The events in Washington over the past few weeks have brought a lot of attention to the relationship at the federal level between business and the GOP. If you missed it, an article first discussing the topic appeared in the New York Times on Oct. 9 titled, “Business Groups See Loss of Sway Over House G.O.P.” That was followed up by a slew of articles last week further addressing the topic, including this article in the Daily Beast by Michael Tomasky.

Yesterday, Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the US Chamber, spoke with reporters on the issue at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast. Bloomberg covers the talk under the headline: Chamber Says It Will Vet Candidates on Fiscal Pragmatism. And from Politico: Tom Donohue – Chamber still has sway with GOP.

According to Bloomberg’s Laura Litvan, Donohue made it clear that “his organization will be evaluating candidates in 2014 races based on their willingness to secure the nation’s long-term economic health and the broader interests of business.”

Which leads me to the point I want to make – the Ohio Chamber will be looking to do the exact same thing in 2014 in state House and Senate races. The political environment is much different in Columbus than Washington, but it does not change the overall goal. If we are serious in Ohio about growing our economy and creating jobs, we need legislators who are fiscally pragmatic and in-tune with Ohio’s employers. It will be those legislators who earn an Ohio Chamber endorsement.