Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo Will Step Down from Top Position Paving Way for Transition to New Leadership in House Democratic Caucus

COLUMBUS - Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo today announced she is stepping down from the Ohio House Democratic Leadership team at the end of June to pave the way for a smooth transition of leadership before the scheduled summer break of the legislative session. Leader Russo has served as Ohio House Minority Leader since January 2022 and is leaving behind a legacy of strong, strategic leadership and a tenacity for standing up for the rights of all Ohioans. 

“Serving as the Ohio House Minority leader for the last three and a half years has been an incredible honor. It has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding positions I've had the privilege to hold. This role has allowed me to shape our Democratic policy priorities, be an unwavering voice for the needs of Ohio working families, and recruit talented new legislators and a team of hardworking staff to carry out these priorities. I owe so much to my Democratic colleagues in the House and to the voters in my district and all across Ohio who have shown me support as we have fought for working Ohioans in the face of a very hostile and extreme Republican majority,” Leader Russo said.

“Over the last few years, my colleagues and I have stood strong in the face of attacks on our most basic rights and values, and despite tough odds we were successful in standing up for all Ohioans,” Leader Russo said. “We preserved our right to direct democracy against an attempt to raise the citizen ballot initiative threshold to 60 percent. We fought to fund public schools and speak out against the dangerous private school voucher program. We stood up for the rights of working Ohioans and so much more.

Every strong leader knows the importance of a thoughtful transition. At the beginning of this session, I communicated to members that I wanted to remain in leadership through the important state operating budget negotiations, and that work will be completed by the end of this month. Going into the summer legislative break and remaining portion of the General Assembly session, it is important that I give the next leadership team ample time to thoughtfully and carefully plan how to navigate our Caucus priorities after this budget cycle and to continue building our effort to pick up more seats for Democrats in the Ohio House in 2026,” Leader Russo said. “I will continue to fully support our Caucus in all of those efforts, but I will do it in an advisory role so that I can focus on completing the policy work I am most passionate about and serving my district.

For the immediate future, I’m focusing on my constituents in the 7th House district and my family. My son just graduated high school, and I look forward to spending the summer with him and my family preparing to send him off to college. Any decisions regarding my political future, will come at a later time,” Leader Russo said.

Leader Russo was elected in November 2018, capturing a previously held Republican seat. She began serving in January 2019 and quickly positioned herself as a principled and thoughtful legislator focused on addressing the needs of working families. She was selected as the House Minority Leader in 2022 and served as the top Democrat during three General Assemblies and with three different Republican House Speakers. Leader Russo is in her final term as a State Representative and is not eligible to run for re-election to the Ohio House due to legislative term limits.