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Columbus, OH – After being named Ohio’s biggest loser in August, Frank LaRose is working overtime to try to silence and overrule Ohioans again to support his political ambitions. 

SHOT: First, Frank LaRose made himself the face of an August amendment designed to benefit special interests and silence Ohioans by making it nearly impossible for voters to amend the Constitution – which Ohioans then resoundingly rejected.

CHASER: In the wake of his massive failure in August, LaRose is now trying to silence Ohioans again by rewriting ballot language that over 700,000 Ohioans had already signed on to support ahead of the November election. Outlets across Ohio have slammed LaRose for  “trying to stack the deck” against the amendment by “twist[ing]” ballot language to “confuse” and silence voters. 

LIME: And LaRose won’t stop there. LaRose has already said that if the November amendment protecting reproductive rights passes, he would overrule the will of Ohioans by voting for a national abortion ban in the Senate.  

“Frank LaRose has made it clear that he isn’t working for us and will do whatever it takes to silence and overrule Ohioans to support his own political ambitions,” said ODP spokesperson Reeves Oyster.

See also: Matt Dolan, Frank LaRose Slammed by Ohioans for “Sweetheart Loan,” “Desire for Power;” Frank LaRose Slammed for “Trying to Stack the Deck” Against Ohioans; Frank LaRose “Twists” Ballot Language to “Confuse,” “Deceive” Ohioans; WATCH: Loser LaRose Doubles Down on National Abortion Ban; “Issue 1 Flop” Looms Over Frank LaRose’s Senate Campaign, Becomes “Political Target” for Republicans; “Some Political Humiliations Last Forever:” Frank LaRose is Ohio’s Biggest Loser at Outset of Senate Campaign

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Columbus, OH – Matt Dolan and Frank LaRose are taking heat from Ohioans after reporting showed Dolan is bankrolling his campaign with a too-good-to-be-true “cheap loan” and LaRose tries to “confuse” and “stack the deck” against Ohioans by rewriting the November ballot amendment language to support his political ambitions.

Read More:

Cleveland.com: LTE: Matt Dolan’s sweetheart campaign loan tells us everything we need to know about his approach to public office

Rick Bohan, Akron

September 2, 2023

• Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has shown he is driven by a desire for power, however obtained. It’s clear that he’s not the right choice for the U.S. Senate from Ohio.

• Now, we learn that Matt Dolan is using a sweetheart low-interest loan in his bid to be the Republican nominee. As reported Aug. 23 in The Plain Dealer (”How Matt Dolan financed his race with a cheap loan”), his campaign can still count on a 2021 campaign loan deal provided by friendly bank bigwigs to finance his latest Senate run. It seems he got his buddies at Morgan Stanley bank, which holds over $1 trillion in assets, to provide him with a line of credit worth millions of dollars at the ultra-low interest rate of 0.832%. Meanwhile, the rest of us who aren’t making such loan deals at the country club with our bankers are paying almost 10% on our home loans and around 20% on our credit cards.

• Matt will try to tell us that he understands our problems and will represent our interests in Washington. The only thing we can be sure of is that he’ll side with his wealthy cronies who are bankrolling his campaign.

Cleveland.com: How a multimillionaire U.S. Senate candidate financed his race with a cheap loan

Jake Zuckerman

August 22, 2023

• When Matt Dolan needed cash for his first U.S. Senate run in 2021, he found it in an unusual place: the Morgan Stanley office in Pepper Pike.

• He pays .832% interest on the loan, a staggeringly low rate from the company through which Dolan owns millions in stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and other investment vehicles. For comparison, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate for the U.S. in 2021 was between 2.7% and 3.2%, according to the Federal Reserve. That year, credit card interest rates were 14.6%, according to the Fed, and 24-month personal loans were 9.4%.

• The Morgan Stanley financing speaks to some of the financial gateways available to wealthy politicians but closed to most of the constituents they represent. However, even in terms of a U.S. Senate crammed with millionaires, Dolan’s financial arrangement sticks out.

• “It’s good to be rich,” McCaffery said.

• “If you’re not super wealthy, a bank is not going to give you a personal loan to fund a political campaign,” [Bob Salera] said.

WVXU: Analysis: Ohio GOP’s re-write of abortion rights ballot language is unlikely to make a difference

Howard Wilkinson

August 30, 2023

• In the Aug. 8 special election, Frank LaRose, Ohio’s Republican secretary of state, was told in no uncertain terms that voters had no use for his plan to raise the bar for passing constitutional amendments to 60%.

• Issue 1 failed miserably; and was clearly aimed at making it harder for abortion rights advocates to pass the reproductive rights amendment on the November ballot, which would write access to abortion into the Ohio Constitution.

• LaRose was left with egg on his face.

• But the secretary of state/U.S. Senate candidate wasn’t done.

• Now, the Republican majority of his five-member Ohio Ballot Board — chaired by LaRose and tasked with the job of approving ballot language — stands accused of trying to stack the deck against the abortion rights amendment by inserting what abortion rights groups call misleading, inaccurate and inflammatory language into what should be a simple statement of fact.

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.

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Columbus, OH – It’s a new month, but the #OHSEN Slugfest is as messy as ever. This week, Matt Dolan received a sweetheart surprise for his sweetheart scheme after a new report showed that he is using a “cheap loan” to bankroll his Senate campaign and avoid paying taxes, Bernie Moreno held Frank LaRose’s feet to the fire for causing the August amendment to flop, and LaRose made it clear *again* that he is not working for Ohioans and will do whatever it takes to silence and overrule us to support his political ambitions.

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. 

DOLAN’S SWEETHEART SURPRISE FOR HIS SWEETHEART SCHEME

After a new report shows  multimillionaire Matt Dolan is using a “cheap loan” – valued between $5 – $25 million with a “staggeringly low” interest rate of less than 1% – to fund his Senate campaign, the Ohio Democratic Party is sending Dolan a sweetheart surprise for his sweetheart scheme…

As Dolan’s sweetheart scheme is exposed, here are three questions the multimillionaire must answer:

1. Will you release the full terms of your loan for Ohioans to see? Ohioans – who face far steeper rates when borrowing money for home mortgages, personal and business loans – deserve to know the total amount of your practically interest-free loan.
    
2. Will you quantify your personal, business, and family’s business investments with Morgan Stanley and explain the process of how you gained access to a loan that would not be available to any hardworking Ohioan?
    
3. What did you promise Morgan Stanley to get this sweetheart deal?

BERNIE MORENO HOLDS FRANK LAROSE’S FEET TO THE FIRE FOR BEING OHIO’S BIGGEST LOSER

Bernie Moreno continues to slam LaRose for causing the August amendment – which would have benefitted special interests and silenced Ohioans – to flop. On WJW this week, Moreno did not mince words while slamming LaRose.

WATCH HERE:

MORENO: “You know [State Issue 1] failed… but [LaRose] still talks about how it was good for him, good for his name ID, it gave him an excuse to go out there and talk to voters. You know, he raised $1 million into a Super PAC – didn’t spend one cent of that money on the effort and yet he’s complaining that the effort failed because it didn’t have enough funding. But that’s what you expect from career politicians, let’s be honest…” 

READ MORE:

Bernie Moreno: August amendment’s failure is a “preview of what would happen with Frank LaRose at the top of the ticket in 2024.”

Heartland Signal: “ Even though the Republicans were united in their support for Issue 1, the U.S. Senate candidates are using its failure to bash LaRose as Issue 1 is the first major blow to his Senate campaign.”

LAROSE MAKES IT CLEAR *AGAIN* THAT HE IS NOT WORKING FOR OHIOANS

After his attempt to make it harder for Ohioans to amend the constitution failed, LaRose is trying to silence Ohioans again by “twist[ing]” the November ballot language to “confuse” Ohioans and “stack the deck” to try to sink the amendment. 

And he won’t stop there. LaRose has already said that if the November amendment passes, he would overrule the majority of Ohioans who support protecting reproductive rights by voting for a national abortion ban if elected to the Senate.  

Quote of the Week:
Marilou Johanek for Ohio Capital Journal: “Frank LaRose, the public servant responsible for conducting free and fair elections in Ohio is playing dirty to win. It’s wrong.”

After LaRose’s attempt to benefit special interests and silence Ohioans failed, LaRose “playing dirty” to mislead Ohioans

Columbus, OH – Ohioans, columnists, and editorial boards across the state are slamming Frank LaRose for “trying to stack the deck” against the will of Ohioans by rewriting the ballot language that over 700,000 Ohioans had already signed on to support ahead of the November election. LaRose previously made himself the face of an August amendment designed to benefit special interests and silence Ohioans. In the wake of his massive failure, LaRose is now trying again by “twist[ing]” the November ballot language to “confuse” and silence Ohio voters. 

And he won’t stop there. LaRose has already said that if the November amendment passes, he would overrule the majority of Ohioans who support protecting reproductive rights by voting for a national abortion ban if elected to the Senate.  

“Frank LaRose isn’t working for us and has proved he’ll do whatever it takes to silence and overrule Ohioans to support his own political ambitions,” said ODP spokesperson Reeves Oyster.

Read more: 

WVXU: Analysis: Ohio GOP’s re-write of abortion rights ballot language is unlikely to make a difference

Howard Wilkinson

August 30, 2023

• In the Aug. 8 special election, Frank LaRose, Ohio’s Republican secretary of state, was told in no uncertain terms that voters had no use for his plan to raise the bar for passing constitutional amendments to 60%.

• Issue 1 failed miserably; and was clearly aimed at making it harder for abortion rights advocates to pass the reproductive rights amendment on the November ballot, which would write access to abortion into the Ohio Constitution.

• LaRose was left with egg on his face.

• But the secretary of state/U.S. Senate candidate wasn’t done.

• Now, the Republican majority of his five-member Ohio Ballot Board — chaired by LaRose and tasked with the job of approving ballot language — stands accused of trying to stack the deck against the abortion rights amendment by inserting what abortion rights groups call misleading, inaccurate and inflammatory language into what should be a simple statement of fact.

• LaRose declined to be interviewed for this column.

• “Clearly, Frank LaRose and his allies are trying to put their thumbs on the scales,” Lewis of Common Cause said. “But people will see through this.”

The Chronicle-Telegram: Trying to spin the ballot

Editorial Board

August 29, 2023

• Frank LaRose and his fellow Republicans on the Ohio Ballot Board are up to their old tricks again, massaging ballot language for political advantage.

• The answer is that the GOP Ballot Board members want to spin the language voters will see in a way that could hamper passage of Issue 1.

• It’s disappointing that LaRose would resort to such linguistic tricks. As Ohio’s chief elections official, he should be striving for neutral language to summarize ballot initiatives, regardless of his personal political views.

• Recall that LaRose, who is running in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate next year, pushed to make the Constitution harder to amend, something he said at one point was “100 percent” about abortion. He’s likewise been adamant in his opposition to abortion.

Ohio Capital Journal: LaRose pushes unfair, inaccurate language for voters on November Ohio reproductive rights amendment

Marilou Johanek

August 29, 2023

• Lawmakers rushed a game-changing ballot amendment to an August election (in violation of state law) to sabotage the abortion rights amendment in November. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose spearheaded the shady maneuver to cancel self-governance by majority vote — just to keep a majority of Ohio voters from having their say on abortion access as a constitutional right. 

• The state’s elections chief actively campaigned to end the only enduring recourse of ordinary citizens to circumvent a crooked government because he didn’t want an abortion rights amendment to pass. Sit with that for a minute. The guy who administers the electoral system in Ohio tried to undercut the electorate.

• Frank LaRose, the public servant responsible for conducting free and fair elections in Ohio is playing dirty to win. It’s wrong. But it’s only the beginning. Issue 1 was a preview of the depths Ohio Republicans will go to when they can’t persuade. They cheat. 

The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: Frank LaRose, Theresa Gavarone trying to rig system to stop abortion rights

Toba Feldman, Columbus

August 30, 2023

• Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Senator Theresa Gavarone, both members of Ohio’s Ballot Board, were part of the attempt to increase the requirement of a supermajority for citizen proposed constitutional amendments in the August special election. 

• Their goal was to defeat the reproductive rights issue in the upcoming November election. They failed. However, they did not give up. Now they are trying to rig the November election with ballot language supporting their opposition to the issue. 

• The 700,000 petition signers for the issue, of which over 495,000 were qualified voters, knew exactly what language should be submitted to voters. Stop the games. Run a fair election and debate the facts not the fear. Approve the full text of the proposed amendment.

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After LaRose’s attempt to benefit special interests and silence Ohioans failed, LaRose leads effort to mislead Ohioans ahead of November election

Columbus, OH – Frank LaRose, who made himself the face of an August amendment designed to benefit special interests and silence Ohioans, is now “twist[ing]” ballot language to protect abortion rights to “confuse” and silence Ohio voters. LaRose has already said that if the November amendment passes, he would overrule the majority of Ohioans who support protecting reproductive rights by voting for a national abortion ban if elected to the Senate.  

LaRose is facing criticism from Republicans at the outset of his Senate campaign after State Issue 1 flopped in August – including from primary opponent Bernie Moreno who said the amendment’s failure was a “preview of what would happen with Frank LaRose at the top of the ticket in 2024.” 

“Frank LaRose isn’t working for us and has proved he’ll do whatever it takes to silence and overrule Ohioans to support his own political ambitions,” said ODP spokesperson Reeves Oyster.

Read more:

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

Alanna Vagianos

August 25, 2023

• Republicans in Ohio are still trying to pass their anti-choice agenda, even after voters in the state successfully thwarted a ballot initiative earlier this month that would have made it harder to pass a pro-choice constitutional amendment this fall.

• 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.

• The approved summary language uses “unborn child” instead of “fetus.” It does not include any language about the right to make decisions about miscarriages, fertility treatments or contraception — even though that’s a significant part of the proposed amendment.

• The approved summary language is also longer than the original supplied by pro-choice organizations behind the initiative, meaning the board can’t argue it needed to trim the summary that would appear on ballots.

• Pro-choice advocates are calling the language intentionally vague and misleading.

• “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.

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