Bob Gibbs

Gibbs was first elected to the Ohio General Assembly in 2002, defeating Democrat Tom Mason of Ashland for a newly drawn district in the Ohio House.[7] He was re-elected in 2004 in a rematch against Mason.[8] During the 2006 statewide election, Gibbs was re-elected, receiving 60% over Democratic challenger James P. Riley,[9] a former township trustee from Sullivan, Ohio. Gibbs began his third term in the Ohio House of Representatives on January 2, 2007 and decided to run for Ohio Senate in 2009 to fill the seat vacated by state senator Ron Amstutz, due to term limits.

In 2006 Gibbs was appointed to serve as a member of the special task force to study eminent domain and its use and application in Ohio. The committee spent most of the year studying the issue and issued its final report in August 2006 with recommendations to the General Assembly.[10]

During his last term Gibbs was chairman of the House ways and means committee. He was also a member of the agriculture & natural resources committee, financial institutions, real estate and securities committee, health care access and affordability committee, and the insurance committee.

Gibbs won election to the Ohio Senate in 2008, and began his first term in 2009. On August 16, 2007, Gibbs formally announced that he would be a candidate for the 22nd district senate seat being vacated by the term limited incumbent senator, Ron Amstutz, (R- Wooster). Gibbs originally expected to face a primary challenge from state representative Jim Carmichael (R-Wayne County), but Carmichael dropped out of the race on October 21, 2007 in order to run for Wayne County commissioner. Gibbs faced Democrat James E. Riley, a job/security representative for the U.A.W. international union. Gibbs won with 59% of the vote.[11]

However, due to winning election to Congress in 2010, Gibbs resigned from the senate only serving half of one term.[12]

Gibbs faced Democratic incumbent Zack Space and Constitution Party nominee Lindsey Sutton in the general election. He won the Republican primary in an 8-way field. Following close results and a recount, Gibbs was certified the winner on June 4, 2010, a month after the primary election.[13]

On November 2, 2010, Gibbs defeated Space in the general election by nearly 14%. Gibbs won 14 of the 16 counties in the 18th congressional district.[14]

After redistricting, Gibbs decided to run in the newly redrawn Ohio's 7th congressional district.[15][16] He faced Joyce Healy-Abrams, the Democratic nominee.[17] Gibbs went on to defeat Healy-Abrams in the November general election.[18]

Gibbs won re-election to a third term unopposed.[19]

Gibbs won re-election to a fourth term, defeating Democrat Roy Rich and independent Dan Phillip with 64% of the vote.

Gibbs won re-election to a fifth term, defeating Democrat Ken Harbaugh with 58.7% of the vote.

Gibbs won re-election to a sixth term, defeating Democrat Quentin Potter and Libertarian Brandon Lape with 67.5% of the vote.

On March 4, 2013, Gibbs introduced the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2013 (H.R. 935; 113th Congress), a bill that would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and states authorized to issue a permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) from requiring a permit for some discharges of pesticides authorized for use under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).[20][21] In 2018, Gibbs was supported by the Great America Committee, a political action committee registered by Vice President Mike Pence.[22]

In December 2020, Gibbs was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[23] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[24][25][26]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Gibbs and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[27][28] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Gibbs and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[29]

On January 7, 2021, Gibbs objected to the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results in Congress based on spurious allegations of widespread voter fraud.[30]

• Committee on Agriculture
  • Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry
  • Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment (chairman)

Gibbs is a member of the Republican Study Committee,[31] the Republican Main Street Partnership,[32] the Congressional Constitution Caucus[33] and the Congressional Western Caucus.[34]