Bill Reineke

William F. Reineke (born October 9, 1954) is an American politician who represents the 26th district of the Ohio State Senate. A member of the Reineke family that has owned the Reineke auto dealerships for decades, he made his first run for public office for state representative in 2014. When incumbent Republican Rex Damschroder failed to qualify for the ballot in 2014,[1] Reineke decided to run to replace him. He won the primary election with 48% of the vote in a three way primary, including a win against Damschroder's wife.[2] Reineke went on to win the general election with 58% of the vote.[3]

Bill Reineke
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 26th district
Assumed office
January 4, 2021
Preceded byDavid Burke
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 88th district
In office
January 3, 2015 – December 31, 2020
Preceded byRex Damschroder
Succeeded byGary Click
Personal details
Born (1954-10-09) October 9, 1954
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
ChildrenJacquelyn, Suzie
ResidenceTiffin, Ohio
EducationMorehead State University (MBA)

Electoral history
Election results[4]
Year Office Election Subject Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes %
2014 Ohio House of Representatives Primary Bill Reineke Republican 2,792 53.11% Rhonda Damschroder Republican 1,703 32.39% Richard Geyer Republican 762 14.49%
2014 Ohio House of Representatives General Bill Reineke Republican 17,335 59.01% Bill Young Democratic 12,040 40.99%
2016 Ohio House of Representatives Primary Bill Reineke Republican 15,777 100.00%
2016 Ohio House of Representatives General Bill Reineke Republican 36,470 100.00%
2018 Ohio House of Representatives Primary Bill Reineke Republican 8,119 100.00%
2018 Ohio House of Representatives General Bill Reineke Republican 26,016 65.87% Rachel Crooks Democratic 13,482 34.13%
2020 Ohio Senate Primary Bill Reineke Republican 24,599 64.80% Melissa Ackison Republican 13,362 35.20%
2020 Ohio Senate General Bill Reineke Republican 114,776 70.57% Craig Swartz Democratic 47,050 28.93% Robert Taylor Write-in 824 0.51%

Ohio House of Representatives

In his second term, Reineke worked as a member of the House Finance Committee to pass the two-year Ohio operating budget for fiscal years 2018-2019. One provision he supported as a part of HB 49 was to freeze Ohio's Medicaid expansion, preventing new enrollment in the program by low-income Ohioans.[5] In 2017, Reineke was named as the Assistant Majority Whip. His support of small businesses and working families and leadership for his district were cited as reasons for his appointment to the position.[5] With the ascent of Larry Householder as Speaker, Reineke was dropped from leadership.[6]

In 2019, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine proposed a gas tax increase in the state's two-year transportation budget. Representative Reineke opposed HB 62 because of the gas tax increase. The tax increase passed despite the opposition from Reineke and other conservatives in the House and Senate.[7]

2020 Ohio Senate Campaign

On April 9, 2019, Reineke announced he was running for the Ohio Senate seat that will be vacated by David Burke in late 2020.[8]

Reineke's campaign has been endorsed by Congressman Jim Jordan, incumbent Senator Dave Burke, the Ohio Republican Party, and the Buckeye Firearms Association.[9]

References
  1. "Rep. Rex Damschroder Off The Ballot In Ohio House Race". Retrieved 2014-11-21.
  2. Ohio election results, 2014 primary
  3. Ohio election results, 2014 general
  4. "Election Results". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  5. "House Bill 49 | The Ohio Legislature". www.legislature.ohio.gov.
  6. "Representative Bill Reineke". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  7. "House Bill 62 - Votes | The Ohio Legislature". www.legislature.ohio.gov.
  8. Shoup, Craig. "Ohio House Rep. Bill Reineke announces bid for state Senate". The News-Messenger.
  9. "News". www.billreineke.com. Retrieved Aug 26, 2020.
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