High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Tom Niehaus is a Republican member of the Ohio Senate, representing the 14th District since 2005. Previously he was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2000 until 2004. Niehaus succeeded Ohio Senate President Doug White, who was prevented by Ohio`s term limits law from running for re-election. Niehaus defeated Jean Schmidt for the Republican nomination by twenty-two votes and defeated the Democratic nominee, Cincinnati electrician Paul Schwietering, by capturing more than two-thirds of the vote.