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Craig Riedel

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Craig Riedel
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 82nd district
In office
January 3, 2017 – December 31, 2022
Preceded byTony Burkley
Succeeded byRoy Klopfenstein
Personal details
Born
Craig Steven Riedel

(1966-05-23) May 23, 1966 (age 58)
Oberlin, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationOhio State University (BS)

Craig Riedel (born May 23, 1966)[1] is an American politician who served as the state representative for the 82nd District of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2017 to 2022. He is a Republican. The 82nd district consists of Defiance, Paulding and Van Wert counties as well as a portion of Auglaize County. Riedel is a candidate in the 2024 election for Ohio's 9th congressional district.[2]

Life and career

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Riedel was born in Oberlin, Ohio, and raised in Attica, Ohio, on a family farm. He graduated from Seneca East High School, where he lettered in basketball.[citation needed] He then attended Ohio State University where he received a degree in civil engineering. He worked as an engineer for over twenty five years with Nucor Vulcraft Group, located in Defiance.[3]

In 2015, Riedel retired, but continued to remain active in his community prior to being elected to public office. He is married with a son and a daughter and resides in Defiance, Ohio.[4]

Ohio House of Representatives

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In 2016, incumbent Republican state representative Tony Burkley was up for a third term, however Riedel decided to run against him for the Republican nomination. In the campaign, Riedel defeated Burkley, 53% to 47%, winning three of the four counties in the district.[5] Burkley was the only incumbent to lose that year.[6]

Riedel was unopposed in the general election, and was sworn into office on January 3, 2017.[7]

Congressional campaigns

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See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 9, and 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 9

In 2022, Riedel ran for Ohio's 9th congressional district, but lost the Republican primary election to J.R. Majewski.[8] Riedel made a second run for the seat in 2024, again facing Majewski in the primary. He earned the support of Republican congressional leaders, who hope Riedel would be a more viable candidate in a general election than Majewski, who lost in 2022 after lying about his military service. In December 2023, Trumpist activist Charlie Kirk released an audio recording of Riedel calling former President Donald Trump "arrogant," and further stating he wouldn't endorse Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Seeking to prevent further backlash from the pro-Trump wing of the Republican Party, Riedel hurriedly endorsed Trump.[9][10] Nevertheless, Congressmen Max Miller and Elise Stefanik, both Trump allies, rescinded their endorsements of Riedel.[10][11] Reidel lost the primary to state representative Derek Merrin,[12] who had hurriedly entered the race at the behest of Republican leaders searching for another alternative to Reidel or Majewski.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Gongwer News Service-Ohio".
  2. ^ Jacobs, Dave (April 3, 2023). "Defiance County's Riedel joining 9th House race". The Blade. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Craig Riedel Announces his Candidacy for State Representatives - West Bend News". 6 November 2015. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  4. ^ "Craig Riedel Announces His Candidacy for State Representative - Times Bulletin". Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  5. ^ "Our Campaigns - OH State House 82 - R Primary Race - Mar 15, 2016". Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  6. ^ "Riedel takes State House seat - Paulding County Progress". Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  7. ^ "New to office". Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  8. ^ Brice, Mike (July 16, 2023). "Riedel raises funds, earns endorsements in bid to challenge Kaptur". The Toledo Blade. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  9. ^ Metzger, Bryan (December 13, 2023). "Ohio Republicans are coalescing behind one of the worst-performing candidates of the 2022 midterms — after his main GOP opponent trashed Trump". Business Insider. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  10. ^ a b Mutnick, Ally; Beavers, Olivia (December 15, 2023). "House GOP reeling after a top recruit blasts Trump on tape". Politico. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  11. ^ Griffiths, Brent D. (January 4, 2024). "Elise Stefanik pulls endorsement from Ohio Republican who was caught on tape calling Trump 'arrogant'". Business Insider. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  12. ^ Smith, Julie Carr (March 20, 2024). "Trump favorites Moreno and Merrin win GOP primaries to face 2 vulnerable Ohio Democrats this fall". KOIN-TV. Nexstar Media Inc. Associated Press. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  13. ^ Mutnick, Ally (December 20, 2023). "House Republicans land last-minute Ohio recruit for key House race". Politico. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
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