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What You Missed This Week in #OHSEN: “100%” Headed Towards Disaster

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.
 

NO WINNERS IN OHIO REPUBLICANS’ “FAMILY FIGHT”
 
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “We wouldn’t describe any of the potential Republican Senate nominees in Ohio as slam dunk candidates…”
 
Politico: “Republicans still are already beginning to face rocky primaries in states such as West Virginia and Ohio. And those favored candidates also have some liabilities that could plague them in the general election.”
 
Grab your popcorn – it’s getting messy!
 

LAROSE “100%” SAYS THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD
 

After being slammed last week for misleading Ohioans to raise money for his shadow campaign for Senate, Frank LaRose was caught red handed this week saying the quiet part out loud on State Issue 1 – admitting it is “100%” about abortion. 
 
WEWS-TV Cleveland: Ohio Sec. of State LaRose admits move to make constitution harder to amend is ‘100% about… abortion’
 
“Every single time LaRose has been asked if Issue 1 was related to an abortion vote, he has denied it…. But the words he said to reporters appear different than when he spoke to his supporters.”
 
“‘The Secretary of State’s office should be a nonpartisan position,’” Miller said. “‘This just shows that politics are creeping into how Secretary LaRose runs his office — and that’s disappointing.’”
 
WVXU: Commentary: Finally, Frank LaRose confirms what we 100% already knew
 
“Frank LaRose and Matt Huffman — two Republicans who are Ohio’s chief elections officer and most powerful legislator, respectively — can’t keep their stories straight on State Issue 1.”
 
“A more accurate name might be Save Our Constitution from Ideas We Don’t Like. Like abortion rights. But, shh, that’s supposed to be a secret.”
 
“LaRose’s head appears to be on swivel these days. He seems to be of two minds on a number of issues.”

MIKE PENCE STIRS THE OHSEN POT

Mike Pence had a busy week attacking Donald Trump and causing headaches among the OHSEN field. It will only get worse from here as the Presidential primary heats up and the candidates vying for Ohio’s Senate seat are forced to pick sides. A reminder on where they stand: 
 
Bernie Moreno called Trump “the greatest president of my lifetime” and is the only candidate in the race who has endorsed the former President. 
 
Matt Dolan is ignoring Trump and appeared alongside a campaign event with Trump-nemesis Ron DeSantis in Ohio last month. 
 
Frank LaRose has not endorsed Donald Trump and has been spotted with both Trump-nemeses Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis – who he has also financially supported. LaRose was caught on tape downplaying the value of a Trump endorsement – an admission of his own problems with the former President.
 
And if you had any doubts about just how messy this will get…

Mike Pence Makes #OHSEN Republicans’ “Family Fight” Even Messier

Columbus, OH – With Mike Pence – another Trump-nemesis – officially entering the Presidential primary today, expect Ohio Republicans’ “family fight” to only get messier. As the candidates in this race are forced to navigate fault lines within the Republican party while attacking one another, this primary – which has already been called one of the “messiest, “most expensive” and “bruising” battles in the country – is going downhill quickly.

What you need to know about the latest “family fight” in the #OHSEN field:

See also: This “Family Fight” is Full Steam Ahead; Ethics Concerns Surround Frank LaRose’s “Shadow Campaign” for Ohio’s Senate Seat; More Gasoline Thrown On The Primary Dumpster Fire; ICYMI: Expect a “Bloody Fight” in #OHSEN Republican Primary; Ron DeSantis Creates Chaos in Republicans’ #OHSEN “Family Fight;” J.D. Vance Escalates Ohio Republicans’ “Family Fight” With Endorsement; Donald Trump Looms While the Field Takes Heat; Frank LaRose Doubles Down on His Trump Problem, Jabs at Bernie Moreno *Again*; The Buckeye Battle Continues

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What You Missed This Week in #OHSEN: This “Family Fight” is Full Steam Ahead

Ohio Republicans’ “family fight” is full steam ahead. Here’s what you missed in what has already been called one of the “messiest, “most expensive” and “bruising” primary battles in the country. 

NOTHING CAN STOP THIS “FAMILY FIGHT”
 
Nothing can stop this “family fight” from devolving into a chaotic mess. With the candidates wasting no time attacking one another, it’s clear whoever emerges from this primary will be bruised, battered and out of touch with Ohioans. But don’t take it from us:
 
J.D. Vance: “We’re going to have a very brutal primary in the State of Ohio, just like we did in 2022.” 
 
Cook Political Report: “This is still a primary that could become hotly contested.”
 
USA TODAY: “[The prospect of unseating a Democratic incumbent] threatens to produce a wide open GOP primary similar to the knock-down, drag-out fight in 2022 for the nomination for the state’s other Senate seat.”
 
SPEAKING OF ATTACKS… LAROSE HAS A BAD WEEK, THROWS ELBOWS AT MORENO AND DOLAN
 
Frank LaRose had another terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week as his “shadow campaign” for Ohio’s Senate seat raised more ethics concerns. While the pressure mounts, LaRose is throwing elbows at his opponents, telling donors that “neither of them have the strength” to win. 



Read the highlights:
 
The Columbus Dispatch: “But some campaign finance experts say the arrangement allows the secretary of state to raise limitless funds in the dark while promoting a potential U.S. Senate bid…Still, critics believe LaRose, as the state’s chief election official, should be held to a higher standard.”
 
Tribune Chronicle: “Perhaps LaRose’s campaign should steer a little further away from ‘isn’t really illegal.’”
 
WEWS: “Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose sent out a fundraising request disguised as an important letter, confusing and upsetting voters… ‘I’ve been horrified by it and thinking that LaRose is using his office in this way, taking advantage of his position,’ he said. ‘It was an attempt to mislead me.’”

DONALD TRUMP CASTS BIG SHADOW IN #OHSEN, STORM BREWS AHEAD OF MIKE PENCE ANNOUNCEMENT 

Trump’s presence continues to cast a big shadow on the primary field as some candidates rush to curry favor with the former President while others *cough* Matt Dolan and Frank LaRose *cough* are either ignoring or downplaying the former President’s influence. 
 
With three new contenders expected to get in the Presidential primary next week, one thing is certain…

Editorial Board Calls On LaRose to “Do Better” After His “Shadow Campaign” Raises Ethics Concerns

After reporting from The Columbus Dispatch raised ethics concerns about LaRose’s “shadow campaign” for Ohio’s Senate seat, the Tribune Chronicle Editorial Board yesterday slammed LaRose for “confusing” Ohioans and called on him to “do better.” 
 
Read more: 
 
Tribune Chronicle: LaRose should do better than be legal just by a technicality
Editorial Board
May 31, 2023

  • Perhaps LaRose’s campaign should steer a little further away from “isn’t really illegal.”
  • “I’ve been horrified by it and thinking that LaRose is using his office in this way, taking advantage of his position,” Bill Joiner said. “It was an attempt to mislead me.”
  • To any thinking Ohioan, LaRose is campaigning out of his office. But according to the letter of the law, what he did is legal (for now).
  • Surely the knowledge voters were worried and confused by his mailing will be all the reminder needed that once his campaign is official, LaRose must keep his efforts as far above board as possible.

The Columbus Dispatch: Secretary of State Frank LaRose uses election integrity group to aid US Senate ambitions
Haley BeMiller
May 31, 2023

  • But some campaign finance experts say the arrangement allows the secretary of state to raise limitless funds in the dark while promoting a potential U.S. Senate bid.
  • LaRose told a Republican donor in April that he was raising money for a super PAC, according to a voicemail obtained by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau. In the same breath, he laid out his intention to run in the GOP Senate primary and pitched the donor on why he’d be the best choice.
  • “As you know, there are two other candidates. Both are nice guys, but clearly neither of them have the strength to beat a guy like Brown,” LaRose said in the voicemail. “All the metrics show that I’m the guy that can do that.”
  • Still, critics believe LaRose, as the state’s chief election official, should be held to a higher standard. And Catherine Turcer, executive director for Common Cause Ohio, worries Ohio politicians haven’t learned from the racketeering conviction of former House Speaker Larry Householder.

Ethics Concerns Surround Frank LaRose’s “Shadow Campaign” for Ohio’s Senate Seat

Today, reporting from The Columbus Dispatch is raising additional ethics concerns around Frank LaRose’s “shadow campaign” for Ohio’s Senate seat. Previous reporting from The Daily Beast found that LaRose had “possibly trigger[ed] campaign finance regulations” by admitting he was raising money into a super PAC.
 
“Ohioans deserve complete transparency and answers to the serious ethical questions around Frank LaRose’s ‘shadow campaign’ for Ohio’s Senate seat and how it is being bankrolled,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Reeves Oyster.
 
Read more: 

The Columbus Dispatch: Secretary of State Frank LaRose uses election integrity group to aid US Senate ambitions
Haley BeMiller
May 31, 2023

  • But some campaign finance experts say the arrangement allows the secretary of state to raise limitless funds in the dark while promoting a potential U.S. Senate bid.
  • LaRose told a Republican donor in April that he was raising money for a super PAC, according to a voicemail obtained by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau. In the same breath, he laid out his intention to run in the GOP Senate primary and pitched the donor on why he’d be the best choice.
  • “As you know, there are two other candidates. Both are nice guys, but clearly neither of them have the strength to beat a guy like Brown,” LaRose said in the voicemail. “All the metrics show that I’m the guy that can do that.”
  • Still, critics believe LaRose, as the state’s chief election official, should be held to a higher standard. And Catherine Turcer, executive director for Common Cause Ohio, worries Ohio politicians haven’t learned from the racketeering conviction of former House Speaker Larry Householder.