Mike Turner

Ohio Republican legislative leaders, backed by gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, are proposing a 90-day suspension of the state's 38.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax to ease pump prices ahead of the November election. The plan, which would need lawmakers to return early to pass, is estimated to cost around $640 million in revenue over the suspension period, with proposals to cover the gap using ODOT cash reserves, the state's general fund, or the rainy day fund.

Critics note the notion echoes a similar idea previously floated by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, and argue the savings — roughly a few dollars a week for typical drivers — would do little to offset broader cost-of-living pressures from tariffs and other factors. The gas tax funds road and infrastructure maintenance, raising concerns about long-term funding gaps if reserves are tapped. The proposal comes amid a competitive governor's race and heightened scrutiny of political messaging in Ohio as both parties look to define affordability as a top campaign issue heading into the fall election.

Ohio's governor race intensified this week as Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy and Democratic rival Amy Acton both proposed suspending the state's gas tax amid a spike in fuel prices, with statewide averages topping $4.52 a gallon and diesel hitting a record $6.77. Ramaswamy, joined by GOP legislative leaders Rob McColley and Matt Huffman, unveiled a plan for a 90-day tax suspension that lawmakers could act on before Election Day, funded initially through ODOT reserves and the state's rainy-day fund. Acton called for an "emergency gas tax holiday" but offered fewer details on duration or funding. It remains unclear whether the GOP-controlled legislature will reconvene early or whether Gov. Mike DeWine, who has raised the gas tax before, would sign such a measure.

Separately, prediction markets continue to show Acton leading Ramaswamy by a wider margin than public polling suggests. Ohio lawmakers are also pursuing a bid to bring the U.S. Space Academy to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, with a decision due to NASA by October 26 and final approval resting with President Trump.

A coalition of Ohio officials and business leaders is pushing to locate the newly ordered United States Space Academy at a site linking Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Wright State University in Dayton. Sen. Bernie Moreno says he has met with President Trump twice in the Oval Office to pitch the site, which would include a $300 million "multiplanetary hall," a monument-lined "drive of heroes," and a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, with an eventual budget Moreno estimates at $1 billion. Gov. Mike DeWine, Sen. Jon Husted, Reps. Mike Turner and Jim Jordan, and Ohio's legislative leaders have joined the "statewide effort," citing Wright-Patterson's astronaut training facilities and roughly 700 Space Force personnel stationed there.

Trump signed an executive order in late August directing creation of the academy, envisioned as a NASA-led civilian institution blending technical education with leadership training, overseen by a presidential commission chaired by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. A federal request for information published Sept. 10 calls for groundbreaking in 2027, initial instruction for about 300 students by 2028, and permanent facilities for 1,200 undergraduates by 2031 on at least 300 acres; responses are due Oct. 26. Ohio faces competition from Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and Nevada, having previously lost bids for U.S. Space Command Headquarters and a retired space shuttle.