Gary Cates (born December 27, 1955) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician who served in the

Ohio General Assembly The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ...

. He was a member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

from 1995 to 2004, and a member of the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

from 2005 to 2011.

Life and career

A graduate of

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

and the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

, Cates began his political career as a Union Township Trustee from 1990 to 1995. When Representative

Scott Nein Scott R. Nein of Middletown, Ohio, is an American politician of the Republican party, who formerly served in the Ohio General Assembly. Early life and education A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Nein established a career in insuranc ...

resigned from the Ohio House of Representatives to take a seat in the

late in 1995, Cates was appointed to fill the remainder of his term. A reliably Republican district, Cates faced no opposition in the 1996 primary and beat Kendall L. Mays handily in the 1996 election. He went on to win easily against opponents in 1998 and 2000, and ran unopposed in 2002. In 2001, Cates was elected by his peers to serve in as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House, the second highest position under Speaker of the House

Larry Householder Larry Lee Householder (born June 6, 1959) is an American politician who was the state representative for Ohio's 72nd district and was a two-time Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party. Householder ...

. He served in this capacity for both the 124th General Assembly and the 125th General Assembly.

Ohio Senate

With incumbent Senator

unable to run for the Senate again because of term limits, Cates, along with Representative

Greg Jolivette Greg Jolivette is a politician in the U.S. state of Ohio:Kemme, Steve.City's gimmick made a point, ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'', 2001-09-21. Accessed 2011-08-18. a previous Butler County Commissioner,Michael D. Pitman.Longtime public servant pac ...

and County Commissioner

Courtney Combs Courtney Combs was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 54th District since his appointment in 2004. He was the Chairman of the House Criminal Justice Committee. He is a member of the Republican Party. Career A gradu ...

were seen as potential successors. Midway through 2003, the Butler County Republican party sought to create a proposal that would help to avoid a primary. It focused on Jolivette and Combs switching offices, therefore allowing Cates to seal the nomination for the Senate seat. However, this did not work out. Jolivette decided to seek a fourth term in the House, and Combs decided to seek the Senate seat. Cates faced no opposition for his bid. Therefore, he had a clear path to the Senate in a staunchly Republican district. Against Democrat Melvin A. Smith in the general election, Cates won by about 48,000 votes. Cates, up for reelection in 2008, was again a strong favorite against Democratic challenger Kathryn Bridgman. He won a second term by approximately 35,000 votes. On May 5, 2011, Ohio Governor

John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...

announced that he would be appointing Cates as the senior vice chancellor for the division of Innovation and Enterprise Development with the Ohio Board of Regents. Cates accepted, and on May 23, 2011, resigned from the Senate. He was succeeded by

Bill Coley Bill Coley (born August 5, 1960) is a former Republican member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 4th District from 2011 to 2020. Formerly, he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011. Career After graduation from t ...

, who will serve out the remainder of Cates' term before running for a full term in 2012.

References

External links

Senator Gary Cates
at Project Vote Smart *''Follow the Money'' - Gary Cates
200620042002200019981996
campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Cates, Gary Republican Party Ohio state senators Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives 1955 births Living people 21st-century American politicians People from Petersburg, Virginia People from West Chester, Butler County, Ohio