{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.husted.senate.gov/media/press-releases/husted-op-ed-ohios-long-road-from-economic-decline-to-no-1/", "Husted op-ed: Ohio\u2019s long road from economic decline to No. 1", "2026-07-22", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "OH", "Jon Husted", "H001104", "www.husted.senate.gov", "husted", "https://www.husted.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cI have been fortunate to play a role in many of those reforms during my years in public service, and I have witnessed firsthand the difficult decisions that helped Ohio climb from near the bottom of the pack to the top.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) penned an op-ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer tracing Ohio\u2019s transformation from the nation\u2019s 34th-ranked state for business in 2010 to the No. 1 state for business in 2026.\n\nIn the piece, Husted reflects on the policy decisions, long-term investments and collaborative leadership that helped fuel Ohio\u2019s economic resurgence and position the state as a national leader.\n\nKey excepts include:\n\n\u201cWhen CNBC published its Top States for Business rankings in 2010, Ohio ranked 34th. In its latest rankings, Ohio is number one.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cThat recognition is gratifying because I remember just how difficult things were for Ohio families not all that long ago.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cI grew up in northwest Ohio during a time when our state was in economic freefall. Around the time I graduated from high school, the company where my father worked was failing. My dad and my uncle lost their jobs in our hometown of Montpelier, and my family ultimately had to leave Ohio to find work.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cI loved Ohio, so I stayed. I went to work in economic development at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce because I believed our state could compete again, and I\u2019m not a quitter.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cThose were difficult years. Companies were leaving Ohio, and manufacturing communities were suffering.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cOur state had one of the nation\u2019s highest income tax rates, three burdensome business taxes, and even taxed the machinery and equipment companies needed to modernize and compete. We had become a harder place to invest, build, hire and grow.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cFortunately, leaders in both the public and private sectors began the long work of turning Ohio around.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cI have been fortunate to play a role in many of those reforms during my years in public service, and I have witnessed firsthand the difficult decisions that helped Ohio climb from near the bottom of the pack to the top.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cGovernors and legislators from both parties made important contributions.\n\n\u201cGovernor George Voinovich restored fiscal discipline and reformed workers\u2019 compensation.\n\n\u201cGovernor Bob Taft championed tax and tort reform.\n\n\u201cGovernor John Kasich created JobsOhio and signed a law eliminating the death tax to make Ohio more competitive.\n\n\u201cGovernor Mike DeWine has built on that foundation with major investments in infrastructure, career and technical education, workforce development and transformational economic development projects.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cAt the turn of this century, Ohio was losing people, jobs, and confidence. Today, Ohio has more people employed than at any time in our state\u2019s history, and unemployment remains near historic lows.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cOf course, being No. 1 doesn\u2019t mean our work is finished. The best organizations \u2212 and the best states \u2212 never stop improving. Every day presents another opportunity to become more competitive.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cMy goal has always been simple: to help make Ohio a place where our children and grandchildren can build successful careers close to the communities that raised them \u2212 if that\u2019s where they choose to live.\n\n\u201cThey may still pursue opportunities across the country or around the world, and that\u2019s part of the American dream.\n\n\u201cBut they should never have to leave because Ohio failed to provide one.\u201d\n\n. . .\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve come a long way, and while there is still more to do, Ohio has proven that decline is not destiny.\u201d", 1, "2026-07-23T07:31:02Z", "2026-07-23T07:32:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.husted.senate.gov/media/press-releases/husted-op-ed-ohios-long-road-from-economic-decline-to-no-1/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7619310636073351, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}