Jennifer Lynn Sherwood Gross (born June 7, 1964) is an American politician and former nurse serving as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 45th district. Elected in 2020, she took office in 2021.[2] During her tenure in the state House, she has been a leading supporter of anti-vaccine legislation.[3] Her voting record[4] has shown a general tendency towards big government.[5][6][7][8] She has promoted white supremacist Nick Fuentes via social media.[9]
Jennifer Gross | |
|---|---|
 Gross at the 2024 Young Americans for Liberty Convention | |
| Member of the Ohio House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Lisa Sobecki |
| Constituency | 45th district |
| In office January 4, 2021 – December 31, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | George Lang |
| Succeeded by | Gayle Manning |
| Constituency | 52nd district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 7, 1964 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Chris |
| Residence(s) | West Chester Township, Ohio, U.S. |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1987–2008[1] |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Gulf War |
Career
editGross served as a United States Air Force lieutenant colonel and worked as a nurse practitioner with IMA, Inc.[10] She spent 21 years in military service, nine of those years active and 12 in reserve.[11] Gross is a nurse practitioner.[12] When Ohio shut down for the pandemic in spring of 2020, Gross filed for unemployment. Afterwards, she was hired to perform COVID-19 tests. Afterwards, she was part of an Eli Lilly study on monoclonal antibodies.[11]
Ohio House of Representatives
editCampaign
editRunning for the open seat in the 45th House District for the Ohio House of Representatives, she and her Republican primary opponent Mark Welch were both anti-abortion conservatives and supporters of Donald Trump.[10] In the November 2020 general election, Gross defeated Democrat Chuck Horn with 63% of the vote.[2] As a representative, she said she supports the three Christian "B's," or "businesses, babies, and bullets."[11]
Tenure
editIn January 2021, Gross said that she opposes the nuclear bailout in House Bill 6 for having "too much baggage."[11]
In February 2021, she held a political event at Holtman's Donuts at West Chester. Ultimately, when attendees violated state COVID-19 protocols, police were called by the restaurant to end the event. Gross criticized the police response, although she did note she and some of the 20 attendees had been walking in the restaurant without masks in violation of state protocols, and that they had not warned the venue ahead of time about the event.[13]
Anti-vaccination legislation
editIn 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Idaho, Gross was the primary sponsor of an anti-vaccine bill that would prohibit employers (both public and private) from requiring workers to receive vaccinations (for any disease).[3][12] The bill, supported by anti-vaccination interest groups, would "prohibits people, public officials, governments, day-care centers, nursing homes, health care providers, insurers, and others from mandating vaccination or requesting people to do so."[14] The bill would also repeal a state law that requires college students to disclose whether they received the hepatitis B vaccine and meningococcal meningitis vaccine.[12] The measure (House Bill 248) was co-sponsored by 16 House Republicans.[15] Gross described the bill as "a freedom bill" and "not a scientific bill"[15] and framed it as a way to stop "discrimination."[16]
When introducing the legislation in May 2021, Gross attracted controversy when she described businesses requiring vaccination as "eerily similar" to the Holocaust and Nazis forcing Jews to wear identifying badges, and likened the vaccine to Nazi human experimentation.[14] Gross's remarks were condemned by the Anti-Defamation League, which said that they would "normalize dangerous rhetoric while diluting the true horrors of Nazi Germany and insulting the memories of the millions brutalized and murdered by Nazis" and added that "Comparing efforts to save the lives of Ohioans during this pandemic to Nazis is unconscionable." When asked in a separate interview with the Ohio Capital Journal about how the vaccine requirements and the Holocaust were similar, Gross declined to comment.[14]
Gross's bill was strongly opposed by healthcare providers, hospitals, and others, who cited the risks of the bill to public health and to children.[12][15] The bill was also criticized by business leaders such as the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Manufacturers Association, and others who cited the risk of low vaccination rates to the state's economy.[15][17] Gross's legislation was also opposed by Democrats; for example, Representative Beth Liston said that the legislation was "a dangerous bill that will lead to death" and, if enacted, would lead to "worsening measles outbreaks, meningitis in the dorms, and children once again suffering from polio."[18]
In June 2021, the Ohio House Health Committee lacked the votes to advance Gross' bill. Gross discussed the measure with Speaker Bob Cupp and said she planned to introduce amendments.[16] The bill was again debated in August 2021.[3]
In September 2021, text messages between Gross and Representative Scott Lipps, the chairman of the House Health Committee, were obtained by the Cincinnati Enquirer through a public records request. The messages show the pair's behind-the-scenes efforts to advance the bill.[19] In the messages, Gross and Lipps closely coordinate,[19][20] but at times Lipps appeared frustrated, accusing Gross of failing to control rumors circulating among anti-vaccination activists and of coordinating with Candice Keller, a far-right Republican who has promoted anti-vaccine disinformation and threatened to generate a primary challenger to Lipps.[20]
Abortion
editIn November 2023, after Ohio voters approved a measure that would enshrine reproductive rights in the state's constitution, Gross was one of several Republicans who claimed that "[t]o prevent mischief by pro-abortion courts with Issue 1, Ohio legislators will consider removing jurisdiction from the judiciary over this ambiguous ballot initiative. The Ohio legislature alone will consider what, if any, modifications to make to existing laws".[21] She added, without evidence, that the result was "foreign election interference, and it will not stand."[8]
Weather
editIn October 2024, Gross promoted the theory that the government can control the weather and the Biden administration is directing storms to Republican areas.[22]
Witchcraft
editOn December 1, 2022, Gross invited a local "associate pastor" to cast out witchcraft from the statehouse.[23]
Personal life
editShe lives in West Chester, Ohio. She has a husband and two sons.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Representative Jennifer Gross". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved Jan 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Ohio House of Representatives District 52". Ballotpedia. Retrieved Jan 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Ohio House Republicans debate anti-vaccination bill again, Associated Press (August 24, 2021).
- ^ "Search Legislation". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "House Bill 68 | 135th General Assembly". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "House Bill 8 | 135th General Assembly". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ "Gross Responds to Issue One Passage". Ohio House of Representatives. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
- ^ a b "DECEPTIVE OHIO ISSUE 1 MISLED THE PUBLIC BUT DOESN'T REPEAL OUR LAWS". Ohio House of Representatives. November 9, 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ Ohio Capital Journal, Pope, Zurie. "Ohio Lawmaker from West Chester Shares Video Featuring White Nationalist". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c Michael D. Pitt (April 24, 2020). "Election 2020: Retired Air Force officer faces West Chester trustee for Ohio House nomination". Journal News.
- ^ a b c d Jessie Balmert (January 3, 2021). "Meet your new lawmakers: A congresswoman, superintendent, veteran and newcomer head to Columbus". Cincinnati Enquirer.
- ^ a b c d Andrew Welsh-Huggins, GOP bill would prohibit requiring vaccinations in Ohio, Associated Press (May 26, 2021).
- ^ "Police called after State Rep. held political event violating COVID-19 rules at Holtman's Donuts, February 20, 20211". WCPO. 21 February 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ a b c Jake Zuckerman (May 19, 2021). "House GOP takes aim at vaccine mandates from schools, employers, hospitals". Ohio Capitol Journal – via Cleveland Jewish News.
- ^ a b c d Jake Zuckerman (June 9, 2021). "'5G towers,' other conspiracies flourish at Ohio House hearing on vaccine bill". Ohio Capitol Journal – via TiffinOhio.net.
- ^ a b "Ohio House committee advances bill allowing public corruption cases to be tried in politicians' home counties: Capitol Letter, June 23, 2021". Cleveland.com. 23 June 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ "Businesses decry bill tying their hands on worker vaccination". Toledo Blade. June 22, 2021.
- ^ Laura A. Bischoff, Ohio GOP lawmakers, citing 'need to protect' from vaccines, seek to expand exemptions, nix COVID passports, The Columbus Dispatch (May 26, 2021).
- ^ a b Laura A. Bischoff, Text messages show Ohio lawmakers’ behind-the-scenes effort to push anti-vaccine mandate bill, Cincinnati Enquirer (September 1, 2021).
- ^ a b Texts Between Ohio Republican Lawmakers Show Support For And Struggles Over Mandatory Vaccines Ban, Statehouse News Bureau, WOUB (September 2, 2021).
- ^ Hendrickson, Samantha (November 10, 2023). "Republican faction seeks to keep courts from interpreting Ohio's new abortion rights amendment". Associated Press News.
- ^ Marcano, Ray (October 10, 2024). "Weather-controlling conspiracy just the tip of the iceberg". Dayton Daily News.
- ^ Fening, Allison Babka, Madeline. "West Chester Rep. Jennifer Gross Asks Pastor to Banish 'Witchcraft' at Ohio Statehouse". Cincinnati CityBeat. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)