Ohio Politics Explained podcast: Trump endorsement, rejected maps and mystery emails

Former President Donald Trump might be endorsing in Ohio's U.S. Senate race after all. A Democrat running for governor released a universal summer school plan, and a state pension system still can't figure out how someone sent a bunch of emails on their behalf.

We break down what it all means on this week's episode of Ohio Politics Explained.

It's a podcast from the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau where we catch you up on the state's political news in 15 minutes or less. This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Laura Bischoff.

1) Trump comes to town

We're into the final countdown to the May 3 primary, and the former president is coming to central Ohio for a rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

The rally is scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 23.

Former Republican Congressman and gubernatorial hopeful Jim Renascci will attend while Gov. Mike DeWine says he might choose to attend a birthday party for another former president, Ulysses S. Grant.

The two big questions remaining are who will introduce Trump and will he endorse anyone.

In the U.S. Senate race, the answer appears to be J.D. Vance. Media reports say Trump is planning to endorse the "Hillbilly Elegy" author soon.

2) All the education plans

Another sign that the primary is almost upon us is the series of education plans released by Democrats John Cranley and Teresa Fedor.

The duo is running together in the Democratic primary for Ohio governor.

They've proposed creating a universal preschool program and requiring public school districts to offer free summer school classes to make up for any pandemic learning loss.

3) Fourth time was not a charm

For the fourth time, the Ohio Supreme Court rejected Republican-drawn maps for the state House and Senate.

The 4-3 decision, means that three federal judges could wind up picking a set of maps for these districts.

The trio already decided on the boundaries for Ohio's 15 Congressional districts, and election officials say April 20 is the deadline for candidates to be on the Aug 2 ballot.

4) Mystery emails

Elections of all shapes and sizes can get contentious, even the ones for the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio.

Retirees are upset their annual cost of living adjustments were eliminated in 2017 and many of them want the board replaced. They even spent $75,000 of their own money on an investigation into the fund's management.

Meanwhile, the current board is trying to figure out who sent a series of emails giving the impression STRS was endorsing candidates in the upcoming election.

Listen to "Ohio Politics Explained" on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link at the top of the article.

The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

Get more political analysis by listening to the Ohio Politics Explained podcast

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Politics podcast: Trump rally, rejected maps and mystery emails