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Mitch McConnell’s Allies To Spend Nearly $5 Million To Bail Out Vance’s Broke Campaign

Columbus, OH – The J.D. Vance’s campaign’s first general election ad debuts on TV today – paid for by Mitch McConnell and national Republicans – and there’s someone conspicuously missing from the ad: J.D. Vance himself. The only time Vance is allowed to speak is for the legally-required disclaimer at the end of the ad.

J.D. Vance is so unlikable, his campaign team knows they need to hide him away from Ohioans. An internal poll from the Tim Ryan campaign showed his popularity underwater by double digits, with 38 percent viewing him favorably to 49 percent unfavorably. Ohioans’ dislike of Vance is strong, with 39 percent of Ohioans viewing Vance very unfavorably. And the most recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll from May showed more Ohioans viewing Vance unfavorably while independents back Tim.

Sabato’s Crystal Ball’s Kyle Kondik noted that the ad featuring Vance’s wife Usha “appears to be an effort to improve Vance’s image with women, which supposedly is in need of boosting.” For months, Ohioans have been reading about Vance’s anti-woman agenda, including how he believes survivors of rape and incest should be forced to give birth to their rapist’s baby, compared abortion to slavery, and most recently doubled down on saying that women should stay in “violent” marriages for the sake of the children.

As Jared Leopold, the former Communications Director for the Democratic Governors Association, noted on Twitter, “Spouse to camera ‘emphasizing local roots’ = the spot you run when your campaign is taking on water.” And national Republicans agree – which is why Mitch McConnell’s allies are also placing an additional nearly $4 million buy starting next week.

“While J.D. Vance faces backlash for saying he ‘completely stands by’ his comments that women in ‘violent’ marriages should stay in dangerous situations, Mitch McConnell and his out-of-state corporate cronies are dumping millions of dollars to bail out their favorite fraud. Ohioans know the real J.D. Vance is an out-of-touch opportunist who will do or say anything to advance himself and no amount of money from Mitch McConnell will convince them otherwise,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

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Columbus, OH — Tonight, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters issued the following statement congratulating Democratic state House, Senate and Central Committee candidates who won their primary elections.

“Congratulations to all of our state legislative and central committee candidates on their election victories tonight. With our full slate now complete, Ohio Democrats are ready to show voters we’re on their side. We’ll be showing up in every corner of the state to show Ohioans the contrast between Ohio Democrats who are laser-focused on looking out for working families and Republicans who are only looking out for themselves and their wealthy and well-connected friends,” said Chair Walters.

“It’s also important to note that this second primary should never have taken place. Had Ohio Republicans done their job and passed fair maps, Ohioans wouldn’t be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars and a second confusing, chaotic primary could have been avoided. We look forward to holding these Republicans accountable come November,” continued Walters.

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Columbus, OH — Make no mistake, reproductive rights are on the ballot just 98 days from today. Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, Republicans across Ohio have proven time and time again that they’re too extreme for Ohio – from comparing abortion to slavery to questioning a ten-year-old rape victim, GOP politicians in this state are showing their true colors and saying the quiet part out loud when it comes to attacking women. Rather than try to tell you how radical they are, we thought we’d just let their words speak for themselves.

J.D. Vance’s disgusting comments on Roe v. Wade and abortion:

• “Hope the news of the leaked opinion is true. Would be an amazing victory for the pro life movement and, most importantly, the innocents we fight for.” [Twitter: May 2, 2022] 
• “When asked during a local interview whether abortion laws should include exceptions for rape and incest, Vance, a Republican, said he thinks ‘two wrong don’t make a right.’“‘It’s not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, it’s whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society,’ Vance told Spectrum News in Columbus on Wednesday.” [Washington Post: September 24, 2021] 
• “There’s something comparable between abortion and slavery, and that while the people who obviously suffer the most are those subjected to it, I think it has this morally distorting effect on the entire society.” [Vice News: July 7, 2022]

Dave Yost’s questioning of a 10-year-old rape victim who had to travel to Indiana for critical healthcare because of the six-week abortion ban Yost helped implement:

• Jesse Walters, Fox News: “So Dave, have you had anybody come to you in your state to say we’re looking into this, a police report was filed? Dave Yost: “Not a whisper and we work closely with the- we have a decentralized law enforcement system in Ohio. But, we have regular contact with prosecutors and local police and sheriffs. Not a whisper anywhere. [Fox News: July 11, 2022]
• “Every day that goes by the more likely that this is a fabrication. I know the cops and prosecutors in this state. There’s not one of them that wouldn’t be turning over every rock, looking for this guy and they would have charged him. I’m not saying it could not have happened. What I’m saying to you is there is not a damn scintilla of evidence. And shame on the Indianapolis paper that ran this thing on a single source who has an obvious axe to grind.” [Gannett News: July 13, 2022]
• “I never apologize for the truth, and I stand by everything I said.” [Cleveland.com: July 22, 2022]

Justice Pat Fischer joining J.D. in comparing abortion to slavery:

• “Ladies and gentlemen, do you know what substantive due process is? It would take me hours to go into it,” [Fischer] said. “But you know what it’s the basis for? The Dred Scott decision. Not good. It’s the basis for Plessy v. Ferguson. Not good. And it was the basis for Roe v. Wade.” [Cleveland.com: July 29, 2022]

Mike DeWine’s promises to ‘go as far as we can’ to rip away reproductive rights:

• “‘If Roe is overturned, all it means is it comes back to each state and you still have a situation today as you know, where more and more abortions are taking place. Not surgical abortions, they’re taking place because of pills,’ DeWine said in the call on Friday. ‘Those options are still going to be out there for people one way or the other…You’re also going to have people traveling to other states.’”
• “He also noted that when lawmakers return to Columbus in November, they’ll discuss ‘how we want to craft that legislation to go as far as we can to protect human life based upon whatever that decision is.’” [Gannett News: June 17, 2022]

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Columbus, OH – J.D. Vance may have moved from San Francisco to Ohio, but his heart is still in SF. He’s already admitted he feels “out of place” in Ohio and clearly wants to spend time literally anywhere else than the state he supposedly wants to represent in the U.S. Senate. So for his birthday, the Ohio Democratic Party figured we’d get Vance birthday gifts he’d actually enjoy.

In the Atlantic op-ed where he called Trump “cultural heroin,” Vance waxed poetic about his perfect day in San Francisco, writing, “A few Saturdays ago, my wife and I spent the morning volunteering at a community garden in our San Francisco neighborhood. After a few hours of casual labor, we and the other volunteers dispersed to our respective destinations: tasty brunches, day trips to wine country, art-gallery tours. It was a perfectly normal day, by San Francisco standards.”

Here are some of Vance’s favorite San Francisco things we dropped off as gifts this morning at his HQ:

• A Giants hat, his favorite baseball team.
• A soy candle that is sustainable and vegan, in a one-of-a-kind SF fragrance.
• A snow globe that features the San Francisco skyline, the only skyline J.D. Vance adores.
• A card that features the Golden Gate Bridge, a cable car and other San Francisco staples Vance surely misses.

Nearly three months into the general election, Ohio Republicans are still “waiting for Vance to show up,” and frustrated that “he’s not campaigning hard enough.” Ron Verb, a conservative talk radio host, offered Vance this advice that he “better get off his ass, figure out why he isn’t raising more money, why the Republican Party isn’t behind him raising money.”

The last time J.D. Vance tried to run for U.S. Senate in 2018, he faced scrutiny for not being in Ohio. At the time, a GOP consultant opined, “I don’t know what address he claims in Ohio, but he’s not living there.” In March on the Bruce Hooley Show, Mike Gibbons put it best: “J.D. Vance is a newcomer. He moved in from San Francisco, handpicked by Mitch McConnell.”

“We hope J.D. Vance enjoys these San Francisco gifts for his birthday – since he admits he feels ‘out of place’ in Ohio and Republicans are still waiting for Vance to show up in the state. Ohioans know J.D. Vance is a San Francisco elitist who will do or say anything to climb the political ladder,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

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August 1, 2022

Good Monday afternoon, and welcome back to Mike Check, your weekly source of all the infighting, conspiracy spewing and corruption that’s making headlines in and around the Republican governor’s race and Mike DeWine’s statehouse, courtesy of the Ohio Democratic Party.

Here are some stories you may have missed:

WASTING YOUR MONEY. Tomorrow is Primary Election Day in Ohio once again. It’s an unprecedented second primary election that shouldn’t have to happen and is wasting more than $30 million of your money. And it’s all happening because Mike DeWine refused to grow a spine and stand up to extreme Republicans on the redistricting commission, rubber-stamping GOP-gerrymandered maps time and time again. Instead of following the Constitution, not to mention the wishes of a majority of Ohioans, DeWine actively aided in the blatant Republican gerrymander of Ohio that has led to the expensive and unnecessary second primary election.

NOT BUYING IT. Voters aren’t buying what Mike DeWine is trying to sell them, and it’s showing. As Mike DeWine kicked off door-to-door campaigning last weekend, Ohioans made their voices heard. From abortion to gun violence, DeWine caved to extreme Republicans time and again and signed dangerous legislation that takes our state backward. Voters are saying enough is enough and Ohio deserves better.

DUCKING MORE QUESTIONS. The most anti-choice governor in the country is once again trying to hide his extremism from Ohioans. After scrubbing his website of all anti-abortion language, DeWine told a group of reporters he wants to “let the [abortion] debate play out” when asked about his views on legislation that would make abortion illegal in Ohio. He refused to even answer Cleveland.com when they reached out. This is the same Mike DeWine who just weeks ago proudly told an anti-abortion group he wants to “go as far as we can” to rip away abortion rights in Ohio. Make no mistake: abortion, birth control and reproductive rights are on the ballot this November, and Mike DeWine will only take Ohio backward.

AND DODGIN’ DEBATES. During the same comments to the same group of reporters where Mike DeWine ducked abortion questions, DeWine once again was asked about debating Nan Whaley this fall, and once again he refused a straight answer. So we ask, will DeWine duck the debates? DeWine has already dodged one debate this year, too scared to take on the likes of political heavyweights like Jim Renacci and Joe Blystone. But Ohioans deserve answers on issues ranging from the FirstEnergy bribery scandal to his anti-abortion stances to his refusing to heed concerns from Ohio law enforcement about dangerous gun bills he signed into law. Whaley called on DeWine to debate across the state. DeWine can’t run away scared this time. He must face the voters straight on and face consequences if he doesn’t. Ohio voters deserve nothing less.

Thanks for catching up with us, that’s all the Mike Check we’ve got for this week.  Have a great week!

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