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Cliff Rosenberger
Clifford A. "Cliff" Rosenberger is a former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing District 91 from 2010 to 2018. On April 10, 2018, Rosenberger announced he would resign effective May 1 due to an FBI inquiry.[1] House leadership decided on April 12, 2018, that Rosenberger's resignation was effective immediately.[2] Find out more here.
Rosenberger served as speaker of the House from 2015 to 2018.
On July 19, 2021, Rosenberger announced he was leaving the Republican Party to become an independent. To learn more about state legislators who have switched parties, click here.[3]
Biography
Rosenberger's professional experience includes working as a special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, as a political events coordinator for presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012 and in the White House in 2007. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and served in the Air National Guard.[4]
Committee assignments
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Ohio committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Rules and Reference, Chair |
| • Joint Legislative Ethics, Chair |
| • Legislative Service Commission |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Rosenberger served on the following committees:
| Ohio committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Rules and Reference |
| • Joint Legislative Ethics, Chair |
| • Legislative Service Commission |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Rosenberger served on the following committees:
| Ohio committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Finance and Appropriations |
| • Military and Veterans Affairs |
| • Public Utilities |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Rosenberger served on the following committees:
| Ohio committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Economic and Small Business Development |
| • Public Utilities |
| • Transportation, Public Safety and Homeland Security |
| • Veterans Affairs |
Campaign themes
2014
Rosenberger's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[5]
Jobs For Ohio & A Strong Economy
- Excerpt: "I understand that government and politicians don't create jobs.I am focused on rebuilding Ohio to make the Buckeye State economically competitive and welcoming to innovation and job creation. "
Standing Up To Higher Taxes
- Excerpt: "I believe that you know how to spend your own money better than Columbus. I will fight hard against any attempts to raise your taxes and continue to seek out tax relief for Ohioans and small business."
Defending Our Values
- Excerpt: "I believe that taking a stand and defending our values is important. Every child deserves a mother and a father and marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman.
I strongly believe that every life, including an unborn one, is a precious gift and is entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Agricultural Heritage
- Excerpt: "You can count on me to protect Ohio farmers from out-of-state special interests like HSUS that extreme regulations on Ohio farmers. I will look for ways to promote Ohio's agriculture industry to global markets and help find ways to open new markets for all of Ohio’s commodities, including value-added products such as bio-products and alternative fuels."
Right To Bear Arms
- Excerpt: "I am committed to ensuring our constitutional right to bear arms is protected. I love that our country and state have a long traditional heritage of hunting and sport shooting. More importantly, I uphold the right of every Ohioan to be able to protect their property and their families."
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Noteworthy events
Resignation following FBI investigation (2018)
On April 10, 2018, Rosenberger announced he would resign from the Ohio House of Representatives due to an FBI inquiry. Rosenberger said in a statement, "This inquiry has the potential to be very demanding and intensive, and could take months or even years to resolve. Ohioans deserve elected leaders who are able to devote their full and undivided attention to these matters."[6]
Rosenberger originally said his resignation would be effective May 1, but the Ohio House of Representatives released a statement on April 12, 2018, saying Rosenberger's resignation was effective immediately. According to The Times-Gazette, House Press Secretary Brad Miller said Rep. Kirk Schuring, who replaced Rosenberger as speaker of the House, thought it was best not to delay the resignation.[2]
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the FBI was investigating Rosenberger for travel expenses and use of a luxury condo in Columbus, Ohio. An FBI spokesman did not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.[7] Rosenberger told the Dayton Daily News that he hired a criminal defense attorney in response to questions the FBI was asking about him.[8]
As of April 2019, the FBI investigation was still ongoing.[9]
As of December 2019, this misconduct story appeared to be concluded and Ballotpedia discontinued active coverage. Please contact us if new developments occur with this story.
Elections
2016
Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 16, 2015.
Incumbent Cliff Rosenberger ran unopposed in the Ohio House of Representatives District 91 general election.[10]
| Ohio House of Representatives, District 91 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Cliff Rosenberger Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Ohio Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Cliff Rosenberger ran unopposed in the Ohio House of Representatives District 91 Republican primary.[11][12]
| Ohio House of Representatives District 91, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Cliff Rosenberger Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 16,478 | |
| Total Votes | 16,478 | |||
2014
Elections for the Ohio House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 5, 2014. Incumbent Cliff Rosenberger defeated Barb Cole in the Republican primary. Rosenberger was unchallenged in the general election.[13]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Cliff Rosenberger Incumbent |
65.7% | 6,859 |
| Barb Cole | 34.3% | 3,575 |
| Total Votes | 10,434 | |
2012
Rosenberger won re-election in the 2012 election for Ohio House, District 91. Rosenberger was unopposed in the March 6 Republican primary election and defeated Peter Pence (D) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[14][15][16][17]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Cliff Rosenberger Incumbent |
61.4% | 28,866 | |
| Democratic | Peter Pence | 38.6% | 18,124 | |
| Total Votes | 46,990 | |||
2010
Rosenberger defeated Bill Horne (D) and Jacob Dawson (L) in the November 2 general election.[18]
| Ohio House of Representatives, District 86 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Cliff Rosenberger (R)
|
19,427 | 59.46% | ||
| Bill Horne (D) | 11,804 | 36.13% | ||
| Jacob Dawson (L) | 1,443 | 4.42% | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Ohio scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2018
In 2018, the 132nd Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 2 through December 31.
- Representatives are scored on their votes on bills affecting working families.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills impacting Ohio's business community.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 132nd Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 2 through December 31.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 131st Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 5 through December 31.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 131st Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 5 through December 31.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 130th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 7 through December 31.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 130th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 7 to December 31.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 129th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 3 through December 31.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the 129th Ohio General Assembly was in session from January 3 through December 31.[19]
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Endorsements
Presidential preference
2012
Cliff Rosenberger endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[20]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Cliff + Rosenberger + Ohio + House"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- Ohio House of Representatives
- House Committees
- Ohio General Assembly
- Joint Committees
- Ohio state legislative districts
External links
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Campaign contributions via OpenSecrets
Footnotes
- ↑ The Cincinnati Enquirer, "Amid FBI investigation, Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger resigns," April 10, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Times-Gazette, "BREAKING: Rosenberger out, effective immediately," April 12, 2018
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Former Ohio House speaker says he’s left Republican Party over Donald Trump," July 19, 2021
- ↑ Official campaign website, "About Cliff," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ cliffrosenberger.com, "Issues," accessed April 29, 2014
- ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Press release announcing Rosenberger’s resignation," April 11, 2018
- ↑ Cincinnati Enquirer, "FBI investigating Ohio House speaker's lavish lifestyle, including trip with lobbyists," April 10, 2018
- ↑ Dayton Daily News, "Ohio House speaker hires defense attorney over FBI questions," April 6, 2018
- ↑ [https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/fbi-case-continues-year-after-ohio-house-speaker-rosenberger-resigned/MprQEzliOlvmk9jRkGbVyN/ Dayton Daily News, " FBI case continues year after Ohio House Speaker Rosenberger resigned," April 9, 2019]
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official election results," accessed December 21, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing By Office," accessed February 8, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "2016 Official Elections Results," accessed August 29, 2016
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Official primary election results for May 6, 2014," accessed July 3, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Chamber of Commerce, "2012 General Assembly Primary Candidates," January 17, 2012
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "2012 Republican Primary Results," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "2012 Democratic Primary Results," accessed June 12, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "Ohio official results for 2012 General Election," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, "State Representative: Results for general election on November 2, 2010," accessed June 11, 2014
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
- ↑ Mitt Romney for President, "Mitt Romney Announces Ohio Leadership Team," February 28, 2012(Archived)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Ohio House of Representatives - District 91 2013–2018 |
Succeeded by Shane Wilkin (R) |
| Preceded by David Daniels (R) |
Ohio House of Representatives - District 86 2011–2013 |
Succeeded by Dorothy Pelanda (R) |
 |
State of Ohio Columbus (capital) |
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