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LaRose Admits To Working With Special Interest Groups to Rewrite State Issue 1 Ballot Language and Intentionally Mislead Voters 

Columbus, OH – A new must read report from Cleveland.com exposes how Frank LaRose put his thumb on the scale to ban abortion by rewriting the ballot language for State Issue 1 to be intentionally misleading. LaRose has already said he would overrule the majority of Ohioans who voted to protect reproductive rights this month by voting for a national abortion ban. 

Read more: 

Cleveland.com: Secretary of State Frank LaRose says abortion opponents helped craft ballot language to aid defeat of Issue 1

Andrew Tobias

November 29, 2023

• Secretary of State Frank LaRose offered an unusually blunt assessment while defending the ballot language he helped write for state Issue 1, the abortion-rights ballot measure that voters approved earlier this month, to a conservative critic at a local Republican Party event.

• In doing so, LaRose confirmed something that abortion-rights supporters have suspected all along: Abortion opponents helped him craft the ballot language in a way meant to benefit their campaign to defeat the measure.

• LaRose also chairs the Ohio Ballot Board, a state panel tasked with writing the language voters see on their ballots when they decide whether to support or oppose a ballot measure.

• In response to a question about specifics in the amendment language, LaRose said his office consulted with three prominent anti-abortion groups that led the anti-Issue 1 campaign – Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America, the Center for Christian Virtue and Ohio Right to Life – as it crafted the ballot language. All three groups played central roles in leading and funding Protect Women Ohio, the main anti-Issue 1 campaign group.

• But the summary must be accurate, can’t omit key information and can’t amount to a persuasive argument for or against the measure, according to state law and numerous state court rulings.

• After Ohioans approved the measure 57%-43% earlier this month, the Issue 1 campaign described overcoming efforts by LaRose and other Ohio Republicans who used their elected positions to try to defeat the measure. One of those facets included the ballot language LaRose and other Republicans approved in August, prompting a lawsuit shortly afterward from the pro-Issue 1 campaign.

• LaRose has faced other criticism from across the political spectrum for his role in the chain of events leading to Issue 1′s passage this month. He also was a lead proponent of setting an August vote on a different ballot issue that would have blocked Issue 1 from passing by requiring it to get 60% of the vote in order to pass. Voters rejected that measure by a similar margin to the “yes” vote on Issue 1 in November.

• Bernie Moreno, one of LaRose’s Republican opponents, meanwhile has accused LaRose of messing up the Issue 1 campaign by making a public comment explicitly tying the measure to abortion, providing a sound bite that eventually made its way into a campaign commercial from the campaign that defeated the 60% measure in August.

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LaRose Admits To Working With Special Interest Groups to Rewrite State Issue 1 Ballot Language and Intentionally Mislead Voters

Columbus, OH – A new must read report from Cleveland.com exposes how Frank LaRose put his thumb on the scale to ban abortion by rewriting the ballot language for State Issue 1 to be intentionally misleading. LaRose has already said he would overrule the majority of Ohioans who voted to protect reproductive rights this month by voting for a national abortion ban. 

Read more: 

Cleveland.com: Secretary of State Frank LaRose says abortion opponents helped craft ballot language to aid defeat of Issue 1

Andrew Tobias

November 29, 2023

• Secretary of State Frank LaRose offered an unusually blunt assessment while defending the ballot language he helped write for state Issue 1, the abortion-rights ballot measure that voters approved earlier this month, to a conservative critic at a local Republican Party event.

• In doing so, LaRose confirmed something that abortion-rights supporters have suspected all along: Abortion opponents helped him craft the ballot language in a way meant to benefit their campaign to defeat the measure.

• LaRose also chairs the Ohio Ballot Board, a state panel tasked with writing the language voters see on their ballots when they decide whether to support or oppose a ballot measure.

• In response to a question about specifics in the amendment language, LaRose said his office consulted with three prominent anti-abortion groups that led the anti-Issue 1 campaign – Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America, the Center for Christian Virtue and Ohio Right to Life – as it crafted the ballot language. All three groups played central roles in leading and funding Protect Women Ohio, the main anti-Issue 1 campaign group.

• But the summary must be accurate, can’t omit key information and can’t amount to a persuasive argument for or against the measure, according to state law and numerous state court rulings.

• After Ohioans approved the measure 57%-43% earlier this month, the Issue 1 campaign described overcoming efforts by LaRose and other Ohio Republicans who used their elected positions to try to defeat the measure. One of those facets included the ballot language LaRose and other Republicans approved in August, prompting a lawsuit shortly afterward from the pro-Issue 1 campaign.

• LaRose has faced other criticism from across the political spectrum for his role in the chain of events leading to Issue 1′s passage this month. He also was a lead proponent of setting an August vote on a different ballot issue that would have blocked Issue 1 from passing by requiring it to get 60% of the vote in order to pass. Voters rejected that measure by a similar margin to the “yes” vote on Issue 1 in November.

• Bernie Moreno, one of LaRose’s Republican opponents, meanwhile has accused LaRose of messing up the Issue 1 campaign by making a public comment explicitly tying the measure to abortion, providing a sound bite that eventually made its way into a campaign commercial from the campaign that defeated the 60% measure in August.

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LaRose Still Refusing to Disclose Financial Information More Than Two Weeks Past Deadline

Columbus, OH – Frank LaRose is now fifteen days past the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee’s deadline to file his personal financial disclosure and is still not answering questions about self-funding $250,000 after mocking his opponents for their wealth. LaRose may not think the rules apply to him, but Ohioans deserve answers.

Questions Frank LaRose must answer after refusing to follow the rules, self-funding $250,000, and withholding his required financial disclosure:

• In July, you said “I’m the only one in the race that isn’t a millionaire…So I’m going to do this the old-fashioned way, the entrepreneurial way,” but you then self-funded $250,000 – what changed?

• You’ve mocked your opponents by calling them “rich guys [trying to] buy a [Senate] seat” and claiming to be the only “thousandaire” in this race, but you’ve dodged questions about self-funding your campaign $250,000 and blew past the November 14th deadline to disclose your own finances – why won’t you be transparent with Ohioans after you’ve attacked your opponents for their wealth?

• You oversee campaign finance compliance in Ohio, yet you are refusing to follow federal ethics rules and are now over two weeks past the deadline to file your financial disclosure with the U.S. Senate Ethics Committee – why do you think the rules don’t apply to you?

What Ohioans are reading recently about LaRose believing the rules don’t apply to him: 

• Ohio Capital Journal: “Despite that 90-day reprieve, LaRose has yet to file. The Ohio Capital Journal reached out to his campaign to see if the report has been filed but not yet posted or if the campaign has requested a further extension. The campaign did not respond…LaRose’s failure to file thus far is particularly notable given a $250,000 personal loan he made to his campaign in September.”

• Heartland Signal: “Candidates are required to publicly disclose their finances within 30 days of announcing their candidacy. LaRose announced his run for Senate on July 17 and subsequently asked for an extension on his filing on Aug 9. Despite an extra 90 days, LaRose again blew past his deadline on Nov. 14.”

• Ohio Capital Journal: “LaRose’s campaign didn’t respond to a request for more information about the source of his loan, but it seems like a substantial sum given his current state salary income.” [10/20/23]

• Tribune Chronicle: “I questioned how LaRose could come up with $250,000 out of his pocket for his Senate campaign. But Ben Kindel, his campaign spokesman, didn’t respond to my numerous inquiries.” [10/20/23]

• Cleveland.com: “Secretary of State Frank LaRose has gently mocked his wealthy opponents in March’s Republican Senate primary election by referring to himself as a humble ‘thousandaire.’ But the public will have to wait for details that could shed more light on LaRose’s financial situation, as a federal deadline for a mandatory financial disclosure passed Tuesday without a report from LaRose.

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Columbus, OH – As Donald Trump promises to dismantle the Affordable Care Act if elected, Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan can’t outrun their records attacking Ohioans’ healthcare. If the ACA is dismantled, 857,000 Ohioans would be at risk of losing their coverage and nearly 2 million Ohioans with a preexisting condition could be denied healthcare. 

What you need to know about Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan attacks on Ohioans’ access to affordable healthcare:

• Bernie Moreno: “[The Affordable Care Act] actually made health care much more expensive. So we have to let the markets work… So that’s, that’s answer number one on healthcare.”

• Frank LaRose: “I’m committed now more than ever to work to repeal this bad law and replace it with real healthcare reform…”

• Matt Dolan: “[The Affordable Care Act] was conceived wrongly, implemented poorly and has become a tool of partisan grift.”

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Columbus, OH – In case you missed it, the Ohio Democratic Party yesterday announced the full slate of candidates for the 2024 Supreme Court race. Justices Melody Stewart and Michael Donnelly are running for re-election while Eighth District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Forbes from Cleveland will run for election to the state’s highest court. 

“We couldn’t be more proud and excited to re-elect Justices Stewart and Donnelly and to elect Judge Forbes to Ohio’s Supreme Court. For far too long, Ohioans have had to endure a Court that puts politics over people and too often sides with corrupt legislators over working Ohioans. We’re fighting next year for justice, fairness and equality under the law for ALL Ohioans, not just the wealthy and well-connected, and we welcome all Ohioans to join us in that fight” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters. 

Read more about this week’s announcement: 

Cleveland.com: Lisa Forbes, a Cuyahoga County appeals court judge, is running for Ohio Supreme Court
Jeremy Pelzer
Nov. 27, 2023

• Lisa Forbes, a state appeals court judge from Shaker Heights, is Ohio Democrats’ pick to run next year for the seat currently held by Republican Ohio Supreme Court Justice Joe Deters, the state party announced Monday.

• The announcement rounds out the major parties’ choices to run for the three Ohio Supreme Court seats that are up for a vote in November 2024. Each of the races will likely garner higher-than-usual attention, given the state’s high court will almost certainly play a key role in determining the legal ramifications of Issue 1, the newly passed constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion rights in Ohio.

• In addition to announcing Forbes’ candidacy, the Ohio Democratic Party said in a release that Democratic Supreme Court Justices Michael Donnelly and Melody Stewart, both of Cuyahoga County, will seek reelection next year, as expected.

• Whoever controls the Ohio Supreme Court will have significant influence in determining what Ohio’s abortion laws will look like following the passage of Issue 1, as abortion-rights groups are now looking at filing lawsuits to strike down a number of GOP-passed anti-abortion laws and regulations.

• Forbes said in an interview Monday that she’s running for the Ohio Supreme Court because she appreciates that the court “is the last line of defense for individual rights and freedoms” in the state.

• “And as I see it,” she continued, “it’s never been more important to have a strong court that is focused on fully realizing all of those rights that are afforded to Ohioans under the constitution and (state) laws.”

Toledo Blade: Cleveland appellate judge to run for Ohio Supreme Court
Jim Provance
Nov. 27, 2023

• Cleveland appellate Judge Lisa Forbes on Monday joined the Democratic slate of Ohio Supreme Court candidates in 2024 as the party seeks to build on the theme of this year’s elections of fighting back against what they contend have been Republican “power grabs.”

• “That is an important job that the Supreme Court does,” Judge Forbes told The Blade. “It is to ensure that neither the executive branch or legislature oversteps their bounds and that the law is applied fairly and equally. Lastly it is important that all rights that are afforded under the (state) constitution and the federal constitution are fully realized by all citizens. That’s the job, and I’m committed to doing it.”

• She joins a slate that already includes incumbent Justices Melody Stewart and Michael Donnelly, both seeking their second six-year terms on the high court bench.

• The court currently has a 4-3 Republican majority, so Democrats have a chance at flipping the bench.

• A video announcing the slate makes it clear that Democrats hope to build on the results of the Aug. 8 special election and Nov. 8 general election, both of which were presented as pushing back again Republican super-majorities in the General Assembly.

• In August, voters soundly rejected a GOP legislative proposal to make it tougher to amend the Ohio Constitution. Earlier this month, voters proceeded to pass the constitutional amendment that the August vote was at least partly designed to derail, enshrining reproductive rights, including access to abortion, in the state’s Bill of Rights.

• The video does not mention either election specifically, but it’s clear the party believes it has momentum.

Columbus Dispatch: Election 2024: Who is running for Ohio Supreme Court?
Laura Bischoff
Nov. 27, 2023

• Ohio Democrats will try to take majority control of the state Supreme Court next year in what will likely be a contentious, expensive campaign.

• The Ohio Democratic Party announced Monday that 8th District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Forbes is running and Justices Michael Donnelly and Melody Stewart are running for reelection.

• Supreme Court decisions impact how much Ohioans pay in taxes, whether utility companies can add fees to ratepayers’ bills, how insurance and business laws are interpreted, what government records will be available to the public and more.

• With the passage of Issue 1 in November, the Ohio Supreme Court next year is expected to rule on lawsuits that challenge existing laws that restrict abortion.

Daily Kos: Ohio Democrats announce slate seeking to win back narrowly divided Supreme Court
David Nir
Nov. 27, 2023

• The Ohio Democratic Party announced on Monday that Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Forbes would run for a Republican-held seat on the state Supreme Court next year, forming a slate with Justices Melody Stewart and Michael Donnelly, who are both seeking reelection. Republicans currently have a 4-3 majority on the court, which Democrats could reverse if all three of their candidates win.

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