Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is calling on state lawmakers to abolish the death penalty, marking a major shift for a Republican governor who helped write the law that reinstated capital punishment in the state more than four decades ago.
DeWine said Tuesday that he no longer believes the death penalty deters murder and that the moral justification he once saw for capital punishment no longer exists. His comments are especially significant because he was involved in crafting Ohio’s 1981 death penalty law as a young state senator after an earlier version of the law was struck down by courts.
The governor’s new position follows years of delayed executions in Ohio. Since taking office in 2019, DeWine has repeatedly postponed scheduled executions, largely because of difficulties obtaining lethal injection drugs and concerns about the state’s execution process. Ohio has not carried out an execution since 2018.
DeWine’s position places him at odds with many national Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump, who has supported expanding use of the death penalty in federal cases. But DeWine has increasingly taken a cautious approach to capital punishment, arguing that the system has become too slow, costly and uncertain to justify continuing.
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In his remarks, DeWine pointed to long delays between sentencing and execution. In Ohio’s last 10 executions, he said, the average time between a death sentence and the execution date was more than two decades. Critics of capital punishment argue that those delays are not simply bureaucratic problems, but a reflection of the time needed to review serious cases and identify possible mistakes.
Death penalty opponents also say the system carries a risk of wrongful conviction, unequal application and prolonged pain for victims’ families. Some families of murder victims have said the appeals process forces them to relive trauma for years without delivering closure.
Supporters of the death penalty, however, argue that it remains necessary for the most serious crimes and that long delays undermine justice. Former Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has criticized the state’s execution pause and argued that Ohio should resume carrying out death sentences.
The issue now shifts to the Ohio legislature. Bipartisan bills to repeal the death penalty have been introduced in both chambers, but Republican legislative leaders have not moved them forward for a final vote. DeWine said lawmakers should act, but he also noted that Ohio voters may have the option of deciding the issue through a ballot measure if the legislature refuses.
There are currently more than 100 people on Ohio’s death row. DeWine’s office has not said whether he plans to commute any death sentences before leaving office in January. Such a move would be politically explosive and would likely draw strong opposition from some prosecutors, lawmakers and victims’ families.
The debate comes as national support for the death penalty has become more divided. Some conservative lawmakers and religious groups have joined liberals and civil liberties organizations in questioning whether capital punishment is consistent, fair or morally defensible. Others continue to see it as a necessary punishment in the most extreme cases.
DeWine’s call for repeal may carry weight because of his long political history. He has served as a county prosecutor, state senator, member of Congress, U.S. senator, lieutenant governor, Ohio attorney general and governor. Few Ohio politicians have been involved with the death penalty system from as many angles.
For that reason, his reversal could influence Republicans who have been hesitant to support repeal. Even if the legislature does not act immediately, DeWine’s statement may give new momentum to abolition advocates and make capital punishment a major issue in Ohio politics.
The governor’s message was clear: a law he once helped build no longer meets the moral and practical standards he believes the state should follow.
Why It Matters
DeWine’s position matters because it comes from a Republican governor who once helped restore Ohio’s death penalty. His reversal gives abolition supporters a powerful argument that concerns about deterrence, fairness and moral justification are not limited to one political party.
The issue also matters for the more than 100 people on Ohio’s death row, victims’ families waiting for finality and lawmakers deciding whether the state should continue a punishment it has not carried out since 2018.
What Comes Next
Ohio lawmakers will face renewed pressure to consider bipartisan repeal bills that have stalled in the Republican-controlled legislature.
If lawmakers do not act, death penalty opponents may look toward a statewide ballot measure. DeWine’s remaining months in office could also bring new questions about whether he will commute any death sentences before leaving the governor’s mansion.
A local Ohio news report highlighted Gov. Mike DeWine’s call for state lawmakers to abolish the death penalty.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday that the state should abolish its death penalty.
“I believe Ohio should abolish the death penalty,” he said Tuesday. “The legislature can take this action, and I believe they should take this action.”
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