WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — The former President Pro Tempore of the Ohio Senate will run for Congress.
State Senator Bob Peterson will make the announcement sometime on Tuesday afternoon, according to a phone call with the senator that took place early Tuesday morning.
“I am running …. Washington certainly needs fixed,” Peterson said Tuesday morning.
Peterson, 59, is a republican from Fayette County.
The announcement comes less than two days after current congressman Steve Stivers announced that after six terms, he was stepping down in May from the 15th congressional district to take a job leading Ohio’s Chamber of Commerce.
Peterson had previously served as the second-top GOP lawmaker in Columbus from 2016 until December. First elected to the Ohio House of Representatives over a decade ago, the Sabina-based farmer defeated then-State Representative Ray Pryor. In 2012, Peterson was appointed to fill the vacancy in Ohio’s 17th State Senate district. Previously, he was a Fayette County Commissioner for 16 years.
He has made it a priority to keep the state’s budget balanced, reducing government spending and lowering taxes, while funding essential services, according to his state biography. Peterson has sponsored over 30 bills in his years in the Ohio General Assembly on a wide range of issues from agriculture and water quality to lower taxes and workforce development.
The official announcement, Peterson said, will be made Tuesday on his social media platforms.
At least one other person, current State Representative Brian Stewart has announced he would also seek the republican nomination for the soon-to-be congressional vacancy; Stewart currently resides in Pickaway County and is serving his first term in the Ohio House.
Numerous democratic names have been floated as possible contenders, but so far, no official announcements are planned. A special election will be set sometime later this year by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Until then, the seat will remain open.