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Columbus, OH – After claiming months ago that he wasn’t going to “take [his] personal wealth and buy a Senate seat” and that it’s “not right” for wealthy people to “write a big fat check” for themselves, Bernie Moreno decided to “put his own skin in the game” after all, writing himself a $3 million check last quarter. 

In the same breath, Moreno took a swipe at Matt Dolan, another megamillionaire in the Ohio Senate slugfest, who has self-funded $4 million so far this cycle.

“Ohioans can’t trust megamillionaire Bernie Moreno to keep his word,” said ODP Spokesperson Reeves Oyster.

Whiplash alert: Months ago, Bernie Moreno claimed he wouldn’t “write [himself] a big fat check” and try to buy Ohio’s Senate seat:

• MORENO: “I won’t do what my opponent’s doing. I will not – well first of all, it’s my money vs. his family’s money, big difference by the way. But I’m not going to take personal wealth and buy a Senate seat. It’s not good for democracy.” [5/16/23]

• The Vindicator: “But when Moreno announced April 18 that he would run for the Senate seat held by Brown, he said: ‘I don’t think it’s right — I think it’s fundamentally bad for democracy — for wealthy people, they’ve got their checkbook, to buy a Senate seat. That’s not right. I won’t do that.’” [4/28/23]

• MORENO: “I don’t think it’s good for democracy for wealthy people to write a big fat check and buy themselves a Senate seat… I am not going to write a check that allows me to buy a Senate seat. It’s not good for democracy.” [4/19/23]

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Columbus, OH – Today at 12:00 PM, Frank LaRose will fundraise with billionaire Richard Uihlein in Chicago’s finest hotel, the O’Hare Hilton Hotel. Uihlein – one of the nation’s biggest supporters and benefactors of a national abortion ban – bankrolled LaRose’s August election designed to silence Ohioans and make it harder to overturn Ohio’s current restrictive ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. Uihlein is the largest donor of Women Speak Out, a Susan B. Anthony List-affiliated political action committee seeking to federally outlaw abortion.  

After LaRose was named Ohio’s biggest loser in August, LaRose “twist[ed]” the November ballot language to make it harder for the amendment to pass. LaRose has also said he would overrule Ohioans if they protect abortion access by voting for a national abortion ban if elected to the Senate. 

WHO: Frank “Ohio’s Biggest Loser” LaRose and Billionaire, National-Abortion-Ban Benefactor Richard Uihlein

WHAT: Fundraiser for Frank LaRose’s Senate Campaign

WHEN: Tuesday, October 3rd 2023 at 12:00 PM

WHERE: The Gaslight Club, O’Hare Hilton Hotel

WHY: Event will support LaRose’s efforts to silence Ohioans, pass a national abortion ban, and put his political ambitions ahead of Ohioans. 

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Columbus, OH – As Ohioans prepare to vote on protecting abortion access and overturning Ohio’s current dangerous abortion ban, a new report shows that the entire primary field supports dangerous abortion bans – including bans with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Despite Donald Trump and NRSC Chair Senator Steve Daines warning candidates against supporting dangerous abortion bans, Frank LaRose and Bernie Moreno are doubling down on their positions. 

Here’s what you need to know about the #OHSEN field and abortion: 

• At his campaign launch, Bernie Moreno said he is “unequivocally pro-life.” 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. After his amendment to silence Ohioans by making it harder to amend the constitution failed, LaRose put his political ambitions first and rewrote the November ballot language to mislead and confuse Ohioans. LaRose has also said he supports Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s attempts to block 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 said defeating the November amendment is a “priority.”

• All three GOP candidates oppose the November amendment and support upholding the current restrictive law in Ohio – which bans abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Read more: 

Cleveland.com: Ohio’s November vote on abortion rights is overshadowing the U.S. Senate race. Where do the candidates stand?

Andrew Tobias

September 30, 2023

• But the [Senate] race is getting overshadowed by another election: the November campaign over State Issue 1, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution and block Ohio’s six-week abortion ban that’s currently held up in court.

• But the November campaign also provides a natural runway for the Republican Senate candidates, who all oppose Issue 1, as anti-abortion activists and GOP party officials organize to try to defeat the measure. And as they look for support from GOP primary voters who polling shows remain staunchly opposed to abortion, the Republican candidates, Sen. Matt Dolan, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno all say they plan to try to help defeat it.

• As a U.S. Senate candidate, Dolan said in an email to cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that he will work to protect the Hyde Amendment, which forbids federal funds from paying for abortion…

• As a state senator, Dolan cast votes against a couple high-profile abortion-related bills that he may be asked about during the primary.

• LaRose has said that in the U.S. Senate, he would support legislation setting a national ban on abortion with an exemption for the life of the mother, but potentially not for rape or incest.

• In a June interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” LaRose called Ohio’s six-week ban “a good standard”…

• LaRose has touted his “100% pro-life voting record” while he served in the state Senate from 2011 through 2018.

• But he eventually voted in favor of [the heartbeat bill], joining his Republican colleagues in December 2019 to overturn a veto of the bill from then-Gov. John Kasich.

• Moreno, as someone who’s never held elected office, has no voting record to analyze.

• But he’s staked out a very conservative abortion position during his brief political career, telling Breitbart, the right-wing political website, in 2021 that he does not support exemptions for rape and incest.

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Columbus, OH – Today, the Ohio Democratic Party released the following statement after former State Senator Kevin Coughlin announced he’s running in the Republican primary for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District. 

“State Senator Kevin Coughlin has a long record of wanting to end Medicare as we know it, hack up Social Security, and launching attacks on workers’ rights. Couglin’s out-of-touch agenda would increase costs for middle class families and gut the retirement programs millions of seniors rely on. Unfortunately for him, it will cost him this race in 2024,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

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Columbus, OH – Today, the Ohio Democratic Party released the following statement after Ohio Democrats cleaned up the mess created by Washington Republicans and prevented a government shutdown. 

“Thanks to Ohio Democrats, Ohio servicemembers, workers and families avoid the pain inflicted by a government shutdown. While Washington Republicans chose to play politics with our economy and the well-being of working families, Ohio Democrats put politics aside and do the right thing for our state and nation,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

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