Mourning Kirk: Vice President JD Vance abandoned plans Thursday to attend a commemoration of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in New York and instead headed to Salt Lake City, Utah, to pay respects to the family of his friend, assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Sabrina Eaton writes. Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot on the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday afternoon. In a lengthy tribute posted on X Wednesday night, Vance recounted how their friendship began around 2017 when Kirk, then barely known to him, sent an encouraging message after the Cincinnati Republican appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox show.
Uncivil discourse: Civil discourse advocates across Northeast Ohio expressed shock and sadness over the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, calling the shooting a stark reminder of how political violence threatens democratic dialogue, Eaton writes. After learning of Kirk’s death on Wednesday at Utah Valley University, Nancy Miranda, an Ohio state coordinator for the national nonprofit Braver Angels, said she was appalled that someone apparently killed Kirk because they disagreed with him politically. “The antidote to political violence isn’t silence; it’s deeper dialogue,” said Lauren Copeland, who a former Baldwin Wallace University professor who founded the school’s Civil Discourse Initiative. “Civil discourse reminds us to see opponents as people, not enemies.”
Picking up the pace: Ohio Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy, in an annual State of the Judiciary address in Columbus, said that courts throughout the state have reduced case backlogs — in some courts by more than half. The backlog began during the pandemic, when in-person court hearings were halted, Laura Hancock reports.
Kule runnings: John Kulewicz, a retired Columbus law firm partner and Upper Arlington City Council member, has filed paperwork to join the 2026 Democratic race for Ohio attorney general. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, Kulewicz is the third candidate to run for term-limited Republican Dave Yost’s job, after Democratic ex-state Rep. Elliot Forhan and Republican state Auditor Keith Faber. Kulewicz, 71, is a Yale Law School graduate who managed then-U.S. Sen. Gary Hart’s 1984 presidential primary win in Ohio and has argued cases before the Ohio and U.S. supreme courts.
Speaking of 2026 candidates… Jill Flagg Lanzinger, a state appellate judge from Summit County, says that she will likely soon join the already crowded Republican primary race to challenge Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner, the lone Democrat on the state’s high court. Pelzer has more on Lanzinger’s background, including how she’s related to ex-Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger.
Toepfer advances: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to move forward with career federal prosecutor David Toepfer’s nomination to be northern Ohio’s U.S. attorney, though it’s unclear whether he’ll be confirmed by the full Senate, Eaton writes. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Toepfer to the job in July, but his confirmation is stalled by Senate Democrats’ refusal to swiftly move forward with floor votes on non-controversial U.S. attorney nominees, such as Toepfer. The Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, is delaying approval of all Trump’s U.S. attorney nominees because former U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio did the same thing to Joe Biden’s nominees before he became Donald Trump’s vice president.
Always ready, always there: Gov. Mike DeWine agreed on Wednesday to extend the deployment of Ohio National Guard troops in Washington until the end of November, with at least 150 troops remaining in the city. As Cliff Pinckard reports, the extension was done at the request of the secretary of the Army through the National Guard Bureau. While National Guard troops are staying put in DC, the governor doesn’t envision sending them to Ohio’s cities to address violent crime, Mary Frances McGowan writes. “To focus on violent crime, that is really the police officers, highway patrol, our liquor control people, our parole people. These are the people who focus on the violent crime,” DeWine said.
Election speech: Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy published an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, saying Seneca County’s decision to bar election workers who oppose voting machines is a “textbook First Amendment violation.” He compared the move to past cases where courts protected public employees from retaliation for speaking out. As Anna Staver first reported, the county’s rule came in response to a failed petition drive to return to paper ballots.
Buckeye Brain Tease
Question: Lucy Webb Hayes, wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes, banned alcohol from the White House during their administration. The decision earned her what nickname?
Email your response to capitolletter@cleveland.com. The first correct respondent will be mentioned in next week’s newsletter.
Thanks to everyone who answered our last trivia question: House Speaker Matt Huffman says Dave Thomas took inspiration for Wendy’s from which Ohio burger joint?
Answer: Kewpee Hamburgers
Capitol Letter reader Matt Whitehead was the first to email with the correct response.
On the Move
Amy Acton, a Democratic candidate for governor, has been endorsed by 29 Toledo-area Democrats, including state Sen. Paula Hicks Hudson, state Rep. Erika White, State Board of Education members Teresa Fedor and Kristie Reighard, Lucas County Commissioners Pete Gerken and Lisa Sobecki, Bowling Green Mayor Mike Aspacher, and former Ohio Democratic Party Chair Jim Ruvolo.
Birthdays
Friday, Sept 12: Lindsay Murch, senior legislative aide to state Sen. Nathan Manning; Brian Skinner, Ohio Senate Democrats’ legal counsel
Saturday, Sept 13: Parker Deering, legislative aide to state Sen. Sandy O’Brien
Sunday, Sept 14: Adriana Gordon, legislative aide to state Rep. Latyna Humphrey
Straight from the Source
“Republicans and conservatives are being hunted right now. Let’s just call it like it is. This is a political assassination. This was a lunatic. Hunted because of his views, because of his willingness to share his opinions, which is what the left fears more than anything else, because they have no opinions.”
U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno speaking with Fox News about the assassination of Turning Points USA Founder Charlie Kirk.
Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. Subscribe to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.