Snollygoster

Mike Thompson

Snollygoster takes an in-depth look at politics in Ohio. Each week we dig into the top political stories in Columbus and Ohio and explore national stories that impact the state by talking with politicians, reporters and other news-makers. (In case you're wondering, a "snollygoster" is a shrewd and unprincipled politician.)Listen to Snollygoster on the WOSU Public Media mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe Play latest Open in podnodRSS feed Show website

20 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes20

Newest first

Thursday · 22 min
Rep. Max Miller resists calls to drop reelection bid amid bitter custody battle
Emily Moreno, in court filings, accuses Miller of physically abusing her and their 2-year-old daughter. Miller denies the allegations and says his ex-wife has mental health issues.
July 30 · 18 min
Candidates pitch their tax relief plans
Next to rising gas prices and grocery prices, property taxes have loomed as the symbol of affordability in Ohio. Thanks to rising property values and voter-approved levies, property taxes have risen sharply in Ohio over the last few years.
July 23 · 17 min
Ohio's 2026 money race is high-stakes for Senate and Governor
With an open governor's seat and control of the U.S. Senate at stake, candidates running for major office in Ohio this year are attracting lots of donations.
July 16 · 24 min
Ad targets Husted on data center support
This week, we discuss the race for the U.S. Senate and Sherrod Brown’s slightly risky new ad, where he takes on Jon Husted and data centers.
July 1 · 49 min
Politics and a pint
WOSU hosted a Politics and a Pint event last week. These events are a lot of fun. We get together at a Columbus-area brewpub and talk politics in front of a crowd of political junkies and public media fans.
June 25 · 20 min
Death penalty politics
DeWine’s change in position seems little more than symbolic. Republican leaders in the Legislature support the death penalty. There is no movement ready to put it on the ballot.
June 18 · 22 min
Why Ohio’s governor wants to end capital punishment
Gov. Mike DeWine has come out against Ohio’s death penalty. This week, the conservative Republican governor, who co-sponsored the bill that reinstated capital punishment in 1981, said Ohio should abolish it.
June 12 · 14 min
What's next for the property tax repeal effort?
The effort to abolish Ohio property taxes has failed – at least for now. The group collecting signatures to put an amendment on November’s ballot says it has fallen short of the number needed to qualify.
June 4 · 22 min
Inside the allegations of Ohio Medicaid fraud
For weeks, DeWine has faced criticism from his fellow Republicans over allegations of widespread fraud in the state’s Medicaid system. It started with a report in the conservative outlet The Daily Wire, which accused home health agencies of fraudulently billing the system that pays for healthcare for low-income and disabled people.
May 14 · 20 min
The next Ohio governor will be new to elected office
For the first time in eight years, Ohio will have a new governor. It will be someone from outside government: tech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, who briefly ran for president, or Amy Acton, who served in government for about a year.
May 7 · 23 min
Key Takeaways from the Ohio Primary
The candidates are set for Ohio's general election in November. There were no big surprises in this week’s primary.
April 30 · 25 min
Poll suggests Ohio may look more like a purple state in November
An important election is just around the corner. Ohio will elect a new governor and decide who will represent the state in the U.S. Senate. A new poll provides a snapshot of what voters are thinking, and the results are interesting.
April 23 · 16 min
The Personal Turn in the Ohio Gubernatorial Race
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is out with a new ad where his wife shows off their new baby. In another ad, he goes after Democrat Amy Acton for her role in the COVID-19 shutdowns.
April 9 · 28 min
Looking Back To When Ohio Was Blue
We look back at a time when Ohio was blue politically, or at least purple. We talk with longtime Democratic activist Dale Butland, who worked for U.S. Sen. John Glenn and has a new book out When Ohio Was Blue.
April 2 · 18 min
Democrats plan for Vance 2028
The 2028 presidential campaign likely will start about a year from now, but Democrats are not waiting to take on a likely candidate: Ohioan and Vice President JD Vance.
March 26 · 16 min
Transparency at JobsOhio
JobsOhio is in the news not because of a big new project, but because of the role, however small, it played in the sudden resignation of Ohio State University President Ted Carter.
March 19 · 18 min
Citizens organize to stop data centers
As electric bills rise and data centers start to encroach upon suburbs and farmland, politicians are hearing from voters and starting to ask if data centers are worth it.
March 12 · 26 min
Inappropriate Access: Ohio State Pres. Ted Carter's resignation and the role of university presidents
While its end was unusual, Ted Carter’s tenure may not be all that uncommon. The job has always been difficult, but it seems to be increasingly challenging. To examine the politics of being a college president, Josh Moody, reporter for Inside Higher Ed, joins the show.
March 5 · 17 min
Ohio Politicians react to Iran War
Ohio’s congressional delegation largely split along partisan lines in reacting to the attacks on Iran. Vice President JD Vance once strongly said the US should not get involved in endless wars, but supports the president in this case.
February 26 · 19 min
Wexner's testimony
Les Wexner answered questions from members of the House Oversight Committee for about five hours about how much he knew about the sex offender and what role he may have played in Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking.