Editor’s note: We will just say sorry now — Ainslee has some microphone tech issues throughout the episode. We did our best to adjust, apologies for any hearing difficulties!!

S2 Ep 3 - This Year in Ohio Politics: Which Way Will We Go From Here?

In this episode, Ainslee and Maria give you a break from national political madness to discuss… Ohio political madness.

Ainslee & Maria debrief about the community response to ICE’s recent visit to Columbus. They discuss why community network-building isn’t just busy work — in an emergency situation, it can be lifesaving!

They also discuss the stakes of the Governor’s race, specifically how the next Governor will be the most consequential person on our 2026 ballot in deciding the direction of Ohio’s future.

Finally, Ainslee & Maria preview a couple new programs on deck for Ohioans Against Extremism: a Helper’s Cohort for newer activists, and coffee meet-ups for frustrated Ohioans. More information on both to come, but you can sign up here to be the first to know about application details and deadlines for the Helper’s Cohort.

Episode Information:

Recorded: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 1pm

In this Episode: Maria Bruno, Ainslee Johnson-Brown

Produced, Edited, and Recorded by: Devin “Dev Draper” Palmer and Tareya Palmer

WARNING: Next week is BACK TO THE STATEHOUSE!

Before we go, we feel obligated to mention that it’s official: our break from Statehouse madness officially ends next week. We’ve already gotten word about hearings on a few anti-abortion bills and a handful of committees are convening. TBD on how much damage they’ll try to cause on their first week back , but be sure to subscribe to our updates to stay in the loop!

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