Ohio Republican Targets Gov. Mike DeWine For Impeachment

COLUMBUS, OH — A conservative Ohio politician has drafted articles of impeachment against Gov. Mike DeWine.

The impeachment articles are focused on DeWine's response to COVID-19, including his shutdown of businesses across the state. State Rep. John Becker said DeWine's actions were a "violation of the Ohio and United States Constitutions."

For an impeachment to succeed, Becker would need the majority of his colleagues in the Ohio House to vote against DeWine. Then the Ohio Senate would preside over a trial of the governor.

There is little chance of the impeachment succeeding in the House or the Senate. DeWine's office swatted away questions about Becker's announcement on Monday.

"Gov. DeWine is focused on saving lives during the pandemic. He is focused on helping the economy and getting Ohioans back to work. That is what he is focused on. Not this," the governor's spokesperson told Patch.

However, Becker said he needed to take action because a "growing number of businesses" have failed, leaving the state in economic upheaval. However, 90 percent of Ohio industries have reopened with new health and safety protocols in place, DeWine announced in late May.

"I kept holding out hope that we wouldn’t get to this place. For months and months, I’ve been hearing the cries of my constituents and of suffering people from every corner of Ohio. They keep screaming, “DO SOMETHING!” They are hurting. Their businesses are declining and depreciating. Their jobs have vanished. The communities that have sustained their lives are collapsing, and becoming shells of what they once were," Becker said in a statement on Monday.

Ohio's unemployment rate, 8.9 percent, is lower than the national unemployment rate of 10.2 percent, according to PolicyMatters Ohio.

Additionally, Becker said Ohio has "flattened the [COVID-19] curve," which should allow for more reopenings. However, Ohio saw a surge of new cases and hospitalizations related to the virus in late June and early July. The state is currently confirming more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases and 20 new COVID-19-related deaths per day, on average.