Tom Patton

Thomas Patton
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 24th district
Incumbent
Assumed office November 18, 2008
Preceded by	Robert Spada
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 18th district
In office January 3, 2003 – November 18, 2008
Preceded by	Erin Sullivan
Succeeded by	Matt Patten
Personal details
Born	November 3, 1953 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Residence	Strongsville, Ohio, U.S.
Alma mater	Cleveland State University
Profession	Legislator
Religion	Catholic

Tom Patton (born November 3, 1953) is a member and current majority leader of the Ohio Senate,^[1] representing the Twenty Fourth District since 2008. He formerly served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2003 to 2008.

Career

Patton is a member the Knights of Columbus, the Cleveland Police Historical Society, the AFL-CIO and serves as president of the Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Local 756.

With newly drawn district lines following redistricting in 2002, Patton was one of five Republicans who sought to succeed incumbent Erin Sullivan. To take the nomination, Patton received 42.33% of the vote.^[2] He went on to defeat Democrat Susan Adams in the general election with 52.4% of the vote.^[3] In his first term, Speaker of the House Larry Householder appointed Patton as chairman of the Transportation and Justice Subcommittee of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, as well as a member of the Banking, Pensions and Securities Committee, the Insurance Committee, the Public Utilities Committee, and the Rules and Reference Committee.

In his first reelection bid, Patton defeated Democrat Bobby Bland with 66.59% of the vote to take a second term.^[4] In the 126th General Assembly, Patton served again as chairman of the Transportation and Justice Subcommittee of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, as well as the Financial Institutions, Real Estate, and Securities Committee, the Insurance Committee, and the State Government Committee.

For his third term in House, Patton faced John Celebrezze in 2006. However, he easily defeated his opposition with 58.53% of the electorate.^[5] Again he served as chairman of the Transportation and Justice Subcommittee of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, and also on the Education Committee, the Financial Institutions, Real Estate, and Securities Committee, and the Ways and Means Committee.

Controversial Comments Regarding Female Opponent

In an interview on America's Workforce Radio, Patton referred to his opponent, Jennifer Herold, as "gal" and "sweetie". In addition, he questioned her ability to serve due to the fact that she is a mother of young children.^[6]

"And I don't know if anybody explained to her we've got to spend three nights a week in Columbus. So, how does that work out for you? I waited until I was 48 and my kids were raised, and at least adults, before we took the opportunity to try."

The comments generated national coverage. Numerous outlets such as Cosmopolitan, Gawker, and The Christian Science Monitor editorialized the story.

Nate Beeler of The Columbus Dispatch also covered it, creating a cartoon regarding the comments.^[7]

Ohio Senate

When incumbent Bob Spada was unable to run for another term in the Ohio Senate in 2008, Patton decided to give up a fourth term in the House to run for the seat. Unopposed in the primary, Patton went on to defeat Democrat Gary Kucinich, brother of Dennis Kucinich, in the general election with 68.39% of the vote.^[8] However, in an unusual turn of events, Spada resigned his seat two months prior to the end of his term in order to take an appointment from Governor Ted Strickland. Subsequently, Senate Republicans decided to seat Patton early, in order for the Senate to have adequate representation throughout the important lame duck session. He was seated in the Senate on November 18, 2008.

For the 128th General Assembly, Senate President Bill Harris appointed Patton as chairman of Senate Transportation Committee, as well as a member of the Finance and Financial Institutions Committee, the Energy and Public Utilities Committee and the Ways and Means and Economic Development Committee. In the 129th General Assembly, Patton is serving as a member of the committees on Energy and Public Utilities; Finance; Highways and Transportation (as chairman); and Ways and Means and Economic Development. He is also serving on the Ohio Rail Development Commission, the Ohio Turnpike Commission, the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact and the Ohio Athletic Commission.

In 2012, Patton ran successfully for a second term, defeating Democrat Jennifer Brady with 59.16% of the vote.^[9]

References

1. "Ohio Senate Leadership". Ohio Senate. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
2. Blackwell, Kenneth 2002 primary election results (2002-05-04)
3. Blackwell, Kenneth 2002 general election results (2002-11-04)
4. Blackwell, Kenneth 2004 general election results (2004-11-02)
5. Blackwell, Kenneth 2006 general election results (2006-11-07)
6. "Ohio Sen. Tom Patton suggests opponent shouldn't run because she's a young mother". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
7. "Beeler Toon". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
8. Brunner, Jennifer 2008 general election results (2008-11-04)
9. Husted, Jon 2012 general election results (2012-11-06)

External links

• The Ohio Senate: Senator Tom Patton (R) - District 24'