Written by Republican conservative candidate Wezlynn Davis, running for State Representative in Ohio’s 86th District, recently appeared on The Watchmen’s Report and showed the spirit of a true activist.
This is a spirit we at Marion Watch Investigates deeply recognize, as we also began our work as activists and are part of a large nationwide network of activists. Ms. Davis struggled to describe what first drove her to activism as a young girl, stating: “There was always something in me and I can’t really put my finger on it…”. However, as she recounted her life story and successes, our own Jason Foreman clarified his view: her beginnings and consistent victories are what we in the network call a “confirmation of a calling.” As Jason Foreman explained, “…in our group we call that confirmation of a calling” citing her many impressive successes.
Davis, a successful business owner and Jerome Township Trustee, shared a message focused on tax reform, protecting family businesses, and fighting back against government overreach.
From Auto Parts Store to Activist
Davis’s conservative views were deeply shaped by her childhood in Delaware, Ohio, where she spent most of her time at her grandparents’ Napa Auto Parts store. This small business was owned by the family for 54 years. There, she learned key lessons early on, such as entrepreneurship, responsibility, and valuing the dollar.
She told the hosts that she saw her family’s legacy threatened when a new Napa store with access to lower-cost parts “inevitably put her [grandmother] out of business”. This experience showed her the harsh realities facing small, family-run shops.
Davis’s natural drive was evident even earlier; she recalled cleaning up litter as a child and once collecting money for the Humane Society when she was ten years old. She first stepped into politics about 11 years ago to fight a bill at the State House that she believed would have created a monopoly and “crushed the moms and pops and the trade schools in my respective industry”.
As a consultant for an educational institution, she went up against powerful, billionaire-backed lobbyists. She was successful, not only killing the most harmful parts of the bill but also helping to get an amendment passed that protected licenses for Ohio workers.
She explained her strategy was simple: being relentless, talking to legislative aides, and showing up. Her key message to activists she organized was, “This is your house. We do not rally in the streets. We take our seat at the table”. This success, along with ten years of working in the State House, convinced her she had an “unmatched” skill set to fight for the 86th district.
The War on Corporate Welfare and Taxes
A central theme of Davis’s campaign is her fierce opposition to what she calls “corporate welfare.” She argues that while Ohio is collecting large sums of money—like the $9.5 billion in income taxes and $180 million from sports gaming in 2024—the State Legislature is misusing it on “pet projects.”
She singled out the decision to spend $600 million on the Cleveland Browns stadium as an example of wasteful spending that harms local taxpayers.
“We have the money to provide property tax relief now, but when we have… all that money going to, you know, the Browns stadium and all of these other pet projects all over the state of Ohio, imagine if we cut the fat…”
Davis drew a direct connection between this corporate spending and the massive financial pressure on local residents, particularly on property taxes. She criticized mega-corporations, such as large data centers, that move into the area but pay little to no property tax, forcing residents to pay more for local services like the fire department.
Davis warned that if the State Legislature doesn’t quickly provide meaningful relief, citizens will likely vote for a complete elimination of property taxes—a move that would “defund our fire departments, it’ll defund our schools and it will defund our police”. Her focus is on finding ways to provide real relief now, such as property tax freezes for seniors or using state revenue for levy buy-downs, rather than a full, immediate elimination.
IT Concealment and the Need for an “Ohio DOGE”
The hosts brought up the serious need for government efficiency, with hosts suggesting the creation of an “Ohio DOGE” (Department of Government Efficiency). Davis agreed wholeheartedly, stating that government should be “extremely limited and be heavily audited”.
Host Jason Foreman then detailed specific concerns about concealment and mismanagement, saying that the reason for so much waste and abuse being uncovered is due to “failures to adhere to strict IT policies and things of that nature or the concealment of things through those systems”. He mentioned that Marion Watch Investigations has seen disturbing patterns in financial records in Marion, and similar issues nationwide, where failures in technology systems were used to conceal or alter key financial information, or software not installed or configured properly.
Davis responded by fully supporting the need for technical security and efficiency measures, saying she would be the one to bring in the necessary experts. She stressed the importance of constantly reviewing and sunsetting outdated rules and regulations: “If you want to bring forward you know this request… then you know bring me five or seven or 10 things that you’re willing to let go of”.
Overhauling Education and Supporting Families
The candidate tied her economic message to the struggle of the modern family. She pointed out that very few families can survive comfortably on one income anymore and that child care costs are crippling. To fix this, she believes the focus must be on tax reform and creating great jobs without corporate handouts.
Davis also shared her strong concerns about the state of education in Marion, referencing a local school board member’s statistics: 8th-grade math proficiency and reading proficiency is unusually low within the Marion City Schools.
She believes the system is broken and needs a complete overhaul. Drawing on her personal journey—where she dropped out of high school but found success after going to a trade school and building her own business—Davis argued that the “one-size-fits-all” approach to education is failing.
She called for schools to focus on trades, industries, purpose, and pathways as early as elementary school, instead of just “social emotional learning”. She also advocates for the state to take on the responsibility of school funding, which would drastically reduce the property tax burden on local homeowners.
Davis’s Three Core Priorities
When asked for her top three campaign points, Wezlynn Davis listed:
- Property Tax / Tax Reform: Getting the government out of people’s pockets.
- Amplifying Small Businesses: Removing red tape and providing incentives to family-owned shops over multinational corporations.
- Infrastructure and Jobs: This includes roads, public safety, and child care, all essential for communities to thrive.
She also emphasized the importance of ownership. Having grown up in rentals, she wants to create an environment where every Ohioan has the opportunity to own a home or a business and build a legacy for their children without being “taxed out of their home”.
Endorsements and Integrity
Davis has secured key endorsements, including:
- Senator George Lang: Majority Whip in the Ohio Senate, whom she calls an “economic freedom leader”.
- Mahic Cook: Trump surrogate spokesperson and Fox News commentator.
- Robert Sprague: Ohio State Treasurer.
In closing, Davis stressed that her Christian faith guides her to act with integrity, not seek political advancement. She promised voters that she will always be willing to fight hard for the people who elect her, refusing to “go along to get along” with the political establishment. She concluded, “You’re there to serve or get out. That’s how I feel about it. The career politician thing needs to stop”.