Following the Money in the Larry Householder Trial
01.25.2023
On Day 2 of the Larry Householder Corruption Trial we learned that immediately after a 2017 meeting between top executives of FirstEnergy and the Perry County lawmaker, the company’s political action committee began to send what would eventually amount to $60 million to dark money entities controlled by Householder. The funds helped fulfill Householder’s quest to return to the Speaker’s chair, secure the votes for a $1 billion subsidy of First Energy’s failing nuclear plants, and block a voter referendum designed to overturn the bailout.
But Householder was far from the only Ohio politician to take campaign contributions tied to HB6.
In 2020, after Householder and others were charged with federal corruption charges, ProgressOhio looked at historical campaign contributions from FirstEnergy as well as other entities that ultimately benefited from the taxpayer-subsidized bailout. We found over $6 million in campaign contributions connected to the scheme. You can view all the contributions from scandal-linked individuals and organizations on our website.
Here are some highlights of HB6 scandal-linked campaign contributions worth noting as the trail moves forward:
| Recipient | HB6 Campaign Contributions |
| Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted | $231,047 |
| Ohio Auditor Keith Faber | $144,713 |
| Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman | $138,230 |
| Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose | $130,770 |
| Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost | $78,866 |
| Ohio State Senator & candidate for US Senate Matt Dolan | $64,617 |
As the trial unfolds over the next 3-5 weeks, we’ll be watching carefully to learn what these individuals did to deserve such generosity from the entities behind House Bill 6. We already know that Governor DeWine signed the bill into law, but his administration was much more involved than that and we’ll continue to document those connections as they come to light.
