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Columbus, OH –  Newt Gingrich today threw more gasoline on the #OHSEN primary fire by endorsing Bernie Moreno – leading to more infighting in this already messy fight. After the endorsement broke, Frank LaRose and Matt Dolan slammed Moreno: 

Frank LaRose’s Campaign: “Despite running once and spending a great deal of his own money, Bernie hasn’t registered with Ohio voters and I don’t see that changing — he’s a car salesman and that comes across.”

Matt Dolan’s Campaign: “He’s an ideological shape-shifter who will say or do anything to get elected. Maybe that helped him sell cars, but it destroys trust with voters and it would make him a lousy Republican nominee.”

See also: #OHSEN Slugfest: Accusations and Lying… The Gloves Are Off!; Infighting Spirals in the Ohio Senate Slugfest Following “Scorch[ing]” #OHSEN Primary Debate, FEC Reports; #OHSEN Slugfest: LaRose Struggles To Thread Needle As He’s “Locked in a Battle” in Senate Primary; Six Months Out, Ohio Senate Slugfest Just Getting Messier; Ohio Senate “2024 Slugfest” Devolves into Chaos; Donald Trump Throws Gasoline on Ohio’s Messy, Dumpster Fire Primary; Mike Pence Makes #OHSEN Republicans’ “Family Fight” Even Messier

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Columbus, OH – With two weeks until election day and Ohioans already voting to protect abortion access and overturn Ohio’s current dangerous abortion ban, here’s what you need to know about the #OHSEN field’s dangerous positions on abortion: 

• The entire #OHSEN primary field opposes the November amendment and supports upholding the current restrictive law in Ohio – which bans abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest.

• Bernie Moreno supports a national abortion ban and does not support exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the mother.

• Frank LaRose supports a national abortion ban, opposes exceptions for rape or incest, and celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade. LaRose spearheaded an August election to benefit special interests and make it harder to pass Issue 1 in November – admitting it was “100%” about abortion. When that amendment flopped, Frank LaRose “twist[ed]” the ballot language to purposefully mislead and “confuse” Ohioans. LaRose also said he supports Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blockade of top military confirmations – saying Tuberville’s position is “the same position I would support in the Senate.”

• Matt Dolan celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling it “exciting.” Dolan has said defeating the November amendment is a “priority” and is open to supporting a national abortion ban.

“Every Republican running for Ohio’s Senate seat supports dangerous abortion bans – including bans with no exceptions for rape or incest. With Ohioans already voting to overturn the state’s dangerous ban, it’s clear no one in this field is fighting for Ohioans,” said ODP spokesperson Reeves Oyster.

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Columbus, OH –  After a “scorch[ing]” primary forum, a memo heard round the state, and reports of LaRose’s campaign on “life support,” it’s been another week filled with #OHSEN Republicans fighting with one another instead of fighting for Ohioans. 

Here’s what you missed this week in what has already been called one of the “messiest, “most expensive” and “bruising” primary battles in the country. 

OHIOANS “CALLING BS” ON LAROSE FOR WASTING TAXPAYER FUNDS

Ohioans are fed up with LaRose’s lack of accountability and transparency on his costly office move. This week, three Ohioans submitted public record requests to various state agencies calling for answers from LaRose on his decision to move his official office to his campaign HQ – costing taxpayers $600,000. 

READ MORE FROM THE DAYTON DAILY NEWS, STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU, AND OHIO CAPITAL JOURNAL. 

Pictured: Al Navarro, Ohio taxpayer and retired Vietnam veteran, demands answers from Frank LaRose on his costly office move while surrounded by Ohioans.

Download the photo here.

BERNIE MORENO SLAMS LAROSE FOR BEING “IMMERSED IN SCANDAL,” “LYING” ABOUT WEALTH

Yesterday, Bernie Moreno attacked Frank LaRose for lying and putting his political ambitions ahead of Ohioans. The jabs followed an explosive memo published by the Moreno campaign that slammed LaRose for being “immersed in scandal, political ineptitude and negative press.”

LaRose, who was “the biggest loser” of the August amendment after making himself the face of the effort, “rang alarm bells” in August by calling on both Moreno and Matt Dolan to financially support the amendment in a failed attempt to “spread the blame.”

AFTER ATTACKING HIS OPPONENTS FOR BEING WEALTHY, LAROSE MYSTERIOUSLY SELF-FUNDS $250,000… THEN DODGES QUESTIONS

Despite attacking his opponents for trying to buy Ohio’s Senate seat, LaRose self-funded $250,000 last quarter. Now, as questions are raised about where LaRose’s money came from while his campaign is on “life support,” LaRose is dodging questions… 

David Skolnick for The Vindicator: “LaRose told me in April before his Senate campaign announcement, “The one thing I lack is what those two candidates have in abundance and that is personal wealth. I don’t have that, and I also don’t think that only wealthy people should be able to run for the U.S. Senate.” 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.”

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.”

🚨 BONUS 🚨: Matt Dolan’s campaign takes a swipe at LaRose’s weak fundraising…

“SCORCH[ING]” SLUGFEST SHOWDOWN

The field took the stage for the primary’s first forum last weekend, and no one held back their punches. Read the highlights of the first, but certainly not last, Slugfest Showdown.

Cleveland.com: “The GOP candidates forum also featured a heated exchange over illegal immigration that illustrates Moreno’s singular pursuit of the GOP’s hard-right base…Dolan and LaRose each painted Moreno as all flash and no substance, and someone with no demonstrated track record.”

Frank LaRose: “Bernie’s got these slick talking points that are cooked up by consultants and focus-group tested and whatever else to get applause lines.”

SLUGFEST COUNTDOWN

152 days left until this Slugfest comes to a head and the infighting just keeps getting worse. 

WHAT OHIOANS ARE READING ABOUT THIS SLUGFEST

Cleveland.com: Frank LaRose’s latest fundraising poses viability questions for his U.S. Senate campaign

Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio’s U.S. Senate fundraising shows Sen. Brown outpacing GOP rivals despite big checks

Cleveland.com: Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senate candidates clash in election season’s first candidate forum

Statehouse News Bureau: Campaign finance filings show LaRose last in list of Ohio’s 2024 candidates for US Senate

Ohio Capital Journal: Does Sec. of State LaRose have no Senate campaign HQ, or is it where he’s moving his state office?

Columbus Dispatch: Secretary of State Frank LaRose lags behind GOP U.S. Senate opponents in fundraising

*SINCE DELETED* QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Frank LaRose: “Photo op/ post about speaking with Fort Frye HS government class”

LOL.

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Ohioans and Cleveland.com Editorial Board Question LaRose’s Ethics  

Columbus, OH – Frank LaRose continues to be called out for “stop[ping] at nothing to put party over people” by Ohioans. As LaRose faces political scandal after scandal – most recently for wasting $600,000 in taxpayer funds to move his official office to his campaign HQ amid reports that his office is in disarray and “plague[d]” by turnover while he is “laser-focused” on his Senate bid – it’s clear LaRose will do whatever it takes to support his political ambitions, no matter how much it costs or hurts Ohioans. 

Here’s what Ohioans are reading about Frank LaRose’s “downward spiral:”

• Leila Atassi, manager public interest and advocacy: “If LaRose were capable of feeling chastened and sobered, it would have happened after the August special election, when voters backhanded his attempt at subverting democracy. The guy stops at nothing to put party over people.”

• Ted Diadiun, columnist:“It’s distressing, however, to see [LaRose’s] downward spiral as he increasingly attempts to fashion the law to fit his political preferences – as the unanimous Supreme Court decision emphasizes.”

• Thomas Suddes, editorial writer: “That Ohio’s Supreme Court (4-3 Republican) unanimously ruled against Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose demonstrates LaRose’s gross overreach…Suspicious minds might notice he’s running for the Senate in a highly competitive Republican primary. But that’s a complete coincidence, of course.”

• Mary Cay Doherty, editorial board member: “That the decision was unanimous is striking. As Secretary of State, LaRose must be scrupulous in his duties, fulfilling them responsibly and ethically. Integrity is everything for elected public servants.”

• Elizabeth Sullivan, opinion director: “LaRose’s ambition-driven transformation…has been extremely discouraging to witness.”

• Dennis Lambert, North Olmstead: “Secretary of State Frank LaRose is the poster child for today’s autocratic, dictate-down-to-the-people politician… Even our courts are on to his treachery… He should never hold another public office in this state, ever again.”

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Trump World: “It has not been lost on the Trump team that candidates like Frank LaRose have not defended President Trump…”

Columbus, OH –  According to a new report from NBC, Donald Trump isn’t buying Frank LaRose’s excuses as he tries to outrun his “history of Trump criticism” – including calling Trump “racist,” and positioning himself himself as “Never Trump” before reversing course and endorsing the former president this year – something he refused to do in 2016, 2020, and throughout the first week of his Senate campaign. 

In a radio interview earlier this month, LaRose claimed he was “fooled” by fellow anti-Trumper John Kasich and was “victim of a ‘false narrative.” He also tried to “clean up” calling Trump “racist.” Earlier this year, LaRose was caught on tape dismissing the value of a Trump endorsement, saying it “doesn’t carry as much weight as it once did.” 

While LaRose now says his Trump credentials are “rock-solid,” the Trump camp says otherwise: 

“‘It has not been lost on the Trump team that candidates like Frank LaRose have not defended President Trump’ or embraced his claims about the 2020 election…‘that’ll be a big inflection point throughout the election.’” 

Read more:

NBC: A new crop of GOP Senate candidates grapples with Trump-skeptical pasts

Henry Gomez

October 20, 2023

• When Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose called into a local radio show this month, the host grilled the Republican Senate hopeful over his past disdain for former President Donald Trump — like how he positioned himself as “Never Trump” before the 2016 election and how he described Trump’s 2019 social media tirade against Black members of Congress as racist.

• LaRose was ready with excuses for Bob Frantz, one of the state’s most influential right-wing voices. He said he had been “fooled” by the state’s anti-Trump former governor, John Kasich. He claimed to be the victim of a “false narrative” from a GOP primary rival. And he insisted he had never accused Trump of racism, offering a cleaned-up answer that didn’t match the quote that The Cincinnati Enquirer had printed after an editorial board interview.

• For good measure, LaRose mentioned that he and Trump had dined together recently: “My Trump credentials are golden, rock-solid,” said LaRose, who has endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign.

• A source close to Trump, who was not authorized to speak on the record, told NBC News that “it has not been lost on the Trump team that candidates like Frank LaRose have not defended President Trump” or embraced his claims about the 2020 election. “That’ll be a big inflection point throughout the election,” the source added.

• Trump has encouraged, but not endorsed, Moreno’s candidacy despite the candidate’s past disparaging comments, which surfaced during his brief run in the state’s 2022 Senate primary. Moreno, who initially supported Marco Rubio and donated to Kasich in the 2016 presidential race, has since grown closer with Trump — a relationship fostered by his daughter, who worked for Trump, and by Vance, who has endorsed Moreno. A third GOP contender in Ohio, state Sen. Matt Dolan, also ran in 2022 and is sticking with a message that largely ignores Trump while showing little interest in courting the former president.

• So far, LaRose’s campaign has had the hallmarks of a candidate worried about alienating Trump. His team attempted to clarify his remarks after an August interview in which LaRose spoke supportively of former Vice President Mike Pence’s role in certifying the 2020 election results. LaRose also recently fired the press secretary in his state office over personal tweets that made fun of Trump.

• But in the final days of the 2016 race, after the old “Access Hollywood” footage of Trump bragging about sexual assault leaked, LaRose told The Akron Beacon Journal he would not vote for Trump.

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