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Snollygoster
New episodes every Thursday
Hosted by Mike Thompson

Snollygoster takes an in-depth look at politics in Ohio. Each week we dig into the top political stories in Columbus and Ohio and explore national stories that impact the state by talking with politicians, reporters and other news-makers. (In case you're wondering, a "snollygoster" is a shrewd and unprincipled politician.)

Listen to Snollygoster on the WOSU Public Media mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Latest Episodes
  • A photo shows a man with glasses standing at a podium. The wood-grained podium has a sign that reads: “The Great Seal of the State of Ohio.” Behind him is an American flag and a flag of the state of Ohio.
    Death penalty politics
    DeWine’s change in position seems little more than symbolic. Republican leaders in the Legislature support the death penalty. There is no movement ready to put it on the ballot.
  • FILE - In this Nov. 2005 file photo, public information director Larry Greene is shown in the death chamber at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio. The state prisons agency announced Monday, June 29, 2015, that Ohio will test lethal injection drugs ahead of executions if it obtains specialty batches of the drugs, in its latest update of capital punishment rules. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
    Why Ohio’s governor wants to end capital punishment
    Gov. Mike DeWine has come out against Ohio’s death penalty. This week, the conservative Republican governor, who co-sponsored the bill that reinstated capital punishment in 1981, said Ohio should abolish it.
  • Houses in the Weinland Park neighborhood of Columbus..
    What's next for the property tax repeal effort?
    The effort to abolish Ohio property taxes has failed – at least for now. The group collecting signatures to put an amendment on November’s ballot says it has fallen short of the number needed to qualify.
  • Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the United States Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services speaks at a press conference in Columbus about state and federal efforts to combat fraud on June 4, 2026.
    Inside the allegations of Ohio Medicaid fraud
    For weeks, DeWine has faced criticism from his fellow Republicans over allegations of widespread fraud in the state’s Medicaid system. It started with a report in the conservative outlet The Daily Wire, which accused home health agencies of fraudulently billing the system that pays for healthcare for low-income and disabled people.
  • A photo collage featuring Vivek Ramaswamy (left) speaking into a microphone and Dr. Amy Acton (right) speaking at a podium.
    The next Ohio governor will be new to elected office
    For the first time in eight years, Ohio will have a new governor. It will be someone from outside government: tech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, who briefly ran for president, or Amy Acton, who served in government for about a year.
  • FILE - Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, speaks, Jan. 31, 2023, at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.
    Key Takeaways from the Ohio Primary
    The candidates are set for Ohio's general election in November. There were no big surprises in this week’s primary.
  • Poll suggests Ohio may look more like a purple state in November
    An important election is just around the corner. Ohio will elect a new governor and decide who will represent the state in the U.S. Senate. A new poll provides a snapshot of what voters are thinking, and the results are interesting.
  • Vivek Ramaswamy speaks to an audience at Ohio State University's Mershon Auditorium organized by Turning Point USA on April 21, 2026.
    A Personal Turn in the Ohio Gubernatorial Race
    Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is out with a new ad where his wife shows off their new baby. In another ad, he goes after Democrat Amy Acton for her role in the COVID-19 shutdowns.
  • John Glenn speaks in front of an image of him as an astronaut in 1962.
    Looking Back To When Ohio Was Blue
    We look back at a time when Ohio was blue politically, or at least purple. We talk with longtime Democratic activist Dale Butland, who worked for U.S. Sen. John Glenn and has a new book out When Ohio Was Blue.
  • Vice President JD Vance salutes as he walks off Air Force Two, Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Md., returning from a day trip to Waterford Township, Mich. (Elizabeth Frantz/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
    Democrats plan for Vance 2028
    The 2028 presidential campaign likely will start about a year from now, but Democrats are not waiting to take on a likely candidate: Ohioan and Vice President JD Vance.