About that hot tub in Belize

Rep. Denson on that infamous picture, it's not looking good for DeWine's tax hikes, Vivek Ramaswamy and Matt Huffman on a collision course, and Resist Liberals get their mojo back.

Before we begin, please follow the new Instagram account! Thank you!

---

Democrats in the Ohio Legislature are a lot like offensive linemen in football. You only shout their names when they’re embarrassing themselves on the gridiron.

Enter State Rep. Sedrick Denson (D-Cincinnati), who hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory in his seven years as a state legislator:

• In 2019, he was arrested for a DUI on a Friday at 2:45 a.m. in Columbus while also carrying Adderall pills he wasn’t prescribed.

• Missed over 30 percent of voting sessions in the 135th General Assembly, which spanned two years.

• He inexplicably used his government Instagram account to post a photo of himself wearing a tank top in a hot tub in Belize during the Lame Duck Session, usually the only time on the legislative calendar when Democrats take any meaningful votes.

• Last month, despite being a senior legislator and multiple reminders from his caucus administration, Denson forgot the Board of Elections paperwork required to swear into office, which could have allowed Republicans to refuse to seat him.

As I wrote last month, I planned to make an example of Denson for dereliction of duty. It’s not like anybody forced him to run for office. It’s not like he’s making peanuts, either. Showing up to work is a baseline requirement for most jobs I’ve ever worked. Why should it be any different in the State Legislature?

I saw Denson a couple of weeks ago and said we could do it the easy way or the hard way. Having never interacted with him, I thought he might run like a bug.

But give Denson this much: He said his aide would email me to set an appointment. I was skeptical, but I’m glad I gave him that benefit of the doubt because, true to his word, his aide was in my inbox about 12 hours later.

Denson and I sat down yesterday morning in the Statehouse cafeteria to discuss his track record, that infamous picture in Belize, his attempts to earn a job with Hamilton County’s new Democratic prosecutor, and a mutual respect for State Rep. “Mean Jean” Schmidt (when she’s not talking abortion policy).

I think Denson means well. It took gumption to discuss his failures on camera.

But he strikes me as a guy who isn’t ready for the Big Leagues. Take the Belize incident. It’s one thing to skirt your responsibilities; it’s another thing entirely to post evidence of you skirting them to your official work account.

And given that the Democrats are in the superminority, it seems like a wasted roster spot for a guy who’s fumbling basic paperwork during his fourth term.

Because that’s what gerrymandering has done to our State Legislature. The problems with the Republican Party are obvious. But don’t sleep on what problems it causes for Democrats.

Is Denson the best his district could do for representation? Probably not. But the talent pool is diluted because many competent operators don’t want to spend eight years commuting to Columbus only to live under the thumb of the Republican cartel.

I wish Denson well in life. I suspect he has some things to sort out in his private life, but I was relieved that he won’t seek to replace Senator Catherine Ingram (D-Columbus) in the Senate.

It ain’t looking good for DeWine’s tax hike to fund pet projects for billionaires.