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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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Columbus, OH – Today, the Ohio Democratic Party released the following statement in response to J.R. Majewski announcing he’s running again in the GOP primary for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District. 

“With J.R. officially in the race, the GOP primary in OH-09 will be messy, mean and expensive. When this nasty primary race is over, the nominee who limps across the finish line will be badly bruised and out-of-touch with voters in OH-09,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.   

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Columbus, OH – With a government shutdown looming, the infighting is only escalating with Frank LaRose and Bernie Moreno clashing over shutting down the federal government and competing for the title of who cares about Ohioans the least.  

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. 

LESS THAN 48 HOURS UNTIL A SHUTDOWN: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 

Ohio’s Senate Slugfest is already “the messiest Senate primary” in the country with three candidates duking it out while neglecting the issues most important to Ohioans’ daily lives — and their livelihoods.

Bernie Moreno is leading the charge and was first to call for a government shutdown. It’s no surprise that mega-millionaire Moreno doesn’t understand the real impact a shutdown will have on Ohioans. 
Moreno supports a government shutdown – and he went so far as to  launch an ad cheering it on:

Frank LaRose was asked if he would support a CR if he were in the Senate today… and said no. Parroting Moreno’s talking points, LaRose reinforced that he does not care about Ohioans and will put his finger in the wind to support his own political ambitions.

Matt Dolan has continued to dodge questions about the government shutdown. He owes Ohioans answers: Does he support a government shutdown? 

GASOLINE ON THE INFIGHTING FIRE

And now, Moreno and LaRose are throwing punches over who cares about Ohioans the least. After Moreno launched his ad, he slammed LaRose for being weak and “caving to the left.” 

From Cleveland.com:

“In a statement to cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, Moreno took an indirect swipe at LaRose’s comments on Bannon’s show. His campaign also released a web ad Thursday highlighting his stance.

“Now is not the time for Republicans to cave to the left with a clean CR or more funding for Ukraine…”

Did someone say cat fight!?

WHILE MORENO AND LAROSE DUKE IT OUT, OHIOANS’ LIVELIHOODS ARE ON THE LINE 

A government shutdown would be devastating to Ohioans:

Over 2.4 million Ohioans receiving Social Security and Medicare will be at risk for disruptions. 

Over 52,000 federal civilian workers in Ohio will either be furloughed or forced to work without pay. In addition, an estimated 6,800 active duty service members in Ohio will not receive pay.

Many Ohio families, including more than 93,000 Ohio children, will lose their access to affordable food. 

Civilian employees at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, the largest single-site employer in Ohio with an economic impact of $4.2 billion a year, will be furloughed unless deemed mission critical.

Thirteen Disaster Recovery Fund long-term projects would be delayed in Ohio.

WHAT OHIOANS ARE HEARING ABOUT THE #OHSEN SLUGFEST AND THE IMPENDING SHUTDOWN

Cleveland.com: How would Ohio’s U.S. Senate candidates handle a potential government shutdown if they make it to Washington, D.C.?

WATCH HERE: BERNIE MORENO AND FRANK LAROSE SUPPORT A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

SLUGFEST COUNTDOWN

172 days left until this Slugfest comes to a head and the infighting just keeps getting worse. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Colleen Marshall, WCMH: “Republicans vying to unseat Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown are insisting they would not support a short term funding bill to keep the government open…”

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Why won’t LaRose give Ohioans the answers they deserve after costing them $600,000? 

Columbus, OH – Frank LaRose is still facing serious questions for his decision to put his political ambitions ahead of Ohioans by moving the Ohio Secretary of State office to the same building as his current campaign HQ. After a series of expensive missteps during the August special election, LaRose’s latest scandal is now costing taxpayers a steep $600,000 that will take Ohioans over 50 years to recoup.

The list of people waiting for answers on LaRose’s decision keeps growing. Thirteen state lawmakers have joined Ohioans and media outlets calling on LaRose to provide answers on his latest scandal.

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.”

“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: Democrats ask LaRose to provide more information about moving his office to campaign headquarters

Megan Henry

September 28, 2023

• Thirteen Ohio Democratic lawmakers are asking Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to provide more information about moving his office to the same location as his U.S. Senate campaign headquarters.

• Earlier this month, it was reported that LaRose is looking to move the secretary of state’s office from a building at 180 E. Broad Street, where it had been located for nearly 20 years, to a building at 200 Civic Center Drive — the same address he listed as his campaign address when he filed his candidacy for Senate with the Federal Election Commission.

• “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,” the lawmakers wrote in their Wednesday letter to LaRose. “Despite your claims that your decision to move your official office to the same location as your Senate campaign is “completely incidental,” several key questions remain unanswered.”

• Will you provide the full details for the process for deciding to move the office, including how many properties – including their respective costs per square foot compared to the office space located at 200 Civic Center Drive – were considered?

• When did you make the decision to move your official office to 200 Civic Center Drive in relation to when you began thinking about running for Senate?

• Will you release all documentation from your office pertaining to your request to bypass the standard process to move the Secretary of State’s office to the same building as your Senate campaign?

• “As elected officials, we owe Ohioans complete transparency into how their tax dollars are spent, especially when related to political campaigns,” the letter said.

WSYX: LaRose asked to justify spending $600,000 on relocating his office

Darrel Rowland

September 28, 2023

• The latest political controversy in Columbus revolves around office space.

• Secretary of State Frank LaRose wants to move his office from North Fourth Street to 200 Civic Center Drive a few blocks away. Democrats point out that that space houses the attorneys for his U.S. senate campaign.

• Ohio Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, is pounding on LaRose for changing the location of the secretary of state’s leased office for the first time in decades. DeMora led 13 Democrats who sent a letter to LaRose this week, seeking justification for the move, which will cost $600,000. While the office gets a slight decrease in the lease rate, that initial outlay won’t be recovered until 2077, DeMora said.

• “We want some answers,” DeMora said. “I mean this is state money he’s spending to move. It’s a purview of Democratic legislators to ask him why you’re spending this money.”

• DeMora, a top operative of the Ohio Democratic party for years before taking office last year, said he thinks it’s hardly a coincidence that LaRose picked the building that houses his senate campaign’s legal adviser, Baker-Hostetler.

• “It doesn’t pass the smell test for any rational person,” DeMora said. “The secretary of state’s office, through Democrat and Republican secretary of states, has been in the same building for 20 years. And now all of a sudden Secretary LaRose decides, well, it has to be moved.”

• Neither LaRose nor anyone from his campaign would go on camera to respond to the Democrats’ concerns.

WCMH: Ohio Democrats question Secretary of State office move

Natalie Fahmy

September 26, 2023

• Democratic state lawmakers are questioning Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s decision to move his state office to the same building that his U.S. Senate campaign is filed under.

• Thirteen House and Senate Democrats have asked LaRose to disclose the timeline of deciding the move and the full details that led to the building being chosen.

• NBC4 was first to report on the move earlier this month, which will cost more than half a million dollars… LaRose previously said that the building is where his campaign lawyers are based and that it is purely “incidental” that his state office will be there now as well.

Toledo Blade: Ohio Secretary of State’s offenses pile up

Eric Haidet, Sylvania Township

September 28, 2023

• I feel like I can’t read the news anymore without seeing another new Secretary of State Frank LaRose scandal. How many times are we going to let this elected official manipulate us for his own personal gain?

• First, he made multiple mistakes in the August election, then he rewrote the ballot language for the November abortion amendment to be misleading and inaccurate, and now Mr. LaRose is moving his Secretary of State office to the same building as his campaign headquarters.

• I cannot understand how this is allowed. Isn’t this a conflict of interest?

• So we are essentially paying for Mr. LaRose to not serve us in the way he was elected to.

• I am disappointed in Mr. LaRose’s blatant disregard for Ohio voters. We need to hold him accountable.

Ironton Tribune: LaRose’s unethical move

Thomas Yeager

September 25, 2023

• I should have known better when LaRose, whose salary WE pay, announced his run for higher office this summer. And since launching his Senate campaign, LaRose has made a number of political moves that should cause concern for Ohioans.

• His latest unethical move is a bit more literal.

• It was reported that LaRose is moving the official Secretary of State office for the first time in nearly 20 years. Where, you might ask? The same building as LaRose’s Senate campaign headquarters. And the move isn’t cheap, LaRose’s decision to be closer to his political lackeys will cost taxpayers over half a million dollars.

• It’s long been clear that LaRose is more focused on advancing his political career than doing his job. But LaRose’s latest scandal shows there is no line he won’t cross if it helps him climb the political ladder.

• As Secretary of State, LaRose owes Ohioans some answers.

• Between moving office buildings, making himself the face of the August election, and now trying to mislead Ohioans by rewriting the November amendment ballot language, LaRose is not hiding his willingness to disrespect Ohioans in pursuit of advancing his own political ambitions.

• He is once again proving he does not care about us. He will violate our trust to benefit himself. He will cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars to get a political promotion. He will try to trick us to push his own agenda. He will silence our voices.

• 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.

WATCH MORE FROM WCMH HERE

WATCH MORE FROM WSYX HERE

READ THE FULL LETTER FROM STATE LAWMAKERS HERE.

See also: Ohio Lawmakers Call On Frank LaRose To Answer for Latest Scandal Costing Ohioans; Frank LaRose’s “Latest Unethical Move Is a Bit More Literal”; 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; As Scandal Grows, LaRose’s “Answers” Just Raise More Questions About Steep Cost to Move Secretary of State Office to His Campaign HQ; Frank LaRose Still Owes Ohioans Answers After Latest Scandal Surfaces;  A New Scandal For Frank LaRose: Taxpayers Foot Steep Bill to Move Secretary of State Office to Campaign HQ

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