everyday Republicans during the 1960s and 1970s, when many other states passed laws preventing political appointees and lobbyists from holding State Central Committee positions - Ohio stayed the course that allowed the special interests to thrive with appointees and lobbyists on the State Central Committee - sowing even more discontent by Republicans.

There are notoriously few records available to the general public on Ohio’s Republican State Convention. Luckily, the 1899 Republican State Convention proceeding are detailed and available at the library of Congress.

Ending the Check on Special Interests

Finally, the last Ohio State Republican Convention held was when Ronald Regan was nominated for president. Just as Ohio is home to never-Trumpers in high places,  we had many people that were anti-Reagan here in Ohio because he was considered a cowboy and a maverick. By the end of 1981, legislation to make the State Convention optional was introduced. In 1982 it became law and Ohio has not had a Republican State Convention since.

It is important to note that prior to 1982, Ohio was in the top 10 of all of the economic indicators in the nation. We have not reproduced that feat since 1982. Is that a coincidence or is that the cause? Everyday Republicans became disengaged from the party as the powers of the political elites coalesced. County parties, already small, shrank even more and became dependent upon the State Central Committee to help arrange fundraisers. County parties that were non compliant to the wishes of the State Central Committee felt the sting for their disagreements in the pocketbook. State Central Committee Chairmen also became less engaged in the media - with few writing rebuttals and stopped showing up for radio and newspaper interviews.

Since 2008, the Ohio Republican party has failed to adopt a State Platform. Even the 2008 platform was a readoption of the 2004 platform and many of those issues were national issues that were found in the national platform. County parties stopped adopting local platforms in the 1970s when they stopped having County Conventions.

Republicans stopped being proud of the party for it was constantly being rocked with unethical conduct and scandals. No one was held to account and even the most egregious actions were ignored - because no one was paying attention. More and more people left this once great institution

The Growing Socialism and Big Government Republicanism

Right at the time that Ohio and America needed a robust party of conservative ideas and solutions the most in order to bring a fight to growing socialism and the indoctrination of school children - the conservatives were nowhere to be found. They could not get their act together because angry conservatives have not been able to make good decisions. Many efforts to bring disparate conservative organizations together have failed due to the splintering of ideas and resources.

The special interests that run the Ohio Republican Party allow their representatives to demonstrate to the world a display of how soundly they own the Ohio Republican Party. They can ignore their bylaws, not balance the books, spend millions on candidates that are not endorsed and call it tradition. They prohibit proper and lawful audits from being conducted. They even prohibit the public from attending party meetings. All without consequence. The party most recently has entrusted their speakers of the house to make their endorsements for State House Reps even when those speakers had later been arrested or found themselves under FBI investigation.

Discontent Breeds Reform if Ohioans Remember their History

As animus builds against the party among loyal Republicans who realize that they have no say in endorsements, what the party says and does, and that they must follow the dictates of the entrenched special interests and the party elite - the reform movement builds. Their reprehensible behavior is on display for the whole world to see and watchdogs such as Ohio Promise Keepers are committed to dissemination of their recalcitrant behavior. The impudent and audacious actions of the Ohio Republican Party leadership are exactly the unethical actions that John Adams and Jeremiah Morrow feared.

Today, the Ohio Promise Keepers leadership supports moving the Ohio Primary to late July or August. Many Republican elites have said that this is conclusive proof that the Ohio Promise Keepers are working with Democrats. Nothing could be further from the truth.

When Ohio first established the primaries (1906), they were held during the last week in July or the first week in August. It was in the 1930s when the establishment settled on moving the primary to May (1932). The real reason for this move can be discovered in old newspaper articles of the time. The intent was to give Ohio incumbents a great advantage and to have less people participate in the primary. Having a May primary means that challengers need to trudge through snow to knock on doors and to hold more expensive indoor events in their efforts to unseat establishment Republicans. A late summer primary means that challengers get to participate in county fairs, festivals and parades timed closer to when there is interest in the election. This timing means more robust contests and competition -which benefits all Ohioans.

States that have an August primary include - Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and  Wyoming. Ohio would join 30% of the other States that have their primary in August. So for the Ohio Republican Party to push the narrative that it somehow “weakens the party and emboldens Democrats” just doesn’t fly. If you look at Ohio Republicans and the Gubernatorial and Senate race polls - most Republicans have not yet decided on a candidate - meaning that the public wants more time to learn about the candidates.

Is Ohio Promise Keepers in favor of the Supreme Court changing our primary date? Absolutely not! We are asking the legislature to voluntarily move the primary date to August.

Lastly, the Ohio Republican Party establishment is saying that the election can be held with no problems in May. However, the people who actually put on the election say that the establishment is wrong. This is not just Democrats saying this - these are Republicans saying that there will be problems and that the accuracy and security of elections will be at stake.

Do we want to risk election integrity? Don’t we want more robust competition for the Establishment?

Regardless of what you think of Democrats or Maureen O’Connor and the Ohio Supreme Court, the people actually conducting the election are saying that such a late drafting of district maps has cast the integrity of the election in question. Is there a more valid reason for the election to go wrong than this? Don’t you think that those who want to cheat will embrace this opportunity?

In the end, the Ohio Promise Keepers wants to put the Ohio Republican Party back in the hands of registered Republicans and out of the hands of the special interests. The Ohio Promise Keepers Pledge for State Central Committee members is a way to accomplish this goal.

If you’d like a presentation for your group or organization on this subject - please contact Committee for a Better Ohio.