David Joyce (politician)

President Donald Trump held a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, urging supporters to back Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jon Husted against Democrat Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy against Democrat Amy Acton ahead of the November midterms. Speaking at the Covelli Centre, Trump framed the races as a choice to "Put Ohio First" and asked attendees to treat the contests as if he were personally on the ballot. He also announced federal assistance for SOBE Thermal Energy Systems and disclosed that Cleveland will host a new 46,000-square-foot U.S. Navy submarine component repair facility, crediting Husted with securing the project. Jon Gruden introduced Trump, with boxer Jake Paul also appearing.

A new co/efficient poll of 925 likely Ohio voters, taken Oct. 5-6, found both races within the margin of error: Ramaswamy led Acton 45%-43% in the governor's race, while Husted led Brown 44%-43% in the Senate contest, a special election to fill the seat J.D. Vance vacated. Analysts continue to rate both races as toss-ups.

A federal appeals court ruled Friday against prediction-market operator Kalshi in its legal fight with Ohio over state regulation of its sports-related contracts. Kalshi had argued its offerings should be treated as federally regulated financial "swaps," exempting them from state gambling laws and taxes; the appeals court rejected that argument, allowing Ohio to continue enforcing its gambling regulations against the company. Gov. Mike DeWine, discussing the ruling with reporters, dismissed Kalshi's framing of its products, saying "if it's a pig, it's a pig... these guys are pigs."

The same appeals court also issued a related ruling Friday on intoxicating hemp products, finding Ohio can require sellers to obtain licenses from state marijuana regulators, though restrictions based on business location likely violate the Constitution's dormant commerce clause. The Kalshi decision adds to a broader national pattern of states pushing back against prediction markets' sports-related contracts, testing the boundary between federally regulated derivatives and state-regulated gambling.

Ohio's next governor inherits a healthcare crisis affecting much of the state's nearly 12 million residents. Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans face the potential loss of Medicaid coverage, rural hospitals risk closure due to federal Medicaid cuts, and many residents already struggle to afford care even when their coverage isn't threatened.

Democrat Amy Acton and Libertarian Don Kissick responded to questions about how they would address these issues if elected governor; Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign did not respond to inquiries. The healthcare questions add a significant policy dimension to the gubernatorial race, with rural hospital viability and Medicaid access emerging as key issues facing whoever wins.

The healthcare debate unfolds alongside other Ohio political developments, including competitive congressional races, data-center policy tensions dividing labor unions backing Sen. Sherrod Brown, and continued scrutiny of the East Palestine derailment cleanup, where a former contractor employee has alleged pressure to underreport contamination readings.

Ohio's 2026 governor's race is shaping up as a pivotal contest over abortion policy, with Democrat Amy Acton, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and independent Don Kissick offering sharply different approaches to reproductive rights, an issue the next governor will have substantial power to shape. Elsewhere in Ohio politics, state Rep. Allison Russo and Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague are negotiating terms for a debate after clashing over 2020 election fraud claims, and a new analysis pushes back on claims by Sen. Jon Husted that coal plant closures during Sherrod Brown's tenure drove up electric bills, pointing instead to rising demand from data centers.

In congressional races, Rep. Dave Joyce faces Democrat Maria Jukic in the 14th District, while Rep. Marcy Kaptur has resumed campaigning after a car crash injury, ahead of a rematch with Derek Merrin in a redrawn, more Republican-leaning 9th District. Separately, the Ohio Supreme Court blocked a Wilmington data-center ordinance from the November ballot, and Ashland County Fair officials settled a free-speech lawsuit over ejected anti-Trump vendors.

The federal government is directing $3.15 million to Ohio through the Rural Health Transformation Program to link pharmacies, federally qualified health centers and outpatient hospital pharmacies across the state's 73 rural counties to prescription drug information systems. The funding aims to help prescribers and pharmacists avoid dangerous drug interactions and curb fraudulent efforts to obtain controlled substances from multiple providers. Of the total, $2 million will improve pharmacists' access to patient medical records and strengthen medication management, while $1.15 million will expand integrated access to the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System for rural providers.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio's congressional delegation, including Reps. Dave Joyce and Bob Latta and Sens. Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, praised the award, tying it to funds made available under the 2025 Working Families Tax Cuts Act. Officials framed the money as addressing pharmacy closures and access gaps that have made it harder for rural families to fill prescriptions close to home.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted work on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project in Joliet, Illinois, on July 24, pausing construction of a roughly $1.2 billion barrier designed to stop invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes. The system combines engineered water flow, underwater sound, bubble curtains and electric current to block carp while allowing barge traffic.

Ohio Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Dave Joyce, joined by Michigan Reps. Debbie Dingell and Bill Huizenga, sent a letter urging the administration to lift the stop-work order, noting the project is fully funded and reviewed. Urgency grew after Illinois officials found juvenile silver carp in the Illinois River just 80 miles from Lake Michigan in mid-August, the farthest upstream detection in 16 years of monitoring. Experts warn established carp populations could devastate native fish species and the region's fishing economy. Construction began in 2024 with completion projected around 2030, a timeline already delayed by funding pauses.