Bob Peterson

Bob Peterson (born March 15, 1962) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Ohio Senate from the 17th District, where served as President Pro Tempore. From 2011 to 2012, he served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 85th district. Before being elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, he was Fayette County Commissioner for 14 years. He was first elected as a state representative in November 2010.

Peterson was elected to a full-term to the Ohio Senate on November 6, 2012 and was sworn-in January, 2013.

Education and early career Peterson graduated from Ohio State University, receiving his bachelor's degree in Agriculture, with a focus in Animal Science and Agriculture Economics. He served as a Fayette County Farm Bureau President from 1990-1992 and was elected to the Ohio Farm Bureau in 1995. Peterson served as a Fayette County Commissioner for fourteen years before being elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2011.

Political career After being elected to the Ohio House, Peterson applied to fill the vacant seat for the Ohio Senate seat representing the 17th district in 2012.

While a member of the Ohio Senate, Peterson has served as the chairman of many committees, including: the General Government Subcommittee of Finance, Ways and Means Committee, Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, the Joint Commission on Agency Rule Review and has served as a member of the Ohio Controlling Board.

As of 2018, Peterson served as vice chair of the Senate Rules and Reference Committee and as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Agriculture Committee, Government Oversight and Reform Committee, Local Government, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee, and Finance General Government Subcommittee.

Peterson’s co-sponsorship of SB 23 aligned with efforts by Ohio Republican lawmakers to limit access to abortion in the state. The bill generated national headlines and faced immediate legal opposition.

In September 2022, a judge in Hamilton County temporarily blocked the law's enforcement, restoring abortion access in Ohio up to 22 weeks of pregnancy pending ongoing litigation.