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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]

Abortion legislation

In 2019, Reineke co-sponsored Ohio Senate Bill 23, commonly referred to as the "Heartbeat Bill." The legislation bans most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is typically around six weeks into pregnancy—before many people are aware they are pregnant. The bill makes no exceptions for rape or incest. It was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine on April 11, 2019.[4]

Reineke supported the bill as part of broader Republican efforts to limit abortion access in Ohio. SB 23 was met with national attention and sparked legal challenges shortly after its passage.[5]

In September 2022, enforcement of the law was blocked by a Hamilton County judge, temporarily restoring legal abortion access in Ohio up to 22 weeks while court proceedings continued.[6]

Electoral history

Election results[7]
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.[8] 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.[8] With the ascent of Larry Householder as Speaker, Reineke was dropped from leadership.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11]

Reineke's campaign has been endorsed by Congressman Jim Jordan, incumbent Senator Dave Burke, the Ohio Republican Party, and the Buckeye Firearms Association.[12]

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. ^ Ingber, Sasha (2019-04-11). "A Bill Banning Most Abortions Becomes Law In Ohio". NPR. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  5. ^ "Ohio Senate Bill 23 - 2019". LegiScan. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  6. ^ "Ohio Lower Court Blocks Six-Week Abortion Ban, Restoring Reproductive Rights Across State". ACLU. 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
  7. ^ "Election Results". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "House Bill 49 | The Ohio Legislature". www.legislature.ohio.gov.
  9. ^ "Representative Bill Reineke". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  10. ^ "House Bill 62 - Votes | The Ohio Legislature". www.legislature.ohio.gov.
  11. ^ Shoup, Craig. "Ohio House Rep. Bill Reineke announces bid for state Senate". The News-Messenger.
  12. ^ "News". www.billreineke.com. Retrieved Aug 26, 2020.
Ohio Senate
Preceded by President pro tempore of the Ohio Senate
2025–present 		Incumbent