Driehaus retains House leadership post

State Rep. Steve Driehaus of Price Hill was reappointed the third-ranked Democrat in the Ohio House Tuesday night.

Driehaus has held the post of House Democratic Whip since January 2005.

The Cincinnati Democrat, meanwhile, nominated Rep. Joyce Beatty of Columbus to retain the House Democratic Leader's job when the Ohio General Assembly convenes its 127th session on Jan. 2.

Driehaus noted that the acrimony-free leadership vote was a testament to Beatty’s ability to bring members together and unify the caucus as a team while improving Democrats’ clout in the legislature.

"We’ve had divisive leadership battles in the past," Driehaus said. "The fact that we are unified right now says a lot about Rep. Beatty’s leadership style."

House Democrats gained seven seats Nov. 7, their largest as a party since 1972. But Republicans will retain a majority of seats, 53 to 46, in January.

In January, Beatty became the first woman to lead Democrats in the House when Rep. Chris Redfern resigned his leadership post to focus on his new role as chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.

Beatty, Driehaus and the rest of the current House Democratic leadership team were re-elected by acclamation and without opposition.

Rep. Fred Strahorn of Dayton was reappointed as Assistant Democratic Whip, a post he has held since March.