Uncategorized

Columbus, OH – The #OHSEN field had their hands full this week as more jabs were thrown and more questions were raised about LaRose’s latest scandal: moving his official Secretary of State office to the same building as his campaign – costing taxpayers $600,000.

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.

MORE JABS THROWN IN #OHSEN SLUGFEST

This slugfest is as nasty as ever as more jabs were thrown this week. Frank LaRose, during an official press conference, took a shot at his opponents, claiming: “I’m not sure it’s a very competitive primary. I’m the clear frontrunner in that election.”

MORE QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT LAROSE’S LATEST SCANDAL

LaRose owes Ohioans answers about his decision to move the Secretary of State Office – for the first time in nearly 20 years – to the same building as his Senate Campaign, a move that is costing taxpayers $600,000. 

LaRose claimed that his decision to move the Ohio Secretary of State’s office to the same building that currently houses his campaign is “completely incidental,” but his office has failed to provide a detailed reason for why, of the hundreds of other buildings in the Columbus area and the three other buildings considered for the move, this building was chosen.  

While LaRose dodges questions, it’s becoming more and more clear that he will do whatever it takes to advance his political career, regardless of how much it hurts – or costs – Ohioans.

READ / WATCH / LISTEN TO MORE:

WTVN: “Democrats questioning a move today by Ohio Secretary of State. Frank LaRose is relocating his state office into the same building that houses his campaign. LaRose is running for Senate in Ohio and says this move will save $11,000 a year in rent but the cost of relocating his office is $600,000 up front so it would take over 50 years to recover that money.”

Ohio Capital Journal: “As secretary of state, LaRose is Ohio’s top elections administrator. His ability to do that job impartially has been called into question for several reasons.” 

WCMH: “[Frank LaRose’s] new office location will be at the same address he filed his Senate campaign run under with the Federal Election Commission and it will cost $600,000 taxpayer dollars to ready the new office for that move… NBC4 has asked his campaign several times, this and last week, to confirm whether LaRose has done any campaign interviews from that address. They have not yet responded to that question.”

WCMH: “[LaRose’s] staffers say they considered three other buildings. NBC4 asked why none of those were chosen, but we have not heard back.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Delaney Marsco, senior legal counsel for ethics at the Campaign Legal Center on Frank LaRose: “That’s where my ethics red flags would go up… There’s a real concern about co-mingling the official business that he’s supposed to be doing on behalf of all people of Ohio and then the work that he’s doing as a candidate for Senate.”

###

LaRose’s Decision to Move the Secretary of State Office to His Campaign HQ Wastes Thousands in Taxpayer Dollars

Columbus, OH –  In case you missed it, new reporting from the Ohio Capital Journal raises a number of questions surrounding Frank LaRose’s decision to move the Ohio Secretary of State office to the same building as his current campaign HQ. This move is the latest scandal that makes clear LaRose is looking out for his own political ambitions at the expense of Ohio taxpayers.

While LaRose claims the move would save taxpayer dollars due to cheaper rent, in reality, it would take until 2077 to recoup the $600,000 in taxpayer dollars his move is wasting.  

Delaney Marsco, senior legal counsel for ethics at the Campaign Legal Center: “That’s where my ethics red flags would go up… There’s a real concern about co-mingling the official business that he’s supposed to be doing on behalf of all people of Ohio and then the work that he’s doing as a candidate for Senate.”

Ohio Capital Journal: “Meanwhile, housing the office that runs Ohio elections in the same building where part of LaRose’s campaign operation is located begs some serious questions about whether state election administrators will appear impartial in the heat of a contested primary.” 

“Frank LaRose’s latest scandal is growing and Ohio taxpayers are paying the bill for his scheme to move the Secretary of State office to the same building as his campaign,” said ODP Spokesperson Reeves Oyster. “Ohioans aren’t buying LaRose’s excuses or his phony math as it becomes clearer every day that LaRose will do whatever it takes to advance his political career, regardless of how much it hurts – or costs – Ohioans.”

Read / Watch More:

Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio Sec. of State LaRose’s office move amid U.S. Senate candidacy raises ethical questions

Marty Schladen

September 15, 2023

• Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has decided it’s a good idea to both oversee Ohio’s U.S. Senate election as the state’s chief elections officer and house part of his campaign for the seat in the same building. But the arrangement, which LaRose has done little to explain, raises serious questions about potential conflicts of interest and other ethical problems, an expert said last week.

• As secretary of state, LaRose is Ohio’s top elections administrator. His ability to do that job impartially has been called into question for several reasons.

• And this week, LaRose made another justification that strains credulity. He claimed the move would save taxpayer dollars, WCMH reported. The new lease is reportedly $11,000 a year less than the existing one, but the move is expected to cost $600,000. Given those numbers, the move won’t pay for itself until 2077.

• Meanwhile, housing the office that runs Ohio elections in the same building where part of LaRose’s campaign operation is located begs some serious questions about whether state election administrators will appear impartial in the heat of a contested primary.

• Delaney Marsco is senior legal counsel for ethics at the Campaign Legal Center. She said LaRose should already be watching his step as he simultaneously serves as the state’s top elections officer and runs for Senate. “The idea of him running for Senate at the same time he is secretary of state should make him a little bit cautious about how he uses his time, how he uses his staff time,” she said, adding that the situation becomes more delicate because LaRose is moving his state office to a building that houses aspects of his campaign. “That’s where my ethics red flags would go up… There’s a real concern about co-mingling the official business that he’s supposed to be doing on behalf of all people of Ohio and then the work that he’s doing as a candidate for Senate.”

• Last month, after the failure of LaRose’s attempt to make voter-initiated constitutional amendments almost impossible, the Libertarian Party of Ohio filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. It accused him of violating the Hatch Act, the law prohibiting the use of federal resources for political activities.

• Meanwhile, answers about the validity of the reasons LaRose gave for the move are hard to come by.

• Such questions could have been avoided if LaRose had chosen to locate elsewhere, said Marsco, the ethics counsel with the Campaign Legal Center. “Listen, I went to law school in Columbus, I’m from Northern Ohio,” she said. “There’s really no shortage of office space in the city.”

WTVN: “Democrats questioning a move today by Ohio Secretary of State. Frank LaRose is relocating his state office into the same building that houses his campaign. LaRose is running for Senate in Ohio and says this move will save $11,000 a year in rent but the cost of relocating his office is $600,000 up front so it would take over 50 years to recover that money.”

WATCH HERE

WCMH: “[LaRose’s] staffers say they considered three other buildings. NBC4 asked why none of those were chosen, but we have not heard back.”

WCMH: Secretary of state moves offices for the first time in nearly two decades

Natalie Fahmy

September 7, 2023

• The secretary of state is moving offices for the first time in nearly two decades – at least. A spokesperson for the secretary of state said the search for a new building was prompted because their current lease is ending.

• Right now, the office is on 180 E. Broad Street, but they are making a move to a new building on Civic Center Drive. It is the same address that Secretary of State Frank Larose (R-Ohio) lists for his U.S. Senate campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission. 

• The move to the new building will cost $400,000 up front, in taxpayer dollars, to “to prepare and ready the space for the Office of the Secretary of State.” Plus, an additional $200,000 over the next two years for that same purpose.

###

LaRose’s Excuses Don’t Add Up

Columbus, OH –  Frank LaRose is facing more questions today for his decision to move the Ohio Secretary of State office to the same building as his current campaign HQ, as taxpayers foot a steep $600,000 bill for his decision. LaRose has offered no logical explanation for his decision and media outlets across the state are raising more questions about the move LaRose claims is “completely incidental.”

LaRose claimed the move would save taxpayer dollars due to cheaper rent of $11,000 a year, but his math doesn’t add up. 

WTVN: “Democrats questioning a move today by Ohio Secretary of State. Frank LaRose is relocating his state office into the same building that houses his campaign. LaRose is running for Senate in Ohio and says this move will save $11,000 a year in rent but the cost of relocating his office is $600,000 up front so it would take over 50 years to recover that money.”

“Frank LaRose’s latest scandal is growing and Ohio taxpayers are paying the bill for his scheme to move the Secretary of State office to the same building as his campaign,” said ODP Spokesperson Reeves Oyster. “Ohioans aren’t buying LaRose’s excuses or his phony math as it becomes clearer every day that LaRose will do whatever it takes to advance his political career, regardless of how much it hurts – or costs – Ohioans.”

WATCH MORE FROM WCMH HERE

Key Points:

• “[Frank LaRose] is responding to a story NBC4’s Natalie Fahmy brought you last week about him moving his state office. His new office location will be at the same address he filed his Senate campaign run under with the Federal Election Commission and it will cost $600,000 taxpayer dollars to ready the new office for that move…”

• “LaRose says his campaign attorneys being in the same building as his official state office is purely coincidental.”

• Frank LaRose: “[The campaign office] happens to be in the same building that our new building is going to be in, but that is completely incidental…”

• “NBC4 has asked his campaign several times, this and last week, to confirm whether LaRose has done any campaign interviews from that address. They have not yet responded to that question.”

###

Columbus, OH – Yesterday, after 16 months of inaction, Republicans on the Redistricting Commission were forced to once again delay the process due to political infighting among GOP politicians. It’s yet another reminder of how Republican politicians have broken the redistricting process and another sign to Ohio voters that the redistricting process in Ohio must be reformed. 

“After 16 months of inaction, Republican politicians have broken the redistricting process so completely that they can’t even agree on basic procedural decisions. It’s clear that Republicans on the Commission are already more concerned with settling political scores rather than doing the work they were elected to do. And Ohioans are paying the price. It’s time to put redistricting back in the hands of the people and remove politicians from the process,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Read more from Ohio outlets about the latest round of redistricting chaos created by Republicans: 

Associated Press: GOP legislative leaders’ co-chair flap has brought the Ohio Redistricting Commission to a standstill
Julie Carr Smyth

• “Ohio’s latest attempt to draw fair political maps crumbled amid Republican infighting Wednesday, begging the question of whether a commission unable even to appoint its co-chairs will be able to negotiate a bipartisan redistricting solution within the few short weeks it’s been allotted.”

Cincinnati.com: GOP infighting stalls work of Ohio Redistricting Commission as election deadline looms
Jessie Balmert

• “The first meeting of the Ohio Redistricting Commission underscored divisions among legislative Republicans that stalled selecting a co-chairman Wednesday and threatened to complicate efforts to craft new, constitutional House and Senate maps by this fall. Ohio currently has no maps for state House and Senate seats just three months before candidates must file to run for the 2024 election.”

Cleveland.com: Ohio’s legislative redistricting effort hits early snag thanks to GOP infighting
Jeremy Pelzer

• “Ohio’s latest state legislative redistricting process stalled almost as soon as it started Wednesday, thanks to infighting among Statehouse Republicans over who will co-chair the redistricting commission. The dispute, which comes amid a looming battle between House Speaker Jason Stephens and Senate President Matt Huffman over the speaker’s gavel in 2025, means the Ohio Redistricting Commission won’t begin its work until at least Friday, its next scheduled meeting.”

Dayton Daily News: Republican spat stalls redistricting process in first meeting
Avery Kreemer

• “A behind-the-scenes disagreement among Republican leadership caused a false start Wednesday for Ohio’s Redistricting Commission, which met under court order to create a semi-permanent fix to the state’s unconstitutional state legislative districts ahead of the 2024 elections.”

Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio Redistricting Commission descends into chaos and dysfunction on first day back
David DeWitt

• “If Ohio politicians planned to show exactly why they deserve to be kicked out of the redistricting process entirely, they couldn’t have done a better job than the shameful display they put on Wednesday morning: They immediately descended into chaos and dysfunction after waiting more than 16 months to begin the process of drawing new Ohio House and Senate maps. The meeting was supposed to be ‘organizational,’ and they failed to meet even that low bar, unable to name co-chairs of the commission that will decide on the districts that will shape Ohio’s General Assembly starting in 2025.”

Statehouse News Bureau: Meeting of Ohio map-drawing panel goes nowhere
Karen Kasler

• ‘“Is this an inauspicious start?’ DeWine was asked. ‘Well, we haven’t started yet,” DeWine said with a chuckle.’”

WCMH-TV Columbus: Republican infighting brings redistricting committee to a standstill
Natalie Fahmy

• “Leader Antonio and Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), who are both on the commission, said they agree about who they will appoint as co-chair. They said they have a decision made up, no matter who the Republicans choose. But Speaker of The House Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) and Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) have yet to agree on who will chair the Republican side.”

WSYX-TV Columbus: GOP infighting thwarts initial efforts to draw new Ohio legislative district maps
Darrel Rowland

• “The panel supposed to draw new legislative maps ground to a halt Wednesday barely five minutes after convening — all due to internal Republican political strife. Senate President Matt Huffman and House Speaker Jason Stephens cannot agree on who should chair the Ohio Redistricting Commission.”

###

Columbus, OH –  It has been one year since Senator Lindsey Graham introduced legislation to ban abortion nationwide – a stark reminder that the entire Senate GOP primary field supports dangerous abortion bans, including bans with no exceptions for rape or incest. Ohioans will vote in November on protecting abortion access and overturning the current dangerous ban in Ohio. 

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.

• 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 to protect reproductive rights.

Read/Watch more: 

WATCH HERE

Frank LaRose on Meet the Press: “But as I told you, I’m pro-life and if a pro-life measure comes before the Senate, then I would vote as a pro-life American.”

Ohio Capital Journal: Russo on 2024 Senate Race: “Any one of these Republican candidates would support a total abortion ban”

Megan Henry

June 26, 2023

• As Ohio Democrats are reflecting on one year since the Dobbs decision, they are also looking ahead to next year’s U.S. Senate Race in Ohio. 

• “Let me make one thing clear — every single candidate running for Ohio’s seat supports an abortion ban, including bans that make no exceptions for rape or incest,” House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said Friday morning during a press conference. “There’s no doubt in my mind that if elected, any one of these Republican candidates would support a total abortion ban without exceptions in Ohio and across the nation.” 

• “They would make it harder for women to access health care during the most personal difficult circumstances,” Russo said.

• “The Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Ohio would support a total abortion ban at the national level,” ODP Chair Elizabeth Walters said. “And if Republicans take back the Senate will see unprecedented attacks on women and abortion rates in this country.”

CNN: How Ohio’s ballot vote could preview the 2024 politics of abortion

Ronald Brownstein

August 8, 2023

• And if Ohio votes to restore abortion rights in November, that could make voters there particularly sensitive to the risk that Republicans might override that decision by passing a nationwide abortion ban if they win unified control of Congress and the White House next year.

• Both of the leading GOP contenders to oppose Brown have taken strongly anti-abortion positions, with Secretary of State Frank LaRose…positioning himself as the leading advocate of Issue 1 and a staunch backer of the state’s six-week abortion ban.

• LaRose’s main rival, the Trump-allied business owner Bernie Moreno, has described himself as “100 percent pro-life with no exceptions.”

Huffington Post: Ohio Republicans Twist Ballot Language For Pro-Choice Provision In Likely Attempt To Confuse Voters

Alanna Vagianos

August 25, 2023

• In November, voters will consider a ballot initiative that seeks to enshrine abortion rights and other reproductive freedoms into Ohio’s Constitution. But the five-member Ohio Ballot Board, led by anti-choice advocate and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, on Thursday approved anti-choice language to be used in the initiative, which may confuse voters.

• “Secretary of State Frank LaRose today exploited the Ohio Ballot Board process in a last-ditch effort to deceive and confuse Ohio voters ahead of the November vote on reproductive freedom,” Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, one of the main groups advocating for the amendment, said in a press release on Thursday.

• LaRose gave the deciding vote to approve the language in a 3-2 final vote. The Ohio secretary of state was a vocal advocate for the August ballot measure, Issue 1 ― an initiative to raise the threshold for altering the state constitution from a simple statewide majority vote to 60%. Although a simple majority has been the standard in Ohio for over 100 years, anti-abortion advocates in the state called for a special election to raise the vote threshold in a preemptive attempt to block the pro-choice constitutional amendment.

###