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Will LaRose finally provide answers on his costly move? 

Columbus, OH – Yesterday, Ohio taxpayers announced they’ve submitted three separate public records requests to state agencies, calling for answers on Frank LaRose’s costly decision to move the official Secretary of State office to his campaign HQ – costing Ohio taxpayers $600,000. Despite calls from Ohioans, media outlets, and lawmakers, LaRose has been dodging questions for weeks, leaving Ohioans in the dark about his wasteful spending of their tax dollars. As LaRose’s recent scandal grows, “serious questions” are being raised as more “ethical lines” are crossed. 

Read more about Ohio taxpayers calling on LaRose for answers about his costly office move: 

WSYX: Ohioans Submit Public Records Request to Get Answers on LaRose’s Decision to Move His Office

Ohio Capital Journal: Details behind LaRose move again demanded

Marty Schladen 

October 19, 2023

• There was another call on Wednesday for Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to provide documents explaining his decision to move his state offices into the same building as he registered his campaign for U.S. Senate.

• But he refused to answer last week when asked whether he was engaged in campaign activities in the same building the secretary of state’s offices are moving into — something he appears already to have done on at least one occasion.

• For LaRose to administer next year’s Senate election in the same building he campaigns out of would raise serious ethical questions, experts have said. For one, LaRose and his staff would be strongly tempted to use taxpayer resources meant to run a fair election to instead try to win that election, they said.

• Late last month, 13 Democratic lawmakers sent LaRose a letter demanding information about the move, which could be complete as early as next month.

• Then on Wednesday, the state Democratic Party organized a press conference in front of the offices the secretary of state has occupied for the past two decades. It featured three Ohioans who have submitted open-records requests to the state Department of Administrative Services — which handles state leases.

• “LaRose refuses to be transparent with us,” said Armando Telles, one of those speaking at Wednesday’s press conference.

• He, Kathryn Seewer and Alfred Navarro submitted identical open-records requests to the Department of Administrative Services asking for all communications between the secretary of state’s office and DAS about the move since the start of last year.

• “This is a conflict of interest at the expense of Ohioans,” Telles said.

Statehouse News Bureau: Ohio Secretary of State gets requests for records on his plans to relocate his office

Karen Kasler

October 18, 2023

• Three people have filed public records requests for information about Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s decision to move his office to a building that houses the law firm that filed paperwork for his U.S. Senate campaign.

• The Ohio Democratic Party brought together the three who are concerned about the move of the secretary of state’s office from its 4th Street location, where it’s been for nearly 20 years. LaRose has said relocating the office to a building a few blocks away will save taxpayer dollars — though there will be a $600,000 upfront cost to ready the new space and move into it.

• “I think Mr. LaRose is not being forthright about the intentions of the move, the timing of the move, let alone the exposures of the integrity of his office, coincidentally being the same building of his U.S. Senate office, and how that’s a conflict of interest as well as an unethical move at the time,” said Armando Telles, a Columbus strategist and activist who is one of those who filed the public records requests.

• “LaRose claims that the move will pay for itself. But in reality, taxpayers like me will be paying off LaRose’s latest scandal until 2077, when I’m going to be 75 years old,” said Katie Seewer, an Ohio State University student who also filed a public records request.

Dayton Daily News: Dems question Secretary of State office move amid LaRose Senate campaign

Avery Kreemer

October 19, 2023

• Ohio Democrats publicly demanded answers from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Wednesday regarding his recent decision to move the secretary’s office from its longstanding home to an office building connected to LaRose’s campaign for U.S. Senate.

• The move came under scrutiny in September when Columbus news channel NBC4 reported that the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office would move from 180 Broad St. in Columbus, where it’s been located for nearly 20 years, to 200 Civic Center Drive — an address that also appears on LaRose’s official federal filings for candidacy for U.S. Senate.

• Reeves Oyster, a spokesperson with the Ohio Democratic Party, said that the proximity of LaRose’s government office to a suite connected to his Senate campaign raises “serious ethics concerns,” and might intermix political campaigning with government duties.

• Videos posted to LaRose’s X account (formerly Twitter) shows that LaRose has participated in several interviews directly involving his Senate campaign in a high rise building overlooking Columbus’ Scioto Mile looking westward, a view that matches that of 200 Civic Center Dr.

• Cianciolo and Ben Kindel, spokesperson for LaRose’s Senate campaign, would not answer whether LaRose has officially campaigned from 200 Civic Center Dr. or from what suite those interviews might have come from.

• According to the secretary’s filings with the Ohio Controlling Board, it will cost the state an estimated $600,000 to adequately prepare the space at 200 Civic Center Drive for the move — $400,000 up front and $200,000 added over the course of the first year’s rent.

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

Marty Schladen

October 17, 2023

• Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose last week flatly refused to answer questions about whether he’s campaigning for a seat in the U.S. Senate from the same building where he’s moving his state offices. If he is, it raises questions about whether the state’s top elections officer will be blurring his duty to run a fair election with his attempt to win one of the state’s most coveted offices in the same election.

• LaRose’s refusal to comment comes after he certainly appeared last month to do a campaign interview with provocateur Steve Bannon from the building at 200 Civic Center Drive. Perhaps tellingly, LaRose’s office didn’t answer questions before that story was published, nor did it dispute it after.

• Current and former employees of the secretary of state’s office earlier this month told The Columbus Dispatch that LaRose’s laser focus on the Senate campaign has already led to costly mistakes and high staff turnover.

• When asked last week to provide documentation of the first public announcement of the move, LaRose’s office didn’t respond.

• Among the questions LaRose’s office didn’t respond to last week was one asking why LaRose wanted to be exempted from competitive bidding to lease space in a building that also happens to house his campaign attorneys, BakerHostetler.

See also: Ohio Taxpayers Demand Answers from Frank LaRose after Spending $600,000 to Move Official Office to Campaign HQ; BOMBSHELL REPORT: “Turnover Plagues” Secretary of State’s Office As Frank LaRose Is “Laser-Focused” on Senate Campaign; NEW: Frank LaRose Caught Campaigning At Taxpayer Funded Office Amid Growing Scandal; Frank LaRose’s “Latest Political Controversy” Escalates, Ohioans Agree LaRose Misusing Taxpayer Funds; Frank LaRose Continues Dodging Questions From Ohioans, Media, and Lawmakers on Latest Scandal; Ohio Lawmakers Call On Frank LaRose To Answer for Latest Scandal Costing Ohioans; LaRose’s Math Not Adding Up as Taxpayers Cover Steep Cost to Move Secretary of State Office to His Campaign HQ; As Scandal Grows, LaRose’s “Answers” Just Raise More Questions About Steep Cost to Move Secretary of State Office to His Campaign HQ;  A New Scandal For Frank LaRose: Taxpayers Foot Steep Bill to Move Secretary of State Office to Campaign HQ

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Columbus, OH –  Following a “scorch[ing]” primary forum over the weekend and reports that Frank LaRose’s campaign is on “life support” due to his abysmal fundraising, Bernie Moreno is turning up the heat with a new memo taking aim at LaRose and his long list of scandals. 

“From the beginning, LaRose’s campaign has been immersed in scandal, political ineptitude and negative press… In addition to his fundraising woes, LaRose has failed to generate any grassroots excitement or support,” writes Moreno’s campaign. 

Moreno’s memo also bashes LaRose for “fumbling” the August amendment due to his “mismanagement and incompetence.” LaRose, who made himself the face of the amendment, was “the biggest loser” when the amendment “flopped.”

This slugfest is heating up – read more: 

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Ohio Taxpayers Submit Public Records Request to LaRose’s Office for All Public Documents Pertaining to Latest Scandal Costing Ohioans

Columbus, OH – Today, Ohioans demanded answers from Frank LaRose after he spent $600,000 in taxpayer funds to move the official Secretary of State’s Office to the same building as his campaign HQ. 

At the event, Ohioans Armando Telles, Katie Seewer, and Alfred Navarro announced they’ve filed three separate public records requests to LaRose’s office, the Office of Budget and Management, and the Department of Administrative Services for all public documents pertaining to LaRose’s decision to use taxpayer funds to move his official office closer to his campaign. 

“Frank LaRose: if you want to be our Senator, then give us the answers we deserve,” said Al Navarro, a retired Vietnam veteran and Ohio taxpayer. “Explain your wasteful use of our taxpayer funds.”

“Just as I do as a Marine, it’s time for LaRose to serve his constituents faithfully and fully by providing all public records pertaining to this move so Ohioans can see for themselves how he’s wasting our taxpayer dollars,” said Armando Telles, independent contractor, Marine Corps veteran, and Ohio taxpayer. 

“Frank LaRose’s pattern of putting his political ambitions ahead of Ohioans and wasting taxpayer funds is seriously troubling,” said Katie Seewer, Ohio State University student and Ohio taxpayer. “I can tell you firsthand that our state’s young people are paying attention. They don’t want elected officials who think they’re above the rules and won’t be responsible for their actions.” 

Since initial reports showed LaRose was moving the Secretary of State’s office for the first time in nearly two decades to his campaign HQ – raising serious ethical red flags – LaRose has failed to provide additional details despite calls from reporters, Ohioans, and lawmakers. 

Earlier this month, a new report from the Ohio Capital Journal showed that Frank LaRose “recorded a campaign interview that appeared to take place in the building where he is moving his taxpayer-funded state offices” potentially violating Ohio Ethics code by soliciting a campaign contribution from a taxpayer-funded building. 

Photos of the event are available for media use below:

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.

Pictured: Katie Seewer, Ohio State University student and taxpayer, calls on LaRose to stop wasting Ohioans’ money.

Download the photo here.

Pictured: Armando Telles, independent contractor, Marine Corps veteran, and Ohio taxpayer discusses the public records request he filed for information pertaining to LaRose’s costly move. 

Download the photo here.

Pictured: Ohio State University students held signs demanding answers from LaRose about his expensive office move. 

Download the photo here.

A copy of the public records request submitted today by Telles, Seewer, and Navarro are available for media use here, here, and here.

See also: NEW: Frank LaRose Caught Campaigning At Taxpayer Funded Office Amid Growing Scandal; Frank LaRose’s “Latest Political Controversy” Escalates, Ohioans Agree LaRose Misusing Taxpayer Funds; Frank LaRose Continues Dodging Questions From Ohioans, Media, and Lawmakers on Latest Scandal; Ohio Lawmakers Call On Frank LaRose To Answer for Latest Scandal Costing Ohioans; ICYMI: “Ethics Red Flags” Go Up as Frank LaRose’s “Ability to Do that Job Impartially Has Been Called into Question” [Ohio Capital Journal]; LaRose’s Math Not Adding Up as Taxpayers Cover Steep Cost to Move Secretary of State Office to His Campaign HQ; As Scandal Grows, LaRose’s “Answers” Just Raise More Questions About Steep Cost to Move Secretary of State Office to His Campaign HQ; A New Scandal For Frank LaRose: Taxpayers Foot Steep Bill to Move Secretary of State Office to Campaign HQ

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After A “Weak” Q3 Fundraising Haul, GOP Political Operatives Question The “Viability” Of LaRose’s Senate Candidacy

Columbus, OH – Frank LaRose’s campaign is on “life support” as he faces a series of scandals and fundraising woes, leading Ohio Republicans to question the “viability” of his Senate campaign. In Q3, LaRose raised less than $792,000 in contributions  – falling far behind his mega millionaire opponents who both self-funded $3 million. 

LaRose’s Senate campaign has faced an onslaught of controversies since he launched his campaign. After his amendment flopped in August, pundits noted LaRose was “the biggest loser” – saying he had a “cloud of Issue 1 above his head” and while noting “some political humiliations last forever.” In the last month, LaRose has come under fire for moving the Secretary of State’s office to his campaign HQ – costing Ohioans $600,000 – while his official office is in disarray and “plague[d]” by turnover as LaRose is “laser focused” on his Senate campaign 

Here’s what they’re saying about LaRose’s Senate campaign on “life support”: 

• Cleveland.com: “Unless something changes dramatically, Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s U.S. Senate campaign is in serious financial trouble with the Republican primary election just months away…”

• GOP Political Operative: “People are free to run if they choose to, but the viability of this candidacy is on life support.”

• The Columbus Dispatch: “Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is struggling to keep up with his wealthy Republican opponents… It takes money to run in a competitive federal race, and LaRose doesn’t have much of it.”

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

• NBC News: “LaRose’s name recognition from winning two statewide campaigns made him the early front-runner in polling, but his first quarter as a Senate candidate produced numbers that have Republicans wondering how long he will last. “

• GOP Political Operative:“Based on the latest [Federal Election Commission] filings, it’s going to be hard for Frank LaRose to compete with Moreno and Dolan’s millions.”

• Spectrum News: Frank LaRose Struggles to Raise Money, Threatening His Senate Campaign

Jake Zuckerman, Cleveland.com Politics Reporter: “He is just not fundraising to keep up with the other two so it is starting to raise some doubts about the viability of Frank LaRose’s campaign.”

Curtis Jackson, Spectrum News: “[Money] isn’t everything in politics, it’s the only thing.”

And as LaRose’s campaign struggles, the vultures are circling…

• LaRose Spokesman Ben Kindel: “In 2022, Bernie Moreno set millions on fire only to quit before the primary. Matt Dolan also set millions on fire to finish third.” 

• Dolan Campaign Strategist: “LaRose fundraising number was underwhelming as expected…”

• LaRose Spokesman Brett Buerck: “…Matt Dolan whose anemic fundraising can only be saved from family money despite running for the U.S. Senate for multiple years. Frank’s other primary opponent, who did not have the political courage and belief in his own campaign to make it to the primary in 2022, is also setting millions of his own money on fire to buy a Senate seat.”

• Dolan campaign after Moreno decided after all to write himself a fat check and try to buy Ohio’s Senate seat: “Bernie Moreno pledged to Ohioans on numerous occasions that he wouldn’t self-fund his campaign. What’s clear is that the former used car dealer’s credibility is eroding as quickly as his donor support.” 

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Columbus, OH –  It’s only Monday and the infighting is already spiraling in the Ohio Senate slugfest in the aftermath of Saturday night’s “scorch[ing]” first primary debate where the candidates “clash[ed].” The attacks are also flying after the field posted their third quarter FEC reports – in which every candidate tried to buy Ohio’s Senate seat while posting abysmal fundraising numbers.

See the attacks that are escalating this already “messy” and “bruising” slugfest. 🔥 

• 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.”

• LaRose campaign while desperately trying to outrun his abysmal fundraising numbers: “Frank’s first quarterly report easily outpaces Matt Dolan whose anemic fundraising can only be saved from family money despite running for the U.S. Senate for multiple years. Frank’s other primary opponent, who did not have the political courage and belief in his own campaign to make it to the primary in 2022, is also setting millions of his own money on fire to buy a Senate seat.”

• Dolan campaign strategist on LaRose’s “weak” fundraising:

Dolan campaign after Moreno decided after all to write himself a fat check and try to buy Ohio’s Senate seat: “Bernie Moreno pledged to Ohioans on numerous occasions that he wouldn’t self-fund his campaign. What’s clear is that the former used car dealer’s credibility is eroding as quickly as his donor support.”

What Ohioans are reading today about the Ohio Senate Slugfest today:

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

• Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senate candidates clash over foreign policy in first forum

• Daily Caller: GOP Senate Candidate Accuses Primary Opponents Of Supporting Amnesty In Fiery Exchange

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

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

• The Messenger: Ohio Senate Candidate Matt Dolan Raises $4.1M in Third Quarter, Takes Aim At Rival

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