June 8, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Neil Bhaerman, 412-266-4899, nbhaerman@oft-aft.org
OFT Endorses Nan Whaley and Cheryl Stephens for Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Slate of endorsements for statewide offices, congressional seats, and state legislature released.
COLUMBUS, OH — Today, the Ohio Federation of Teachers released a slate of endorsements for this year’s election, including endorsements for Nan Whaley for Governor and Cheryl Stephens for Lieutenant Governor. The endorsements were based on responses to OFT’s candidate questionnaire and, for candidates who have held elected office, voting history and experience. (Full endorsement list at the end of this release.)
“In Dayton, Nan Whaley’s leadership on education resulted in the Dayton Preschool Promise that funded universal, high-quality preschool for every three and four year old child in the city,” said OFT President Melissa Cropper. “This is the leadership that we need from a Governor. We are proud to endorse Nan Whaley for Governor and look forward to working with her and Cheryl Stephens to expand universal preschool to all Ohio children, to ensure that Ohio is meeting its constitutional responsibility to fully and fairly fund public education, and to make community colleges and trade schools more affordable and accessible.”
“I am so honored to have the endorsement of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. If we are serious about making Ohio a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, then we must make sure that every child has access to a quality, public education – from our K-12 schools to our colleges and universities,” said Democratic gubernatorial nominee Nan Whaley.
OFT also endorsed Jeff Crossman for Attorney General, Taylor Sappington for Auditor, and Scott Schertzer for Treasurer. As a state representative, Crossman has been a leader on charter school accountability and has walked the picket line and attended school board meetings in support of charter school educators in northeast Ohio.
For this year’s Supreme Court elections, OFT endorsed Jennifer Brunner (for Chief Justice), Marilyn Zayas, and Terri Jamison.
“Justices on the Ohio Supreme Court should be able to put the rule of law and the Ohio Constitution above partisan politics. Unfortunately, Justices Pat Fischer, Pat DeWine, and Sharon Kennedy failed to do that. Instead, they voted five times to uphold illegally drawn legislative maps that made a mockery of Ohio’s voter-approved redistricting laws,” said Cropper. Justice Brunner voted against redistricting maps that contained an unconstitutional political gerrymander.
In addition to its importance on redistricting and voting rights, the Ohio Supreme Court has played a large role in education issues, including multiple decisions in recent decades that have ruled that state legislators are not fulfilling their constitutional duty to fully and fairly fund Ohio’s public schools.
In Congressional elections, OFT endorsed incumbent representatives Joyce Beatty, Marcy Kaptur, and Shontel Brown. All three representatives had a 100% pro-worker voting record in 2021, and lifetime scores of 97% or higher, according to the AFL-CIO.
OFT also endorsed Emilia Sykes in the open race for Ohio’s thirteenth district and endorsed Greg Landsman who is challenging Rep. Steve Chabot in Ohio’s first district. As Ohio House Minority Leader and a member of Ohio’s redistricting commission, Sykes has a strong track record of standing up for voting rights, for education, and for workers. OFT had previously endorsed Tim Ryan for U.S. Senate in December, 2021.
Endorsements were also made in 13 state house districts and three state senate districts, listed below.
OFT will announce more endorsements as candidate questionnaires are returned and reviewed.
Ohio Federation of Teachers 2022 Endorsements:
Statewide offices
- Nan Whaley and Cheryl Stephens for Governor and Lieutenant Governor.
- Jeff Crossman for Attorney General
- Taylor Sappington for Auditor
- Scott Schertzer for Treasurer
Ohio Supreme Court
- Jennifer Brunner for Supreme Court Chief Justice
- Marilyn Zayas for Supreme Court Justice
- Terri Jamison for Supreme Court Justice
Congress
- Tim Ryan for U.S. Senate (was endorsed in Dec. 2021)
- Greg Landsman for U.S. House, District 1
- Joyce Beatty for U.S. House, District 3
- Marcy Kaptur for U.S. House, District 9
- Shontel Brown for U.S. House, District 11
- Emilia Sykes for U.S. House, District 13
Ohio General Assembly
- Dontavius Jarrells for Ohio House of Representatives, District 1
- Mary Lightbody for Ohio House of Representatives, District 4
- Rich Brown for Ohio House of Representatives, District 5
- Adam Miller for Ohio House of Representatives, District 6
- Allison Russo for Ohio House of Representatives, District 7
- Beth Liston for Ohio House of Representatives, District 8
- Sean Brennan for Ohio House of Representatives, District 14
- Dan Troy for Ohio House of Representatives, District 23
- Cecil Thomas for Ohio House of Representatives, District 25
- Jessica Miranda for Ohio House of Representatives, District 28
- Casey Weinstein for Ohio House of Representatives, District 34
- Thomas West for Ohio House of Representatives, District 49
- Joe Miller for Ohio House of Representatives, District 53
- Kent Smith for Ohio Senate, District 21
- Nicki Antonio for Ohio Senate, District 23
- Bob Hagan for Ohio Senate, District 33
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The Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) is composed of 54 local unions representing 20,000 members who are active and retired public school teachers, charter school teachers, school support staff, higher education faculty and staff, and public employees. OFT works to advance quality education and a voice in the workplace for Ohio’s education professionals. OFT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers.