Young children’s capacity to plan ahead and improvise on the spot is put to the test when they play musical chairs in kindergarten or as excited children at a birthday celebration. As the music begins, participants move past a circle with fewer chairs than musicians. There is a frantic rush for the closest seat when it stops. Those who remain are eliminated. As the music continues, there are less and fewer chairs until there is just one left with a single tush in it.
However, it is not the same as playing musical chairs in politics. And boring. To begin with, seats are not being eliminated. Career politicians just move seats when the music starts. The competitive romp tests notability but the limits of cronyism, or who gets what in the shuffle of in-group favoritism, if all the players switching positions are on the same team. Regardless of qualifications, political hangers-on with term-limited seats hurry to switch jobs with other term-limited government lifers in order to save their careers.
In order to remain relevant and employed, Ohio Republicans who are unwilling to leave the alluring spotlight of elected office at the conclusion of their tenure simply go to statewide offices or the Statehouse chambers. They have mastered the skill of making politics a permanent position in state government under one-party rule, rather than a temporary privilege to serve the public interest and then return home. There are instances when political careerists rush to seize a vacant position rather than go back to work in the private sector and hand over power to new voices.
It was almost hilarious how incumbents who were looking to change posts and faced term limits in 2026 rushed to declare their candidacies for each other’s positions as secretary of state, state attorney general, state auditor, and state treasurer. Winning anything would keep them in the game as self-aggrandizing egotists, regardless of whether the seat they wanted offered more lateral career movement than upward progression.
Republican AG In order to replace term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine, who is 78 years old and tired of playing musical chairs, Dave Yost accelerated his campaign rollout for governor. Constantly seeking publicity, Yost rushed to grab media attention before a millennial charlatan with enormous wealth beat him to it. Vivek Ramaswamy appears to have chosen that being governor of his home state would be his next job after his brief tenure as Elon Musk’s sidekick in crime. Why not? His formal announcement (for the position that requires no experience) is eagerly anticipated at any moment.
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According to reports, the affluent finance bro, who is accused of operating pump-and-dump schemes to earn a fortune, is a lock to become governor after his ten-minute presidential campaign last year and his aggressive sycophancy to a lawless felon who carried out a blitzkrieg against the U.S. Constitution. The high-flying Wall Street speculator, who relocated his financial services firm from Columbus to Dallas because he had such faith in Ohio, may close the deal with a Trump endorsement.
The fact that a 39-year-old abrasive millionaire with no political background in the state can enter Ohio’s gubernatorial contest and take the lead right away must irritate Yost. Lockstep loyalty and pitiful deference to a Dear Leader who alone determines which candidate advances in the GOP primary is the reality, though. To gain favor with MAGA radicals, Yost is obviously not above devaluing himself, flattering the Dear Leader, and filing performative lawsuits alongside other Republican AGs who debase themselves in order to gain MAGA points. “I’m responding to the call of duty,” he declared.
Yost briefly faced competition from another Republican for the state’s top position. Republican State Treasurer Robert Sprague, who isn’t particularly well-known in Ohio, entered the gubernatorial run without hesitation because he left a few days later. The politician from Findlay immediately bowed to Trump by supporting unofficial candidate Ramaswamy for governor should he run, and he announced his intention to run for secretary of state, joining GOP primary rival former state senator Niraj Antani and possibly Bowling Green, Ohio Sen. Theresa Gavarone.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who finished third in last year’s Ohio Senate Republican primary, lost the race to succeed J.D. Vance in the Senate, and had a nasty reputation as a partisan hack who rigs state elections, shuffled wildly around the claimed seats. Desperate to locate an open seat, he finally chose the state auditor last week, strangely echoing Yost’s statement that “I’ve always answered the call of duty” in his announcement. Keith Faber, an auditor, has previously declared his intention to run for Yost’s position.
However, it is important pointing out the boldness of the state’s chief elections officer’s pledge to implement accountability, efficiency, and openness in his role as Auditor of State. LaRose’s tongue is forked when she speaks. He purged tens of thousands of active registered voters from the rolls in his zeal to disenfranchise some, purposefully created new obstacles to make voting more difficult in Ohio, and attempted to deny voters their majority voting rights by amending the state constitution in 2023. He also included egregiously biased and misleading ballot language to unfairly sway voters on abortion rights and anti-gerrymandering citizen initiatives that Republicans opposed.
But rather than focusing on the facts or the repercussions, LaRose, like the others, is playing a game of political musical chairs. With a ready-made blueprint to deceive disinterested voters, he has a chance to gain a new seat in a red, Republican-ruled state. dirt beneath the carpeting. The song continues to play.
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Eliot Pierce is a dedicated writer for ChiefsFocus.com, covering local crime and finance news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Eliot aims to provide his readers with clear and insightful analysis, helping them navigate the complexities of their financial lives while staying informed about important local events. His commitment to delivering accurate and engaging content makes him a valuable resource for the community.