Brian Stewart is a lifelong resident of southern Ohio, a small business owner, and an Iraq War veteran. He serves as State Representative for Ohio's 12th House District in the Ohio General Assembly.
After experiencing 9/11 as a high school senior, Brian enlisted for active duty in the Army in 2003, and volunteered to serve in the infantry. After graduating from Basic Training and Airborne School, he was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, and was soon deployed to the Sadr City area of Baghdad in Iraq. During a yearlong deployment in 2005, he conducted over 150 combat patrols in the city. For his actions, Brian earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge (CIB), and was twice awarded the Army Commendation Medal before he was honorably discharged in 2006. Brian returned to school on the GI Bill and earned both his bachelor's and law degrees from the Ohio State University. |
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As State Representative, Stewart has sponsored 11 bills and/or resolutions that have been passed by the Ohio House of Representatives. He sponsored HB2 which created the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Program, which helped fund the connection of 100,000 households to high-speed internet. He sponsored legislation (HB149) to add party affiliation to the Ohio Supreme Court and Ohio Court of Appeals judicial races, which in its first election since being signed into law resulted in the undervote dropping from 25% to 2% for Ohio Supreme Court races – a massive increase in voter participation. Stewart has tackled numerous good government improvements as well, such as reforming Ohio’s probate process (HB7), clarifying law regarding county hospitals (HB405), and requiring civil court pleadings to be made publicly available on the internet (HB567) – all of which were signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine.
Rep. Stewart has been the leader of numerous high-profile debates across the State of Ohio. He introduced HCR48 to successfully invalidate a proposed rule to allow for Ohio jury trials to be conducted over remote video technology such as Zoom, and he was the sponsor of HJR1, the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment, which was put before Ohio voters as Issue 1 in 2023. Rep. Stewart also introduced HR69 which accomplished the successful expulsion of former Speaker of the House Larry Householder as a member of the Ohio General Assembly. Stewart led the floor debate to expel Householder, who was subsequently convicted by a jury of racketeering and sentenced to 20 years in prison, the first successful expulsion effort since before the Civil War. |
In 2009, Brian successfully ran for a seat on Ashville Village Council, receiving the highest number of votes out of five candidates during his first bid for public office. He served three years on the Finance and Public Safety Committees, and was selected by his colleagues to serve as President Pro Tempore of Council. In 2012 Brian was elected Pickaway County Commissioner and he was re-elected by a wide margin in 2016. During his tenure, the Board of Commissioners maintained a balanced budget every year with no deficit spending, quadrupled the county’s cash reserves, helped create more than 2,700 new jobs in the county, and completely rebuilt the Pickaway County Fairgrounds.
In 2020, Brian was elected to serve as State Representative for Ohio's 78th House District, winning a 3-way Republican primary with 66.9% of the vote. He won re-election to the Ohio House to represent the new 12th House District in 2022.
In addition to his career in public service, Brian maintains a successful law practice as the owner of The Law Office of Brian Stewart, LLC in Circleville. He represents business and individuals throughout Ohio, with a practice focus on civil litigation, business transactions, real estate, and estate planning. In 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, he was named an "Ohio Rising Star" by Super Lawyers, a distinction given to no more than 2.5% of attorneys in the state. In his free time, Rep. Stewart is a dedicated movie buff, a passionate Bengals fan, and an aspiring cook. He also enjoys target shooting, books on American history, and the music of Johnny Cash. He lives in Ashville and attends Village Chapel Church with his wife, Letanya, a Certified Nurse Practitioner, and their three children, Salem (14), Sidney (12), and Lincoln (7). |
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