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Watch Ohio Democrats’ Not-So-Strong Ohio Preview Video HERE

Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Democrats brought their “Not-So-Strong Ohio” tour to Columbus as they travel across the state to lay out how Mike DeWine’s weakness is taking our state backward. 

For four years, DeWine has been too weak to stand up to extremists in his own party and the special interests fueling his campaign, instead serving as a rubber stamp for policies that hurt working families while failing to provide the leadership Ohioans expect from their governor. 

“On issues ranging from abortion rights to gun violence to redistricting to the the largest public corruption scandal in state history, Mike DeWine’s weakness is costing Ohioans big time and taking our state backward,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters.

Key examples of DeWine’s weakness include:

• Abortion Rights – Mike DeWine told an anti-abortion special interest group that he wants ‘to go as far as he can’ to rip away reproductive rights in Ohio. 
• Gun Violence – Despite promising to ‘do something’ to combat gun violence, DeWine caved to the gun lobby and signed gun bills that are opposed by Ohio law enforcement because they make Ohioans less safe.
• FirstEnergy Bribery Scandal – ‘State Official 1’ has been dodging questions since October about what he knew and when about the largest public corruption scandal in state history, a scandal that continues to cost Ohioans $287,000 every single day. 
• Redistricting – Even as he acknowledged the maps he was passing were likely unconstitutional, DeWine ignored voters, caved to his own party and rubber stamped seven illegal, GOP-gerrymandered maps. 

With this kind of record, it’s no wonder Mike DeWine is scared to debate Nan Whaley. He’s spent his whole time as governor selling out to the wealthy and well-connected and leaving Ohio workers to pay the price. 

“Under Mike DeWine, we’ll have extremists in the legislature running the show, pushing radical agendas that keep businesses away from our state and taking our economy backward,” said Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein. 

“If Mike DeWine is going to cower to the likes of Matt Huffman on every issue, he should step aside and let someone who wants the job actually lead our state,” said Ohio Auditor candidate Taylor Sappington. 

Ohio Democrats, like former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, are offering a better way forward: moving our state forward by investing in working families and putting kitchen-table, economic issues front and center. 

“Ohio deserves better. We need a governor who will stand up to the bad guys, not do their bidding. We need Nan Whaley,” said Columbus City Councilmember Lourdes Barroso de Padilla. 

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Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, the Associated Press late yesterday published yet another story that alleges J.R. Majewski once again lied about his service record. While Majewski has claimed he was punished and demoted for a ‘brawl,’ AP reports that he was told he could not reenlist because of a drunk driving charge. Yesterday’s AP report follows last week’s story about Majewski misrepresenting his service in Afghanistan. 

Majewski often uses his military service as a campaign talking point and ads by Majewski supporters used the words “Afghanistan War Veteran” on screen. Following last week’s AP report, national Republicans pulled down ads they had scheduled for Majewski and now veterans across Ohio are demanding answers from Majewski.

“J.R. Majewski can’t seem to find the truth if he stepped in it, but here’s what we know for sure: J.R. can’t be trusted. Time after time, we’ve seen Majewski lie and then try to wiggle his way out of it. But voters in northwest Ohio ain’t buying what he’s selling, and they’ll show him the door come November,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes. 

“‘The No. 1 trope that comes out of people when they are either fabricating a military record or, in this case, embellishing a record is they fall back to, ‘It’s classified.’ There’s no junior enlisted air transportation specialist who was doing something so secret that 20 years later it still needs to be classified,” said Ed Caffrey in the AP story, a former Air Force master sergeant who now investigates “stolen valor” cases.

Read more from AP HERE and below:  

• Republican J.R. Majewski has centered his campaign for a competitive Ohio congressional seat around his biography as an Air Force veteran. But one of the big questions that has surfaced is why Majewski was told he could not reenlist in the Air Force after his initial four years were up.

• Majewski’s campaign said last week that he was punished and demoted after getting in a “brawl” in an Air Force dormitory in 2001. Military records obtained since then by The Associated Press, however, offer a different account of the circumstances, which military legal experts say would have played a significant role in the decision to bar him from reenlisting. They indicate Majewski’s punishment and demotion were the result of him being stopped for driving drunk on a U.S. air base in Japan in September 2001.

• The documents, which were provided to the AP and independently authenticated, present yet another instance where the recorded history of Majewski’s service diverges from what he has told voters as he campaigns while using his veteran status as a leading credential.

• In a statement, Majewski acknowledged that he was punished for drunken driving, though he didn’t address why his campaign previously said his demotion was the result of a fight.

• Since starting his campaign to unseat longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Majewski has repeatedly said he was a combat veteran who served a tour of duty under “tough” circumstances in Afghanistan. By his own account, he once went more than 40 days in the country without a shower due to a lack of running water.

• His story came under intense scrutiny last week when the AP, citing military documents obtained through public records requests, reported that he did not deploy to Afghanistan as he claimed, but instead spent six months based in Qatar, a longtime U.S. ally, where he helped load and unload aircraft.

• The latest revelation that Majewski was demoted for drunken driving adds another wrinkle. Last week, the AP asked Majewski’s campaign why his military service records showed that he was not allowed to reenlist in the Air Force and left the service after four years at a rank that was one notch above where he started.

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“DeWine should debate Whaley. He owes it to Ohio voters.”

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, the USA Today Network Ohio is running editorials in papers across Ohio taking Mike DeWine to task over his refusal to face Mayor Nan Whaley on the debate stage this year. Last week, DeWine officially ducked statewide debates Whaley repeatedly called for, knowing his record of betraying voters would be deeply unpopular with voters ahead of one of the most important elections in Ohio history. The move has become a pattern for DeWine. After debating opponents in the past, he also dodged a debate with his primary opponents earlier this year showing just how scared he is to defend his record of selling out Ohioans to hold onto power.

“Candidates who say no to debates shirk this responsibility and set a dangerous precedent in refusing to even engage with the other side. This is a move away from the tradition of civic debate and dissent and, therefore, a move away from democratic norms that form the bedrock of our nation,” wrote USA Today Ohio Network’s editorial board.

• Watch ODP’s recap of all the times Mike DeWine dodged debate questions HERE.

“Mike DeWine is blowing off Ohio voters and ducking debates. He needs to be held accountable for it. DeWine’s weakness is hurting Ohio on issues ranging from abortion to gun violence to redistricting. A lack of any debates in the governor’s race is just the latest example of how Ohioans are paying the price for DeWine’s cowardice,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes. 

Read more from USA Today Ohio’s editorial board here and below: 

• Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s decision to skip debates leading up to the Nov. 8 election is a slap in the face of his Democratic challenger Nan Whaley.
• That’s one thing. Far more outrageous, his actions show contempt for the will of Ohio voters and the democratic process.
• The refusal to publicly debate is also part of a disturbing trend, nationally, by Democrats and Republicans, departing from traditional American norms.
• The people want and need a debate, but it seems DeWine is content to run out the clock until Election Day. A recent USA TODAY Network Ohio/Suffolk University poll shows 84% of likely Ohio voters want candidates for the state’s top political posts to face off in one-on-one debates.
• Our boards are left to conclude DeWine is so confident the fundamentals of the race are in his favor, that he doesn’t have to care what you think.
• Last week, DeWine and Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance officially declined to participate in Ohio Debate Commission debates planned for October. DeWine argued Ohioans already know where he stands on key issues from the economy to guns and abortion.
• DeWine owes voters no less. This would be only the second time since 1978 that there’s not been a gubernatorial debate.
• The fact that DeWine is refusing to debate the first woman ever nominated for governor reflects poorly on him and robs both Whaley and Ohioans of a truly historical moment.
• The incumbent governor likely isn’t eager at this stage to defend attacks on his record or answer questions about former President Donald Trump, abortion, gun control or his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• But none of those are good reasons for cheating voters. DeWine must consider the value of the debates to voters over his only personal and political gains.
• Debates are the equivalent of a job interview for candidates running for office.
• They allow voters a chance to see how quickly candidates can think on their feet, handle criticism and answer tough questions. Voters can compare and contrast candidates’ style in real-time.
• Candidates need to be willing to publicly debate and not shy away from them out of fear of scrutiny, fact-checking or blowing a big lead in the polls. They should be prepared to argue the issues and stand on their convictions, policy positions and the accuracy of their statements regardless of their opponent or the forum in which these things might be challenged.
• Participating in debates shows a respect for the democratic process and voters.
• Republican Sen. Rob Portman and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown understand this, which is why both still debated opponents in their last elections despite holding sizable leads in the polls.
• Both stood up to attacks on their record and personal lives and answered tough questions, despite having little to gain personally from the debates.
• Candidates who say no to debates shirk this responsibility and set a dangerous precedent in refusing to even engage with the other side. This is a move away from the tradition of civic debate and dissent and, therefore, a move away from democratic norms that form the bedrock of our nation.
• As our society becomes an increasingly closed off echo chamber, we need more conversation across political ideologies and more thoughtful debate and discussion, not less.
• DeWine should debate Whaley. He owes it to Ohio voters.

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Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, the Ohio Capital Journal covered a new study that suggests Ohio will become less safe after Mike DeWine caved to his gun lobby donors and weakened Ohio’s gun laws. Earlier this year, DeWine ignored the pleas of law enforcement officers and signed permitless carry legislation into law. According to the study, states that relax concealed carry laws, which the permitless carry bill does, experience a spike in gun violence. It’s just the latest example of how Mike DeWine’s weakness is hurting our state. 

“[Johns Hopkins University scientist Mitchell] Doucette said the study suggests that Ohio may experience more gun crimes in the future by removing its ability to screen out people who have been convicted of violent assaults from carrying a concealed weapon.” writes the Ohio Capital Journal’s Jake Zuckerman. 

“Once again, Mike DeWine’s inability to stand up to his own party and campaign donors is hurting Ohioans. Even though law enforcement officers asked him not to, DeWine caved to the gun lobby and signed legislation that makes us all less safe. At a time when too many families are worried about keeping their loved ones safe, DeWine’s weakness is putting more Ohioans in danger,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.  

Read more from the Ohio Capital Journal here and below: 

• Weakened concealed carry laws are associated with an estimated 9.5% increase in rates of criminal assaults with firearms, according to research published last week.
• That relationship is most pronounced in places that allow people convicted of violent misdemeanor crimes to carry a concealed firearm. Those states are associated with an estimated 24% increase in assaults with a gun.
• “What we saw was that prohibiting violent misdemeanors from obtaining a permit actually ended up mattering a lot,” said Mitchell Doucette, an assistant scientist at Johns Hopkins University Center for Gun Violence Solutions, the lead author on the research.
• Additionally, Doucette said the research indicates that states removing a requirement that applicants complete live firearms training, like shooting at a gun range, are associated with an 18% increase in assaults with a firearm.
• The study analyzes 34 states that relaxed their concealed carry programs between 1980 and 2019, and compares them against predicted crime rates based on data from “may issue” states. The research was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
• This summer, Ohio joined a list of 24 other states that do not require any special permit to carry a concealed weapon. The law passed solely with Republican support. Now, any adults who can lawfully possess a weapon may carry it concealed on their persons.
• The recent research focuses on states that loosen concealed carry programs, but not those that remove licensure as a requirement to carry a concealed weapon. However, Doucette said the study suggests that Ohio may experience more gun crimes in the future by removing its ability to screen out people who have been convicted of violent assaults from carrying a concealed weapon.
• “I do think that losing that screening ability is important,” he said. “I think it’s meaningful.”
• Ohio’s concealed carry program still exists, but it’s no longer required in order to carry in-state. Applying gun owners must complete eight hours of training and pass a criminal background check to obtain a permit. While state law allows those convicted of violent misdemeanors to possess a weapon, it does not allow them to obtain a concealed carry permit.
• Doucette said the research indicates if states want to reduce gun crime, they should ensure their concealed carry laws prohibit those with violent misdemeanors from carrying a weapon.

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Columbus, OH – A new report from Mother Jones’ David Corn highlights how J.D. Vance has “traveled a great distance in a few short years,” from castigating Trump for being “too cautious” in condemning the white supremacist violence at Charlottesville to calling the Charlottesville riot a “ridiculous race hoax.” 

As Corn notes, “Race hoax in Charlottesville? A rally was put on by neo-Nazis and white supremacists, and a white nationalist did kill a counter-protester. Where’s the hoax?”

“J.D. Vance is a shameless phony who is only interested in furthering his own political career. With his positions changing by the day, how can Ohioans trust anything California Vance says?” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

Read more below:

Mother Jones: J.D. Vance’s Flip-Flop on the Nazi March in Charlottesville
David Corn
September 26, 2022

• The infamous Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, which was organized by white supremacists and neo-Nazis to celebrate white nationalism and that led to the tragic killing of counter-protester Heather Heyer, became an early defining moment of Donald Trump’s presidency when he declared there had been “very fine people on both sides.” Pundits, Republican and Democratic officials, and others recoiled at Trump’s both-sidesism and his inability—or unwillingness—to sharply and definitively condemn the racists, fascists, and antisemites who had gathered. The critics included J.D. Vance, the author and venture capitalist. But in the years since, Vance, now the Republican Senate candidate in Ohio, has changed his tune on Charlottesville to sync up with Trump and his denialism.
• Days after the protest and the murder of Heyer by a white nationalist, Vance appeared on CNN to discuss what had occurred. Asked by host Wolf Blitzer for his overall reaction, Vance was straightforward:
  • Wolf, you see people marching around doing the Nazi salute. I come from a family with a large number of military veterans, and from back in the day, people who actually went and fought the Nazis. It’s really disturbing to see this display of white nationalism. And [it] became doubly terrifying and terrible because it led to somebody losing their life. Like a lot of people, I watched the TV, was horrified. And it forced me to think, what’s going on in our country and happening that this stuff is becoming seemingly more common.
• Noting that in Trump’s initial response Trump had not specifically mentioned the Ku Klux Klan members, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists who had mounted this rally—Trump had criticized “hatred, bigotry, and violence” on “both sides”—Blitzer asked Vance to evaluate how Trump had handled the matter. Vance did not hold back:
  • The President really missed an opportunity to name this phenomenon and gives people a sense where it comes from and show the moral leadership people want from a president. The thing that’s important for folks from my political side, the conservative side of the aisle, have to keep in mind that a lot of the people who feel physically threatened by white supremacists, not people angry by it, the people who see it get upset by it, that’s all of us. The people who feel physically threatened by it are, by and large, not those who voted for Donald Trump. When they look to that movement, I think the President needs to show leadership saying you may not have voted for me but I’m coming out to deplore and criticize that particular movement as strongly as I would if it was on the other side of the political spectrum. Many, a lot felt the president could have spoken to that. Unfortunately, by not naming it what it was, white supremacism, he missed an opportunity.
• Vance continued slamming Trump’s response and added,
  • If I was President Trump in this situation, I’d spike the football. This is one of the things that really unites the entire country. Racism is bad. Nazism is bad. We fought a war to defeat Nazism. And the president should not just be—there’s a sense in which he’s ambivalent or too cautious about coming out and criticizing this stuff.
• Vance was not shy in castigating Trump for his reluctance to condemn racists and neo-Nazis. Yet as a Republican seeking a Senate seat, Vance has brazenly flip-flopped on this point. 
• Last year, during a podcast with Breitbart, Vance expressed quite a different opinion on the Charlottesville march. Railing about identity politics, he accused Democrats of cynically and crassly playing the race card: “Basically, racism [for Democrats] is anything that doesn’t give the Democrats more power. And of course, the reason they use that accusation, it’s not because they care about minorities or not, because they care about racists or whatever the whatever the topic of the day is, it’s because they recognize it as a useful strategy to give them more power.” His No. 1 example of this: “the ridiculous race hoax in Charlottesville.”
• Race hoax in Charlottesville? A rally was put on by neo-Nazis and white supremacists, and a white nationalist did kill a counter-protester. Where’s the hoax?
• This is not the only race-related matter on which Vance has pulled a 180, as he has journeyed from Trump-basher to Trump toady. In a 2017 interview, he raised the issue of “white privilege” and said, “It’s always important to note that there are obviously still advantages to being white, there are still disadvantages to being black.” Yet in a conversation last year with right-wing talk show host Bill Cunningham, Vance referred to “white privilege” as “ridiculous terminology” and claimed the left uses it “as a power play” to “shut up” conservatives so “they get to run things without any control, without any pushback from the real people.” In an interview with Breitbart, Vance said, the leftist narrative of “white privilege” is “disgusting.” 
• Vance has traveled a great distance in a few short years. In 2016, he told a former roommate that he viewed Trump as either a “cynical asshole” or “America’s Hitler.” Now he’s a full Trump acolyte and eagerly appeared with Trump at a recent QAnonish rally in Ohio. It’s not surprising that during this transformation, Vance jettisoned his criticism of Trump’s response to Charlottesville. 
• I asked the Vance campaign if he had any explanation for his change of heart regarding Charlottesville. The campaign did not reply. 

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