Scott Oelslager
American politician (born 1953)
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Scott Oelslager (born October 15, 1953) is an American politician who has served in the Ohio House of Representatives since 2019. He represents the 48th district. He previously held the same seat from 2003 to 2010 and also served in the Ohio Senate from 1985 to 2002 and again from 2011 to 2018. He is a Republican.
Scott Oelslager | |
|---|---|
| |
| Speaker pro tempore of the Ohio House of Representatives | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – January 6, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Ginter |
| Succeeded by | Gayle Manning |
| Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 48th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Kirk Schuring |
| In office January 3, 2003 – December 31, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Kirk Schuring |
| Succeeded by | Kirk Schuring |
| Member of the Ohio Senate from the 29th district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – December 31, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Kirk Schuring |
| Succeeded by | Kirk Schuring |
| In office February 5, 1985 – December 31, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Walsh |
| Succeeded by | Kirk Schuring |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 15, 1953 Warren, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Elsie |
| Education | University of Mount Union (BA) Capital University (JD) |
Life and career
A graduate of Mount Union College, Oelslager formerly worked as an aide for his predecessor, Tom Walsh. When Walsh resigned his seat, Oelslager was first appointed to replace him in 1985,[1] and was re-elected in 1986 with 52% of the vote.[2] Following that election, Oelslager was elected three more times.[1]
In 2002, Oeslager faced term-limits and instead he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives for the 51st district,[3] and was re-elected in 2004,[4] 2006[5] and 2008.[6] Oelslager was unopposed in 2004 and 2008. He again was term-limited out of the House in 2010.
Return to the Ohio Senate
In 2010, Oelslager decided to run for his old seat in the Ohio Senate, swapping seats with Kirk Schuring, who preceded Oelslager in the House.[1][7] Oelslager defeated his opponent, Richard Reinbold, with 59% of the vote. In his return to the Senate, Oelslager served as chairman of the Health & Human Services Committee for the 129th Ohio General Assembly.
For the 130th Ohio General Assembly, Oelslager was named chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the committee tasked with amending the Governor's budget. He was re-elected easily in 2014, attaining 66% of the vote over Democrat Connie Rubin.
Term limited again in 2018, Oelslager again switched seats with Schuring, again winning a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives. He was sworn in for his fifth term in the house on January 3, 2019.
Committee assignments
As of June 2026, Oelslager serves on the following committees in the Ohio House.[8]
- Financial Institutions (chair)
- General Government
- Judiciary
- Medicaid
Electoral history
| Election results[9] | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | % | % | ||||||||
| 1986 | Ohio Senate | Scott Oelslager | 51.90% | Jim Gwin | 48.10% | ||||||
| 1990 | Scott Oelslager | 62.10% | Patricia Nolan | 38.90% | |||||||
| 1994 | Scott Oelslager | 71.27% | Maria Kalorides | 28.73% | |||||||
| 1998 | Scott Oelslager | 69.94% | Doug Dalo | 30.06% | |||||||
| 2002 | Ohio House of Representatives | Scott Oelslager | 69.93% | Marilyn Scott | 30.07% | ||||||
| 2004 | Scott Oelslager | 100% | Unopposed | ||||||||
| 2006 | Scott Oelslager | 62.85% | Kody Gonzales | 37.15% | |||||||
| 2008 | Scott Oelslager | 100% | Unopposed | ||||||||
| 2010 | Ohio Senate | Scott Oelslager | 59.25% | Richard Reinbold | 40.75% | ||||||
| 2014 | Scott Oelslager | 66.69% | Connie Rubin | 33.31% | |||||||
| 2018 | Ohio House of Representatives | Scott Oelslager | 64.04% | Lorraine Wilburn | 35.97% | ||||||