Although over half of Ohio’s electorate favors right-to-work legislation, according to a new Quinnipiac Poll, the state isn’t likely to see any this year.

Unfortunately, after the dismal failure to pass a ballot initiative last year, Republicans aren’t gearing up for another battle. The loss could be due to the $30 million that unions pumped into the state, or the fact that the messaging got mangled in a feud between Republican Governor John Kasich and state GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine.

Regardless of what went wrong, Republicans in the state are still a little shell shocked and Gov. Kasich has no plans to introduce right-to-work legislation any time soon.  It’s unfortunate that Ohio will be sitting 2012 out, considering that many other states have viewed Indian’s passage of labor reform as a green light and worked off of that momentum.

In Michigan, Rep. Mike Shirkey is planning to debut a right-to-work bill that has Speaker Jase Bolger welcoming the debate. Minnesota’s Rep. Steve Drazkowski and Missouri’s Senate President Pro Tem, Rob Mayer, are both advancing similar pieces of legislation.

While Gov. Kasich’s political capital may not be as plentiful as it once was, hopefully he will invest the remainder into passing labor reform – giving business more confidence, employees more freedom, and Ohio a brighter future.