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Columbus, OH – Today, the Ohio Senate Slugfest will get even nastier as Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan come together for another showdown in Akron. With an already “messy,” and “bruising” battle underway, the infighting will only get worse tonight as the candidates make it clear they are not fighting for Ohioans. 

Over the last two weeks, this Slugfest has been more brutal than ever with the field relentlessly attacking one another over fundraising numbers, August’s State Issue 1, and foreign policy. 

Here’s a refresher of the recent jabs before the field meets on the debate stage tonight: 

• Bernie Moreno attacked Frank LaRose for lying and putting his political ambitions ahead of Ohioans. The jabs followed an explosive memo published by the Moreno campaign that slammed LaRose for being “immersed in scandal, political ineptitude and negative press.”

• Bernie Moreno on Frank LaRose: “We put up with so much bad behavior in politics. The reality is, you just got elected for four years as Secretary of State, you’re running for Senate, that’s part of the problem. Shouldn’t you do the job you just got elected to do?”

• Trump-ally Andrew Surabian: “At an Ohio U.S. Senate Forum, Bernie Moreno roasts Frank LaRose over his support for funding Ukraine.”

• Frank LaRose’s campaign on Bernie Moreno, after LaRose downplayed the Trump endorsement and refused to endorse the former President in 2016, 2020, and even the first week of his Senate campaign:“President Trump is smart enough not to be conned by a used car salesman into buying a lemon.”

• Matt Dolan’s campaign on Bernie Moreno trying to buy Ohio’s Senate seat after promising to not “write [himself] a big fat check:” “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.”

• Matt Dolan’s campaign called out LaRose’s “weak” fundraising.

What Ohioans read after the last Slugfest Showdown:

• 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

More on the Ohio Senate Slugfest:

• Daily Beast: Ohio Is Shaping Up to Be the Messiest Senate Primary of 2024

• NBC: “Ohio’s Senate race next year is expected to be one of the most expensive in the country. It will start with what already has the makings of a messy, Trump-influenced primary…”

• The Messenger: Another competitive and expensive GOP primary is brewing in the Buckeye State

With less than five months left in the primary, this slugfest is only getting nastier as it becomes crystal clear that none of the Republicans running for Ohio’s Senate seat are fighting for Ohioans. Find more details about tonight’s Slugfest Showdown here.

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LaRose Previously Called Trump “Racist,” Was a “Never Trumper,” and Dismissed The Value of Trump’s Endorsement Earlier This Year

Columbus, OH – Frank LaRose’s history as a harsh Trump critic is “catching up with him” as he “desperately” tries to outrun his anti-Trump record – including calling Trump “racist,” being a Never Trumper, and being caught on tape dismissing the value of the former President’s endorsement earlier this year. 

In a column today for WXVU, Howard Wilkinson highlights how LaRose is in a “pickle” and is being forced to “explain his past transgressions” on conservative radio when it comes to Trump – who is not a strong believer in the “forgive and forget” mindset. In the last week, Trump world weighed in on LaRose’s candidacy, making it clear they aren’t buying his excuses:

“It has not been lost on the Trump team that candidates like Frank LaRose have not defended President Trump’ or embraced his claims about the 2020 election…‘that’ll be a big inflection point throughout the election.” 

After a “weak” Q3 fundraising haul, LaRose’s campaign is already on “life support.” Trump has repeatedly praised LaRose’s primary opponent Bernie Moreno, who is also endorsed by J.D. Vance, Trump’s handpicked Senator from Ohio, and Newt Gingrich.

Read more: 

WXVU: Analysis: Frank LaRose wants Trump’s endorsement. Will he get it?

Howard Wilkinson

October 25, 2023

• Frank LaRose, the Ohio Secretary of State running for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, desperately wants Donald Trump to show him some love by endorsing his candidacy.

• But his past seems to be catching up with him.

• If anyone is to get a Trump endorsement in this three-candidate race, the smart money is on Moreno.

• Even worse for LaRose is that he raised just over $1 million in the first quarter of his campaign, from July 1 through September 1. for his campaign so far. Moreno and Dolan are both very wealthy men and have loaned millions of their own money to their campaigns.LaRose has lent his campaign $250,000. He can’t match the millions of his opponents.

• LaRose showed up in August on NBC’s Meet the Press and committed what, in Trump World, is the greatest sin of them all. He suggested, in a backhand way, that Trump was not the rightful winner of the 2020 presidential election.

• Then there is the little matter of the 2016 presidential election, when LaRose positioned himself as a Never Trumper and supported then-Ohio governor John Kasich, one of Trump’s opponents for the GOP presidential nomination.

• “The president says things I would never condone, that I believe are false,” LaRose said, according to the Enquirer. “The most recent tweet is racist — whether it was intended that way or not, I’m not in the man’s mind and heart. I don’t know, that’s how it sounds to me.”

• “I would be shocked if Moreno didn’t get Trump’s endorsement this time around,” Cohen said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump promised him that when he talked him out of the race last year.”

NBC: A new crop of GOP Senate candidates grapples with Trump-skeptical pasts

Henry Gomez

October 20, 2023

• When Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose called into a local radio show this month, the host grilled the Republican Senate hopeful over his past disdain for former President Donald Trump — like how he positioned himself as “Never Trump” before the 2016 election and how he described Trump’s 2019 social media tirade against Black members of Congress as racist.

• A source close to Trump, who was not authorized to speak on the record, told NBC News that “it has not been lost on the Trump team that candidates like Frank LaRose have not defended President Trump” or embraced his claims about the 2020 election. “That’ll be a big inflection point throughout the election,” the source added.

• Trump has encouraged, but not endorsed, Moreno’s candidacy despite the candidate’s past disparaging comments, which surfaced during his brief run in the state’s 2022 Senate primary.

• So far, LaRose’s campaign has had the hallmarks of a candidate worried about alienating Trump. His team attempted to clarify his remarks after an August interview in which LaRose spoke supportively of former Vice President Mike Pence’s role in certifying the 2020 election results. LaRose also recently fired the press secretary in his state office over personal tweets that made fun of Trump.

• But in the final days of the 2016 race, after the old “Access Hollywood” footage of Trump bragging about sexual assault leaked, LaRose told The Akron Beacon Journal he would not vote for Trump.

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Last Week, Three Ohio Taxpayers Submitted Public Records Request to LaRose’s Office for All Public Documents Pertaining to His Latest Scandal 

Columbus, OH – It has been one week since Ohioans demanded answers from Frank LaRose about his decision to cost taxpayers $600,000 to move the official Secretary of State’s office to the same building as his campaign HQ. Despite calls from Ohioans and lawmakers, LaRose still refuses to answer for his costly office move.

Last week, Ohio taxpayers Armando Telles, Katie Seewer, and Alfred Navarro announced they had 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. 

LaRose has failed to provide additional details despite calls from reporters, Ohioans, and lawmakers 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.

While Ohioans continue waiting for answers from LaRose, here is a reminder of what Ohioans are saying about his latest scandal: 

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

• Armando Telles, independent contractor, Marine Corps veteran, and Ohio taxpayer: “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.”

• Katie Seewer, Ohio State University student and Ohio taxpayer: “Frank LaRose’s pattern of putting his political ambitions ahead of Ohioans and wasting taxpayer funds is seriously troubling. 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.”

• Ohio Lawmakers: “Out of concern for our constituents, we are requesting additional information about the process you followed to identify a new location for the Secretary of State’s office. As elected officials, we owe Ohioans complete transparency into how their tax dollars are spent, especially when related to political campaigns.”

• Thomas Yeager, Air Force Veteran: “I was held to the highest ethical standards as a senior noncommissioned officer in the USAF. We should receive no less from our elected officials. LaRose needs to be held accountable for this string of unethical moves.”

• 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.”

• Eric Haidet, Ohio Taxpayer: “I am disappointed in Mr. LaRose’s blatant disregard for Ohio voters. We need to hold him accountable.”

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

See also: What Ohioans Are Reading: Frank LaRose “Stops At Nothing To Put Party Over People”; ICYMI: Ohio Taxpayers File Public Records Requests, Call on Frank LaRose for Answers About Costly Office Move; 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; 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 –  Newt Gingrich today threw more gasoline on the #OHSEN primary fire by endorsing Bernie Moreno – leading to more infighting in this already messy fight. After the endorsement broke, Frank LaRose and Matt Dolan slammed Moreno: 

Frank LaRose’s Campaign: “Despite running once and spending a great deal of his own money, Bernie hasn’t registered with Ohio voters and I don’t see that changing — he’s a car salesman and that comes across.”

Matt Dolan’s Campaign: “He’s an ideological shape-shifter who will say or do anything to get elected. Maybe that helped him sell cars, but it destroys trust with voters and it would make him a lousy Republican nominee.”

See also: #OHSEN Slugfest: Accusations and Lying… The Gloves Are Off!; Infighting Spirals in the Ohio Senate Slugfest Following “Scorch[ing]” #OHSEN Primary Debate, FEC Reports; #OHSEN Slugfest: LaRose Struggles To Thread Needle As He’s “Locked in a Battle” in Senate Primary; Six Months Out, Ohio Senate Slugfest Just Getting Messier; Ohio Senate “2024 Slugfest” Devolves into Chaos; Donald Trump Throws Gasoline on Ohio’s Messy, Dumpster Fire Primary; Mike Pence Makes #OHSEN Republicans’ “Family Fight” Even Messier

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Columbus, OH – With two weeks until election day and Ohioans already voting to protect abortion access and overturn Ohio’s current dangerous abortion ban, here’s what you need to know about the #OHSEN field’s dangerous positions on abortion: 

• The entire #OHSEN primary field opposes the November amendment and supports upholding the current restrictive law in Ohio – which bans abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest.

• Bernie 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. LaRose spearheaded an August election to benefit special interests and make it harder to pass Issue 1 in November – admitting it was “100%” about abortion. When that amendment flopped, Frank LaRose “twist[ed]” the ballot language to purposefully mislead and “confuse” Ohioans. LaRose also said he supports Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blockade of 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 has said defeating the November amendment is a “priority” and is open to supporting a national abortion ban.

“Every Republican running for Ohio’s Senate seat supports dangerous abortion bans – including bans with no exceptions for rape or incest. With Ohioans already voting to overturn the state’s dangerous ban, it’s clear no one in this field is fighting for Ohioans,” said ODP spokesperson Reeves Oyster.

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