Ahead of #OHSEN GOP Debate, ODP Chair, Labor Leader, Doctor Discuss How GOP Field Isn’t Fighting for Ohioans
January 22, 2024
On Reproductive Rights, Healthcare, Bipartisanship, and More, Tonight Ohioans Will See No One in the #OHSEN Field is Fighting for Them
Columbus, OH – Ahead of tonight’s Republican #OHSEN debate, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters, Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga, and Ohio Dr. Catherine Romanos discussed how none of the candidates in the primary are fighting for Ohioans. Whether it’s working to overrule Ohioans by supporting a national abortion ban, attacking Ohioans’ healthcare, or refusing to work across the aisle on the issues important to Ohioans’ lives, Ohioans see that Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan are more focused on attacking each other and helping themselves than working for Ohioans.
“The digs and insults and scripted attacks are sure to come tonight, but there’s one thing Ohioans won’t hear: meaningful positions on the issues that matter most to them,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters. “While working Ohioans are worried about paying their bills, affording prescription medication, putting food on the table for their families, these candidates up on stage tonight are only focused on themselves.”
“From Bernie Moreno being sued over a dozen times for not paying his workers for the overtime they’ve earned, even destroying evidence in the process, to Frank LaRose who cast the deciding vote on Senate Bill 5 – that stripped firefighters, nurses, teachers and public employees of their collective bargaining rights – it’s clear these guys will not fight for workers in our state,” said Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga. “None of these candidates on the debate stage tonight will make Ohio workers their priority, and with control of the U.S. Senate likely coming down to Ohio, there’s too much at stake for workers in Ohio and across the nation for us to sit on the sidelines and let those who don’t share our values decide the future of working people in our country.”
“Ohioans made it clear that they want the government out of their exam rooms and out of the most personal decisions of their lives,” said Dr. Catherine Romanos. “But Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan think they belong in your doctor’s office. All three opposed November’s State Issue 1 and they would all vote for a national abortion ban if elected to the Senate, which would overrule what the majority of Ohioans just supported.”
What you need to know ahead of tonight’s debate:
- Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan all support a national abortion ban and would overrule the majority of Ohioans who voted to protect reproductive rights and overturn the state’s existing ban last November.
- Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan would all vote to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, which would put 857,000 Ohioans at risk of losing their coverage and jeopardize care for nearly 2 million Ohioans with a preexisting condition.
- The entire field is trying to buy Ohio’s Senate seat: Bernie Moreno wrote his campaign a $3 million check, Frank LaRose self-funded a “myster[ious]” $250,000 loan and has refused to answer questions about the source of the “highly unusual” loan, and Matt Dolan has already loaned himself $7 million this cycle.
- The field won’t work across the aisle to prevent a potential government shutdown or fight for the issues most important to Ohioans’ daily lives: Bernie Moreno “reject[ed]” bipartisanship and has “no real interest in” working on behalf of Ohioans. Both Moreno and Frank LaRose would vote to shut down the government and force 6,800 active duty troops and tens of thousands of civilian employees in Ohio to work without pay.
Please find a recording of this morning’s press call for media use here.
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