Kevin Bacon (born November 27, 1971) is a former state senator for the 3rd District of the Ohio Senate, who served from 2011 to 2018. Formerly, he served in 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 Ch ...

from 2007 to 2010, and as a Blendon Township Trustee. Bacon represents the portions of Franklin County including Westerville, New Albany, Gahanna,

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...

, Reynoldsburg, Canal Winchester,

Obetz Obetz is a village in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,489 at the 2020 census. History The community (originally Obetz Junction, in honor of settler Charles Obetz) was formed in 1838 as a stagecoach junction, and incor ...

, Valley View, Marble Cliff and portions of Columbus. An attorney, Bacon also served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Civil Justice. He 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 ...

Career

Bacon was born and raised in

Defiance, Ohio Defiance is a city in and the county seat of Defiance County, Ohio, United States, about southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo and northeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana, in Ohio's northwestern corner. The population was 16,494 at the 2010 United State ...

. After graduation from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...

and Capital Law School, Bacon, a private practice attorney, previously worked for Farmer's Insurance and the Ohio Department of Commerce and as a prosecutor for the City of

Lancaster, Ohio Lancaster ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, in the south-central part of the state. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 40,552. The city is near the Hocking River, about southeast of Columbus and southwest of Zanesville. It is ...

. He currently is an attorney, of counsel, with the law firm of Appel & Hellstedt, located in

Worthington, Ohio Worthington is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, and is a northern suburb of Columbus. The population in the 2020 Census was 14,786. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by James Kilbourne, who was later elected to ...

. He also served as a Blendon Township Trustee. When incumbent Linda Reidelbach announced that she would not seek another term, Bacon was among three who sought to replace her. Bacon faced a clear shot in the primary. With the district being one that Democrats sought to pick up, Bacon faced a somewhat difficult challenge in the 2006 general election, and it was one of the most closely targeted races in the cycle. The campaign was subject to many attack ads from both sides. He bested Democrat Dean Hernandez by fewer than 1000 votes. In his first term, Speaker of the House

Jon Husted Jon A. Husted (born August 25, 1967) is an American politician serving as the 66th lieutenant governor of Ohio, since 2019. He was previously the 53rd Ohio Secretary of State. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 6th Dis ...

appointed Bacon Vice Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. In 2008, Bacon beat Democratic nominee Jay Perez 51%-45% in an overwhelmingly Democratic year.

Ohio Senate

With incumbent Senator David Goodman unable to seek another term, Bacon announced in May 2009 that he would run for the Ohio Senate. After no competition in the primary, he faced Democrat Mark Pfeifer in the general election, and won the election 50%-43%. Bacon was the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 9, which updates Ohio’s insurance laws to reflect recent changes in federal health care laws. SB 9 suspends the Open Enrollment Program, the Ohio Health Reinsurance Program, and the conversion of health insurance policies option. The bill was signed into law by 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 ...

on June 4, 2013. In 2014, Bacon was re-elected with 61% of the vote. For the 131st Ohio General Assembly, Bacon served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Civil Justice.

Committee assignments (131st General Assembly)

* Committee on Civil Justice (Chair) * Committee on Insurance (Vice Chair) * Committee on Criminal Justice * Finance Subcommittee on Higher Education * Committee on Financial Institutions * Committee on Public Utilities * Committee on Transportation, Commerce & Labor

Electoral history

References

External links

Kevin Bacon at BallotpediaBacon for Senate
official campaign website {{DEFAULTSORT:Bacon, Kevin Living people 1971 births People from Defiance, Ohio Politicians from Columbus, Ohio Miami University alumni Capital University Law School alumni Republican Party Ohio state senators Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians People from Lancaster, Ohio