ASHLAND — Ohio Senate President Rob McColley delivered the keynote speech Wednesday evening during the Ashland County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner.
The event took place on the campus of Ashland University in the Heritage Room inside the John C. Meyer Convocation Center.
The lawmaker from Napoleon is running for lieutenant governor with Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
McColley was first elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2014 and has served in both House and Senate leadership positions. He was unanimously elected president of the Ohio Senate in January 2025.
His speech Wednesday included economic development, education and income tax reform. McColley said he and Ramaswamy, if elected, plan to enforce Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee more strictly.
While still implemented, the Third Grade Reading Guarantee was altered by the state at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. Mandatory retention of students, regardless of their reading scores, was eliminated under House Bill 33.
The senate president said he and Ramaswamy plan to undo some of the changes made by HB33, enacted in 2023, when it comes to the reading guarantee requirements.
McColley also discussed more reform to the state’s income tax levels.
In June 2025, the Ohio Senate approved a 2.75-percent flat income tax. McColley said he and Ramaswamy don’t plan to stop there when it comes to lowering or eliminating income tax in Ohio.
Ramaswamy has proposed eliminating the state income tax in Ohio. He has said his goal is to make Ohio a “zero income tax state” to increase competitiveness, attract residents, and reverse population decline.
Kristina Roegner, a Republican candidate for state treasurer, also spoke to attendees Wednesday evening, along with other local leaders and GOP candidates.
Below are photos from the Ashland County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner, which took place Wednesday on the campus of Ashland University. (Credit: Hayden Gray)
