Republican Gov. Mike DeWine wants Ohio to abolish the death penalty

By — Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press By — Patrick Aftoora Orsagos, Associated Press Patrick Aftoora Orsagos, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/republican-gov-mike-dewine-wants-ohio-to-abolish-the-death-penalty Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Republican Gov. Mike DeWine wants Ohio to abolish the death penalty Nation Jun 16, 2026 2:04 PM EDT COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday that Ohio should abolish the death penalty, saying it is no longer a deterrent to violent crime, confirming his change of heart on the policy he helped write as a state legislator 45 years ago. "I do not believe that argument today can be successfully made, nor do I believe that there's any chance in the future the facts that I've cited to support that belief will change," the 79-year-old governor said during a news conference. "Therefore, I believe Ohio should abolish the death penalty." DeWine has repeatedly postponed scheduled executions in the state over his seven years as governor. During a news conference, he said data indicates the death penalty is not working as intended to deter crime, even as it brings years of pain to victims' loved ones and takes a toll on the mental health of state employees who serve on execution teams. To bolster his case, DeWine brandished charts and graphs detailing the diminishing number of death sentences meted out by courts and showing the exceedingly long wait times that elapse as legal appeals play out for those on death row. He said condemned murderers are increasingly unlikely to ever be executed, sometimes dying by natural causes or by suicide before their execution date arrives. "In summary, each decade that the death penalty has been in effect, the chances of a murderer getting executed get more and more and more remote," DeWine said. DeWine, who faces a term limit in December, said he felt compelled to share his observations now, having had 50 years of experience with the issue from the time he was a young county prosecutor, through being a congressman and U.S. senator, and then serving as Ohio's attorney general. But he said his outright opposition to the procedure has only crystallized over the past year. State lawmakers may not support DeWine's stance Headed into the announcement, any chance of a legislative repeal of the death penalty appeared unlikely. Republican House Speaker Matt Huffman said in February he would "vigorously oppose" such an effort, and then-Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost agreed with him on social media. It remains unclear how Interim Attorney General Andy Wilson, appointed last month to serve the remainder of Yost's term, will respond, and whether the position held by Huffman, who is Catholic, might be affected by immediate praise for DeWine's announcement by the Catholic Conference of Ohio. READ MORE: Lawyers for man accused of killing Ch