Former OTR resident behind landmark same-sex marriage ruling announces Ohio House campaign

COLUMBUS (WXIX) - A man who lived in Cincinnati when he was the lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the U.S. is now running for Ohio’s House of Representatives.

Jim Obergefell was an Over-the-Rhine resident when he sued the state in July 2013 after it did not legally recognize his marriage to his longtime partner, John Arthur.

Arthur, who was gravely ill with ALS, died later that year. The Supreme Court decision came in the summer of 2015.

Obergefell, a Sandusky native, has since returned home and now wants to represent the 89th House District there.

If Obergefell wins, he would be one of just a handful of openly gay politicians to serve in the Ohio General Assembly.

The seat is held by Republican Douglas “D.J.” Swearingen, Jr., a Huron attorney.

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