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Wesley Goodman (born February 14, 1984) is an American former Republican politician who served as the Ohio State Representative for the 87th District from 2016 until his resignation in 2017. His former district consists of Crawford, Morrow and Wyandot counties, as well as portions of Marion and Seneca counties.

On November 14, 2017, Goodman resigned his seat following alleged "inappropriate behavior" in his state office, later revealed as an extramarital sexual encounter with a man.

Early life

Goodman was born into a family of farmers and first responders, and is a native of Cardington, Ohio. He graduated in 2006 from Ohio Wesleyan University, where he majored in politics and government.

Political career

Goodman worked briefly for former U.S. senator and Ohio attorney general Mike DeWine before joining the staff of U.S. representative Jim Jordan (R-OH). By 2013, Goodman was serving as the managing director of the Conservative Action Project.

In June 2015, Goodman announced his candidacy for the District 87 seat in the Ohio House of Representatives. Jeffrey McClain, the District 87 representative at the time, could not run again in 2016 due to term limits. In the March 2016 Republican primary, Goodman defeated former state representative Steve Reinhard with 41% of the vote; Reinhard had represented the same seat from 2001 to 2008. Goodman ran unopposed in the 2016 general election. His term began on January 4, 2017.

In October 2015, an 18-year-old man accused Goodman of sexually assaulting him. This was reported to Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, who confronted Goodman about the allegation and referred to other "similar incidents." Perkins withdrew his political support, but Goodman did not withdraw his candidacy for the Ohio legislature and was elected in 2016. These incidents were apparently never reported to the police and did not become public knowledge until after Goodman's resignation.

Marriage, sex scandal, and resignation

Goodman described himself as a supporter of "traditional marriage," having told constituents that the "ideals of a loving father and mother, a committed natural marriage, and a caring community are well worth pursuing and protecting." In 2012 he married an assistant director of the March for Life. The couple had no children and subsequently divorced after Goodman resigned his office November 14, 2017, after a non-staffer witnessed him and an unnamed adult male having consensual sexual relations in Goodman's office. The Speaker of the Ohio House, a Republican, Cliff Rosenberger, described the incident as "inappropriate behavior related to his state office."

References

1. reports, WiG. "Evangelical Republican lawmaker resigns after being caught having sex with another man in his office". Wisconsin Gazette. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
2. "EXCLUSIVE: 30 Sources Expose Sexually Explicit Evidence of Harassment by Ohio Republican Rep. Wes Goodman". IJR - Independent Journal Review. 2017-11-20. Retrieved 2018-08-18.
3. "Q & A with Wes Goodman- candidate for Ohio 87th district representative". Morrow County Sentinel. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
4. ^ Borchardt, Jackie (November 15, 2017). "Ohio Rep. Wes Goodman resigns over 'inappropriate behavior'". cleveland.com.
5. Griffin, Pitt (November 16, 2017). "Christian 'Family Values' Liberal Resigns After Sex in the Office With Another Man". Daily Kos. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
6. ^ "Goodman announces bid for Republican nod for 87th district". The Morrow County Sentinel. June 30, 2015.
7. "87th District Representative Wes Goodman resigns" Archived 2017-11-18 at the Wayback Machine. The Courier. November 15, 2017.
8. "Ohio State House Rep. Wes Goodman resigns after ‘inappropriate behavior’". WCMH-TV, NBC (Columbus, Ohio). November 15, 2017.
9. "Goodman seeks seat in Ohio house". The Marion Star. June 15, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
10. "2016 Official Elections Results". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
11. "2016 Official Elections Results". Ohio Secretary of State. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
12. Kindy, Kimberley (November 17, 2017). "How a conservative group dealt with a fondling charge against a rising GOP star". Washington Post. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
13. Oppenheim, Maya (November 16, 2017). "Anti-LGBT politician resigns after being 'caught having sex with man in his office'". The Independent. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
14. "Bethany Goodman, Assistant Director". March for Life. Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
15. "Bethany Goodman: SBA List Young Leader Award Recipient". March for Life. Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
16. Ring, Trudy (November 16, 2017). "Far-Right Ohio Lawmaker Resigns After Liaison With Man in His Office". The Advocate. Retrieved June 5, 2024.

External links

• Representative Wesley A. Goodman (R) - District 87 The Ohio House of Representatives at the Wayback Machine (archived September 21, 2017)

• 1984 births
• Living people
• Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives
• Ohio Wesleyan University alumni
• People from Cardington, Ohio
• 21st-century members of the Ohio General Assembly