Karen Kasler
Bureau ChiefContact Karen at 614-578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.
Karen Kasler grew up in Lancaster, attended Otterbein College in Westerville, and found her professional break at WCBE-FM in Columbus. Karen was selected as a Fellow in the Kiplinger Master's Degree Program for Mid-Career Journalists at Ohio State University in 1994. She worked at WTVN-AM and WBNS-TV, both in Columbus, then for eight years was the afternoon drive anchor and assignment editor for WTAM-AM, Cleveland.
Since returning to Columbus in 2004, Karen has covered major elections and the controversies surrounding them. She served as moderator for the Ohio Debate Commission's Republican US Senate debate in 2022, its Supreme Court debate in 2020 and its gubernatorial debate in 2018. In addition to other election-related debates, she's led forums on statewide issues including redistricting, tax policy, drug sentencing, marijuana legalization and the collective bargaining law known as Senate Bill 5.
She's produced features for NPR and "Marketplace", and has been interviewed by NPR, the BBC, CBS, NBC, Radio New Zealand and stations around the country. She's a regular panelist on ideastream's "The Sound of Ideas" and a frequent guest on WOSU-TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, WOSU-FM's "All Sides with Anna Staver" and WVXU's "Cincinnati Edition".
Karen has been honored by the Cleveland Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Association of Capitol Editors and Reporters, and holds a National Headliner Award. She's won several awards from the Ohio AP, and is a four-time winner of the AP's Best Broadcast Writing award. She's a three-time Emmy nominee for "The State of Ohio". She's a past president of the Ohio Associated Press and has served on the Board of Directors for the Central Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. Karen is also a former adjunct professor at Capital University in Columbus.
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Mental health professionals are in more demand than ever in Ohio, but there’s a shortage that’s leaving more than 2.4 million Ohioans with inadequate access to mental health care. -
Ohio’s former national champion college football coach turned lieutenant governor has been rushing through the state this week, huddling with middle school students about his fitness challenge. -
An influential conservative group has issued its first endorsement in the 2026 election cycle in Ohio, backing Auditor Keith Faber for attorney general. -
More than one in 10 Ohio kids going into kindergarten this new school year aren’t fully vaccinated. -
A law that requires Ohioans prove their citizenship when registering to vote at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles is being challenged in court. -
Through the budget that was signed into law last month, Ohio has become the first state to require K-12 public schools to adopt policies on artificial intelligence. -
The former leader of minority Democrats in the Ohio House is launching a campaign for secretary of state next year, joining a contest that already has a Democrat in it. -
A coalition of progressive groups says Gov. Mike DeWine was wrong to deploy 150 Ohio National Guard members to Washington D.C. -
One of the Ohio Supreme Court’s six Republican justices says he’s abandoned his plan to switch races and run against one of his colleagues on the bench. -
Gov. Mike DeWine is explaining and defending his decision to send 150 Ohio National Guard troops to Washington DC to help with what President Trump has declared to be a public safety emergency.
