What is his political experience?
Householder served in the Ohio House from January 1997 to December 2004 and held the speaker position from 2001 to 2004. In 2004, two leaked memos about Team Householder triggered a two-year federal investigation that closed in 2006 without charges.
Householder returned to the House in January 2017 and recaptured the speaker post in January 2019. House Democrats threw their support behind Householder.
What is his personal background?
Householder lives in Perry County with his wife, Taundra. The couple have five adult sons. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University.
How did he become speaker of the Ohio House?
Republican Cliff Rosenberger resigned the speaker post in April 2018 under the cloud of a federal investigation — he denies wrong doing and has not been charged. After weeks of inner turmoil, the House picked Republican Ryan Smith to serve as speaker for the remainder of 2018. In January, though, Householder edged out Smith for the job. Householder convinced more than two dozen Democrats to support him for the job.
What power does the House speaker hold?
The speaker, who one of the three most powerful politicians in Ohio, wields enormous influence over how the state spends more than $140 billion and can put a halt to any piece of legislation. As leader of the House GOP caucus, Householder raises hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash, recruits candidates and guides the election efforts.
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