Ohio Republicans are unexpectedly coming back to Columbus next week to try to temporarily suspend Ohio’s gas tax amid a historic spike in fuel prices.
The move comes days before early voting begins, but GOP leaders will need Democrats’ help if they want to pass any gas relief before the November election.
Republican legislative leaders announced Wednesday that they are rallying behind a plan from Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. His plan calls for pausing the tax for 90 days and tapping the state’s reserve funds to backfill the road and bridge maintenance budget that the taxes support.
House Speaker Matt Huffman and Senate President Rob McColley, Ramaswamy’s running mate, said a vote will be held next Wednesday. Without the support of at least a few Democrats, though, the tax cut couldn’t take effect until late December under the legislature’s rules that require larger vote margins for new laws to take effect immediately.
“I think Democrats who vote against this are doing it at their peril,” Huffman said. “This is a very easily understood issue.”
The GOP proposal presents Democrats with a political choice: Lend support to cut surging gas prices or do nothing and leave Republicans to answer for the policies behind the spike, which comes amid worsening polls for Republicans.
House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn said Wednesday that he plans to poll his members about whether they are available to return to Columbus next week. He said Democrats would only support a gas relief measure that would divert the $600 million that Republican lawmakers already set aside for the Cleveland Browns new stadium. Huffman laughed off the idea Wednesday when asked about it.
Isaacsohn said Republicans have yet to seek his party’s input.
“This is a political ploy from someone who’s desperate, because Ohioans want a true change and real relief from their government as they worry about rising costs,” he said.
If Republicans manage to pass a gas tax suspension, they have one more person to win over: Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who could sign or veto the legislation. DeWine successfully pushed for a gas-tax hike in 2019, shortly after becoming governor. He has raised concerns recently that the state lacks enough road funding to meet its long-term needs, although Ramaswamy said his recent conversations with the governor have been positive.
“I think that all of us are open-minded to how we’re able to help Ohioans,” Ramaswamy said.
Huffman described his hopes that DeWine will sign the bill as soon as early October. Early voting begins on Oct. 6.
Surging gas prices darken outlook for Republicans
In March, not long after the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran, Republican lawmakers debated suspending the state’s gas tax, which is 38.5 cents per gallon for gas and 47 cents a gallon for diesel. The legislation failed to advance, and lawmakers went home in June, expecting not to return until after the election.
But surging fuel prices this month in particular have spurred Republicans into action.
The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas cost $4.48 this week, the highest level since May. But a gallon of diesel – which fuels tractor-trailers and other heavy equipment involved with shipping goods and producing food – broke $6 this month in the Midwest region. That surpassed the previous all-time record of $5.95 set in June 2022. Diesel prices have continued to climb since then.
How gas prices influence poll numbers
Coinciding with the price spike, polling has shown Democrats gaining ground in races across the country in September. This could affect the race for Ohio governor and the state’s other competitive races for the U.S. Senate and the state legislature and tip the balance of power.
Republicans denied Wednesday that politics is a factor in their decision to try to lower gas prices in Ohio. The House version of the bill, however, is being carried by suburban Republicans Rep. Andrea White and Jim Thomas, who are among the GOP lawmakers at most risk of losing their seats.
Ramaswamy said rising diesel prices demand immediate action.
“Everybody’s heart was in the right place. Everybody’s mindset was in the right place. Our fiscal strength is in the right place. What I just needed to do was to actually catalyze action with urgency to match the moment with those diesel prices,” Ramaswamy said.
White, meanwhile, hinted at voter discontent with the Iran war, which conservatives have acknowledged is hurting Republicans’ elections chances in Ohio and elsewhere.
“The pain is real that we are feeling it stronger than ever because of the decisions in Washington,” said White, who represents a district in suburban Dayton that then-Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won in 2024.
Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who is facing a strong challenge from former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, addressed the challenge facing Republicans more directly in comments published Tuesday by Politico.
““The war needs to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices,” Husted said.
What exactly is Ramaswamy gas relief plan
The current state gas tax raises about $2.75 billion a year. Ramaswamy’s proposal would suspend Ohio’s gas tax for 90 days. The move would save drivers about $678 million. It also would drain the same amount from state funds that pay for road and bridge maintenance and for part of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s budget.
To make up for the lost revenue, Ramaswamy proposed draining reserve funds for the Ohio Department of Transportation or the state’s rainy day fund. He said the state could later replenish its savings accounts with money saved on future efforts fighting fraud in its Medicaid program.
Democrat Amy Acton proposed gas-tax holiday hours before Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy announced his plan on Monday, shortly after his Democratic gubernatorial opponent, Amy Acton, announced her own, less detailed proposal to suspend the state’s gas tax.
Acton’s campaign accused Ramaswamy of copying her idea. Some Democrats referred to Ramaswamy’s proposal as Acton’s plan.
Do gas tax holidays actually work?
Gas tax holidays are a popular idea. But researchers have found tax cuts don’t automatically translate to direct savings for drivers.
A 2022 study from the University of Pennsylvania found that in a few other states that while gas tax holidays generally resulted in low prices at the pump, the savings didn’t completely line up with the duration of the break in a few other states that had tried them.
Gas-tax holidays also have drawn criticism from business groups that worry the cuts come at the expense of maintaining roads and bridges. Ohio Chamber of Commerce CEO Steve Stivers, a former Republican congressman, wrote an opinion column in July criticizing a federal proposal to suspend the gas tax, although the Ohio chamber hosted a news conference Wednesday where Republicans detailed their plans.
Rick Carfagna, a spokesperson for the chamber, said Ramaswamy’s plan to backfill lost revenue addresses his organization’s concerns.
Some Democrats have described Trump’s previous call for a federal gas tax holiday as a gimmick, especially given the central role the Iran war has caused in causing prices to go up this year.
