His professional background includes work with the Lt. Governor’s Office and the Common Sense Initiative, where he observed how regulatory reform directly affects business competitiveness. He also brings local governance experience from serving on the Revere School Board, where he witnessed how shared services and efficient administration save taxpayer dollars without sacrificing quality.

Motivation to Run for Office 

Mike Kahoe is running for the Ohio General Assembly because he wants to make Northeast Ohio a place where people choose to stay, work, and build their lives—rather than leaving in search of opportunity. He has seen firsthand how strong schools, a motivated workforce, and a competitive business environment can uplift families and communities.  

His motivation centers on fighting for a limited, transparent, and accountable government that empowers parents, workers, and small businesses. He believes Ohio’s future depends on giving families real freedom, reducing unnecessary government barriers, and ensuring taxpayers receive value—not waste—from their state government.  

Policy Positions 

Economic Freedom 

Mike believes Ohio must refocus on the fundamentals that make a state competitive: a strong workforce, lower taxes, and fewer barriers to growth. He opposes corporate welfare and special carve‑outs that reward politically connected businesses at the expense of taxpayers. Instead, he supports prioritizing core services like education, infrastructure, and public safety while keeping government lean and efficient. He also emphasizes the need for regulatory reform to eliminate duplicative rules, streamline permitting, and remove red tape that raises costs for entrepreneurs. Local government reform is a major priority—Ohio’s thousands of overlapping subdivisions create waste and drive up property taxes, and he supports consolidating services where it makes fiscal sense.  

Education Opportunity 

Mike’s vision for Ohio’s education system puts families and students in the driver’s seat. He supports full school choice—including public, charter, private, and homeschool options—so families can choose what best meets their children’s needs. Preparing students for life after graduation is central to his philosophy, and he believes education should include extensive real‑world learning opportunities such as apprenticeships, internships, and work‑based training. These hands‑on pathways ensure students gain the skills needed to succeed in Ohio’s workforce and contribute to a stronger state economy.  

Government Modernization 

Mike sees government modernization as essential to protecting taxpayers and restoring trust. He supports Truth in Taxation measures that increase transparency about property‑tax hikes and wants to expand these reforms so voters fully understand any proposed levy or fee. He also advocates consolidation of overlapping local governments—such as school districts, townships, and administrative offices—when it delivers meaningful cost savings without compromising service quality. Drawing on his experience in education governance, he highlights shared services as a proven, cost‑effective model for reducing overhead and improving efficiency.  

Energy Abundance 

Mike firmly supports building upon HB 15’s free‑market energy reforms, which prioritize affordability, reliability, and consumer choice. He opposes mandates, subsidies, and hidden charges that distort the energy market and increase utility costs for Ohio families. Instead, he believes government should encourage competition and innovation while reforming permitting processes for pipelines, power plants, and transmission infrastructure. Streamlined, predictable permitting is essential, he argues, to keeping Ohio’s energy supply abundant and affordable, which in turn strengthens the state’s economic competitiveness. 

Healthcare Reform 

Mike believes Medicaid must be sustainable, targeted, and focused on the truly vulnerable. With Medicaid absorbing nearly half of Ohio’s General Revenue Fund, he supports reforms that reduce fraud and abuse and ensure benefits go to those most in need. He favors stronger eligibility verification and  improved fraud‑detection—steps that both reduce dependency and protect taxpayer dollars.