Brian Stewart (politician) explained

Brian Stewart is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 12th district.

Early life and education

Stewart enlisted in the United States Army after graduating from Chillicothe High School in Chillicothe, Ohio.^[1] After serving in the infantry during the Iraq War, Stewart returned to Ohio, earning a bachelor's degree and Juris Doctor from Ohio State University.^[2]

Political career

Stewart was elected to Village Council of Ashville, Ohio in November 2009. He earned 23.3% of the vote in the five-way, non-partisan race.^[3] In 2012, Stewart ran for Pickaway County, Ohio commissioner. He won the Republican nomination by securing 59.1% of the vote and went on to win the three-way general election with 44.6%.^[4] He was reelected to the position in 2016, with 58.3% of the vote.^[5]

Stewart was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in November 2020, succeeding incumbent Republican Ron Hood. He defeated Democrat Charlotte Owens in 2020, winning 72.7% to 27.3%.^[6] Less than six months after beginning his term, Stewart announced that he would run for United States Congress, representing Ohio's 15th congressional district. Stewart dropped out of the race before election day citing a lack of resources.^[7]

2023 constitutional referendum

Stewart was the creator of a proposed constitutional amendment that would have raised the threshold of a voter-led initiatives to amend the Constitution of Ohio from 50% to 60%.^[8] According to Stewart, Issue 1 was intended to stop "far-left ballot proposals" and "ballot campaigns [featuring] destructive policies that [liberal groups] could never get through a state legislature."^[9]

The election was held on August 8, 2023, and had more than 3 million Ohioans cast their votes. The measure failed with 57% voting "No" and 43% voting "Yes."

Notes and References

1. Web site: Reutter . Justin . Chillicothe native Brian Stewart runs for US Congressional seat . 2022-04-11 . Chillicothe Gazette . en-US.
2. Web site: Brian Stewart Biography. 2021-04-23. Ohio House of Representatives. en.
3. Web site: 3 November 2009 . 2009 General Election Pickaway County . 11 April 2022 . Ohio Board of Elections Archives.
4. Web site: 6 November 2012 . Pickaway County, Ohio General Election November 6, 2012 . 11 April 2022.
5. Web site: 8 November 2016 . Pickaway County, Ohio General Election November 8, 2016 . 11 April 2022.
6. Web site: 2020 Ohio State House – District 78 Election Results. Milwaukee Journal Sentential.
7. Web site: BeMiller . Haley . Ohio Rep. Brian Stewart drops out of crowded GOP field for 15th Congressional District election . 2022-04-11 . The Columbus Dispatch . en-US.
8. Web site: 2023-06-05 . Issue 1 is ‘100%’ about blocking abortion measure, Frank LaRose says . 2023-12-12 . NBC4 WCMH-TV . en-US.
9. Web site: Andrew J. Tobias . cleveland com . 2023-06-04 . Ohio’s fight over State Issue 1 just one part of a larger national battle over ballot issues . 2023-12-12 . cleveland . en.