Stephen A. Huffman (born November 14, 1964) is an American politician and physician serving as a Republican member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 5th district since 2019. He previously served two terms in the Ohio House of Representatives from the 80th district (2015–2018).
Life and Career
Huffman is a lifelong resident of Miami County and was raised in Ludlow Falls, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Toledo and the Medical College of Ohio, and has worked as a practicing physician for over 30 years, including in multiple emergency rooms throughout western Ohio. He also served overseas in underserved regions for 18 months.
In 2013, Huffman announced his candidacy for the Ohio House of Representatives after the incumbent, Richard Adams, declined to seek another term. Huffman won a three-way primary with 45% of the vote and won the general election with 77% of the vote. He was reelected in 2016.
Ohio Senate
In 2018, with state Senator Bill Beagle term-limited, Huffman ran for the open 5th district seat. He defeated Democrat Paul Bradley by a margin of 53% to 47% and was sworn in on January 1, 2019. He was reelected in 2022 with 94.6% of the vote, defeating independent candidate Nancy Kiehl.
During the 134th General Assembly, Huffman served as chair of the Health Committee, vice chair of the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, and as a member of the Insurance Committee and the Primary & Secondary Education Committee.
Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) is his cousin.
Controversies
In December 2019, The Washington Post reported that an op-ed authored by Huffman criticizing Medicare for All was drafted with the assistance of a lobbyist from the Partnership for America's Health Care Future, a coalition representing pharmaceutical, hospital, and health insurance interests.
On June 9, 2020, during a hearing on whether to declare racism a public health crisis in Ohio, Huffman asked whether Black people were contracting COVID-19 at higher rates because "the colored population do not wash their hands as well as other groups." The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus condemned the remarks as racist. Huffman later apologized. His employer, TeamHealth, dismissed him on June 11, 2020, as a result of the comments.
In January 2021, Huffman was appointed to lead the Senate Health Committee by his cousin, Senate President Matt Huffman, drawing renewed criticism from Black lawmakers.
