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For Immediate Release:

Monday, March 7, 2022

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) Chair Liz Walters joined Secretary of State candidate Chelsea Clark last Friday to discuss the ways that Frank LaRose has failed to do his job as Ohio Secretary of State by passing illegal, GOP-gerrymandered maps, releasing directives to shore up his own political support and potentially costing Ohioans tens of millions of dollars all so he can play politics with the redistricting process.

“Frank LaRose called GOP-gerrymandered maps ‘asinine’ one day, and then turned around and voted for them the next. LaRose’s primary responsibility is to protect the integrity of Ohio’s elections and put the best interests of the voters of Ohio first. Instead, the only interests he’s serving are his own,” said Chair Walters.

“From day one of the redistricting process, Frank LaRose has betrayed Ohioans and put his own party above his responsibilities to the Constitution, to the law and to the voters of our state. And what’s worse? Ohioans are left to foot the bill,” said Ms. Clark.

See more of what Ohioans are reading and seeing today:

WJW-TV: Ohio Democrats claim Frank LaRose ‘failed most spectacularly’ on redistricting maps

Cris Belle

“Top Ohio Democrats are calling out Secretary of State Frank LaRose claiming he failed on redistricting and cost Ohioans millions.

“In a Friday morning press conference, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters and Secretary of State candidate Chelsea Clark voiced their concerns about Frank LaRose for what they say is ‘playing partisan games with redistricting as he continues to break the law and rubber stamp gerrymandered maps.’

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“Ohio Democrats say that while every Republican on the commission is to blame ‘for the chaos caused by their failure to pass fair maps,’ Ohio’s top elections official, ‘LaRose has failed most spectacularly.’”

WKYC-TV: How close is Ohio’s primary election date to being in jeopardy?

Will Ujek

“Could Ohio’s primary date be in jeopardy? As we move closer to the primary, still without court approved maps, how realistic is voting on May 3rd?

“Right now, Ohio finds itself in the middle of an election crisis,” says Ohio Democratic Party Chair, Elizabeth Walters.

“They passed a map out of the commission on a partisan breakdown, so only Republicans voted for it,’ says Walters. ‘It is an unconstitutional gerrymander. So he’s directed the boards to validate with a map that is not abiding by the court’s direction.’

Cleveland.com: Why Ohio’s legislative leaders haven’t moved the May primary election date as deadlines pass

Andrew Tobias

“Ohio’s elections officials and the state’s Republican attorney general have implored the Ohio legislature to move the May 3 primary, saying delays in setting new state legislative and congressional lines have jeopardized an orderly, accurate election.

“But state lawmakers have balked, and for now, planning for the election is going full speed ahead. Why? Because of hardened opposition from General Assembly Republicans, particularly in the Ohio House.

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“Ohio Democrats meanwhile have accused Republicans of using the election to engineer a crisis and put pressure on the court to approve their gerrymandered maps.

“On Friday, Ohio Democrats held a news conference where their secretary of state candidate, Chelsea Clark, criticized LaRose for his part in the redistricting mess. Clark said that by not working with Democrats to pass a map, LaRose had put military voters’ ballots at risk.”

WBNS-TV: Secretary of State Facing Criticism

“Everything is up in the air when it comes to the May 3 primary for Ohio. The redistricting commission passed new district maps but the state Supreme Court hasn’t signed off on them yet. Secretary of State Frank LaRose is now facing criticism from the Ohio Democratic Party chair. She says he failed Ohioans by voting for the maps that they say are still gerrymandering. 

“LaRose’s primary responsibility is to protect the integrity of Ohio’s elections and put the best interests of the voters of Ohio first. Instead, the only interests he seems to be serving are his own,’ said Chair Elizabeth Walters.” 

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For Immediate Release:

Saturday, March 5, 2022

Voting Process for Servicemembers, May 3 Primary Now in Limbo as LaRose, Republicans Refuse to Follow the Law

Columbus, OH — Late last night, Frank LaRose announced that the U.S. Department of Defense rejected his waiver to shorten the voting period for Ohio’s servicemembers. LaRose sought the waiver because he and fellow Republicans continue to break the law and pass unconstitutional maps, playing politics with the votes of Ohio military members and making a May 3 primary all but impossible.

The voting process for servicemembers is now in limbo as Republicans continue to refuse to follow the law.

Moving the primary will cost Ohioans tens of millions of dollars and cause election chaos that could have easily been avoided if Republicans had done their jobs and passed fair maps.

“Frank LaRose and his fellow Republicans had four opportunities to pass fair maps and chose to break the law instead each time. Now, Ohioans are paying the price. It’s up to Republicans to fix this mess they created immediately by passing fair maps, before Ohioans pay an even steeper price,”  said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

On Friday, Chair Walters and Secretary of State candidate Chelsea Clark held a statewide virtual press conference to discuss the ways that Frank LaRose has failed to do his job as Ohio Secretary of State by passing illegal, GOP-gerrymandered maps, releasing directives to shore up his own political support and potentially costing Ohioans tens of millions of dollars all so he can play politics with the redistricting process.

You can watch the full news conference HERE:

LaRose, Ohio’s top election official, has served as a rubber stamp for the Republicans throughout the redistricting process, which the GOP has used to serve its own political interests instead of the interests of Ohio voters.

LaRose has voted for four maps in total, three state legislature maps and one congressional map. All of these maps have been clearly gerrymandered, and two of them have already been struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court.

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March 4, 2022

Happy Friday, and welcome to “Buckeye Brawl,” a weekly newsletter from the Ohio Democratic Party highlighting the nasty, chaotic, and expensive Republican primary for Senate. This out-of-control primary is making conservatives “deeply worried” about the prospects of Republicans losing this seat. 

As the Republican Senate primary continues to sink lower and lower, these GOP candidates are injecting even more nasty personal attacks, more chaos and more money into this race. We’re here to help you keep track of all of it.

“So far, much of the oxygen is being sucked up by the Republican primary, which features several candidates who appear to be running to win over Trump as much as they are Ohio voters.” –Business Insider, 3/2/22

Here’s what you may have missed:

YOU’RE THE PRETENDER. Gibbons released a new ad slamming Timken and Vance for their anti-Trump pasts and saying, “They claim to be conservative, but under pressure, they break.” Gibbons’ ad lays into Timken for waffling on whether she would have voted to impeach Trump and Vance for proudly proclaiming himself a “never-Trump guy.” Woof. Meanwhile, Timken released a new ad calling Josh Mandel and J.D. Vance “pretenders” while she pretends to have the Trump endorsement she desperately wants and does not have. Jane Timken must be at her wit’s end knowing she can’t buy Trump’s endorsement but hey, faking it definitely won’t backfire (again) this time.

AUTHENTICITY MATTERS. Politico detailed how Timken’s efforts to court the Trump-skeptical center is receiving blowback from exactly the people whose support she craves most. Timken’s clumsy pivot has caused some “awkward dissonance” in Trumpworld, with some in the former president’s inner circle calling her attempts to buy endorsements a “sign of desperation.” Her opponents piled on, with one Gibbons advisor saying that Timken is “trying to be everything to everyone,” and Team Dolan saying, “Running in two primaries sounds exhausting.” Is Timken lost and trying to find her political home within the GOP, or is she just a political fraud losing to a field of even bigger phonies?  

POLLING PROBLEMS. Timken’s troubles don’t end there, though. Following Max Miller’s announcement that he would run for Congress against Timken endorser Bob Gibbs, Mandel went after Timken, saying, “I don’t need a DC poll to tell me who to support. I am 100% behind @MaxMillerOH, President Trump, and America First agenda” — a not-so-subtle dig at Timken’s defense of Anthony Gonzalez’s “rational” vote to impeach Trump. And today, Mandel continued the drumbeat, tweeting, “Hey @JaneTimkenOH, a year ago you defended pro-impeachment Anthony Gonzalez and called his vote to impeach President Trump ‘rational’. Do you support Trump-endorsed MAGA warrior @MaxMillerOH or your fellow RINO buddy @Bob_Gibbs?” Mandel has never missed an opportunity to call out Timken for being a poll-first, speak-later candidate, and as much as we hate to agree with the guy, he’s not wrong here. I guess we’ll have to wait and see which ways the wind blows to find out where Jane Timken stands on this one. 

Thanks for reading along – that’s all for the Buckeye Brawl this week. If you have questions, my email is [email protected]. Have a great weekend! 

For Immediate Release:

Thursday, March 3, 2022

Columbus, OH — Following passage of extreme legislation that would put Ohioans and law enforcement at risk of increased gun violence, Mike DeWine needs to decide if he’ll keep his promises to ‘do something’ and veto this dangerous bill or cave once again to radicals in his own party.

After a tragic mass shooting in Dayton in 2019, Mike DeWine promised Ohioans that he would ‘do something’ to address the threat of gun violence. Now, DeWine has an opportunity to do just that and veto this dangerous bill.

“Mike DeWine has a choice to make: Will he stand with Ohio families and law enforcement officers, or will he cave once again to extremists in the legislature? DeWine has an opportunity to lead here, but he’s shown time and again he’s too weak to stand up to his own party and do the right thing. We’re calling on DeWine to put Ohioans above politics and keep his promises. There’s a first time for everything,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

Senate Bill 215, known as Ohio’s permitless carry bill, would allow anyone over 21 to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, ultimately avoiding a background check in the process. The legislation has been widely opposed by groups across Ohio, including the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, the Ohio Mayors Alliance and many others.

As WEWS-TV reports, Michael Weinman, Director of Government Affairs for the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police testified: “The [Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio] strongly opposes substitute senate bill 215. We feel the changes in the bill create a threat for officer safety.”

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Columbus, OH — Today, U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken will campaign alongside Rob Portman – one of the most establishment, Mitch McConnell-friendly, and Trump-skeptical Republicans in the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, a new report from Politico underscores how Timken is trying to have it both ways – as both a “real MAGA conservative” and a squishy establishment pick – and failing spectacularly, languishing at the back of the field while GOP primary voters reject her as a phony and “Trumpworld notice[s]” the “sign of desperation” coming from her campaign. 

“Jane Timken is a political fraud who is so desperate to stay relevant in Ohio’s nasty and chaotic GOP Senate primary that she’ll claim the Trump mantle one day and celebrate the endorsement of Rob Portman—one of the Senate’s most Trump-skeptical Republicans—the next. Timken’s campaign has failed to gain traction because Ohioans see straight through her never-ending and blatantly self-serving political calculations,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.  

Politico: Trump endorsement casts long shadow over Ohio Senate race

Natalie Allison

March 3, 2022

• Since becoming Donald Trump’s handpicked state party chair in 2017, Jane Timken has straddled the line between Ohio’s traditional GOP and MAGA spheres.
• Now, as she bids for the Republican Senate nomination, Timken is still betting she can have it both ways. It’s a risky wager.
• Timken’s continued touting of her endorsement from retiring Sen. Rob Portman, an old-school Republican whose brand of statesmanship and bipartisan compromise is nearly the opposite of Trump’s approach, could jeopardize her chances of winning the former president’s endorsement in a crowded primary where it looms large.
• “She has to do a pretty effective juggling act to make those issues sound like they square,” said Doug Preisse, a Republican strategist and former chair of the Franklin County Republican Party, referring to Timken’s invocation of both Portman and Trump on the campaign trail. “She’s a smart, accomplished professional. But when you’re communicating two or three contradictory sounding messages, it doesn’t matter how good of a communicator you are.”
• A Harvard-educated attorney who married into a wealthy family of global steel manufacturers, Timken has closely toed the MAGA line since joining the race a year ago. After initially defending GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez for his vote to impeach Trump last year, she turned around and renounced her support for the embattled congressman, then called for him to resign.
• More recently, Timken hired lightning-rod Trump world advisers who have generated controversy within the party. And in a new ad Thursday, Timken decried the “pretenders” in the Senate primary, flashing photos of herself with Trump as a narrator called her “the real Trump conservative.”
• At the same time, Timken, a longtime friend of Portman, has enthusiastically embraced the retiring senator’s support. As her campaign scrambles to set itself apart in a packed field of Republicans purporting to be the most authentically MAGA, it’s caused some awkward dissonance.
• Portman voted to certify the election results, something Timken said she wouldn’t have done. He championed the bipartisan infrastructure bill, while Timken bashed it. Describing the events of Jan. 6 as “an attack on democracy itself,” Portman excoriated Trump, saying the president “showed sympathy for the violent mob” and bore some responsibility for what took place.
• On Tuesday, the Timken campaign performed its balancing act again. It sent out a press release announcing the hiring of Corey Lewandowski — who was let go from Trump’s super PAC this fall after facing allegations of sexual assault — and David Bossie, a former Trump campaign official who was behind a recent RNC resolution declaring that the events surrounding Jan. 6 amounted to “legitimate political discourse.”
• Then, hours later, the campaign put out another announcement: Portman would headline their campaign stops this weekend.
• Trumpworld noticed.
• “If you’re attempting to go after grassroots voters that are frustrated with the political process, that are frustrated with career politicians, that want some new blood — usually you don’t go campaigning with a career politician that’s retiring,” said a person in Trump’s orbit who is familiar with the former president’s thinking.
• Timken’s GOP opponents Josh Mandel, Mike Gibbons and JD Vance have all made a determined effort to win the Trump endorsement, while Matt Dolan is seeking to appeal to moderate Republicans who are less sold on Trump.
• The Trump ally described Timken’s hiring of Lewandowski and Bossie as “a sign of desperation” and a way to “throw money at” the exercise of securing an endorsement from the former president.
• Trump held separate meetings recently with Mandel and Vance. Last week, Gibbons paid to attend a fundraising event for Trump’s super PAC at Mar-a-Lago, though he did not gain a one-on-one meeting.
• Trump is expected to “eventually” make a decision on who to endorse in the Ohio primary, which is now two months away. But no decision is imminent, said the person familiar.
• Dueling internal polls have shown the primary’s top five candidates in a range of positions in recent months. While January polling from Timken’s campaign put her in second place, just behind Mandel, in recent weeks independent polls have put Timken at the back of the pack.
• The Emerson poll, conducted this past weekend, found that 39 percent of GOP primary voters remained undecided in the Senate race. It also suggested that Portman’s endorsement may not provide a significant boost for Timken with primary voters: 38 percent said the senator’s endorsement made them less likely to vote for her, while 43 percent said it would make no difference.
• Portman’s office declined to answer questions about whether he has any concerns with Timken’s hiring of Lewandowski and Bossie — or if the senator would mind campaigning alongside them. Instead, a Portman spokesperson provided a general statement about Timken being “the best candidate to advance conservative Republican policies” and having the ability to win both the primary and general election.
• While Timken is scheduled to campaign again this month with former New York Police Department Commissioner Bernard Kerik — a key member of a Trump command center that worked to overturn the 2020 election results — it’s unlikely Portman will share the stage with some of Trump’s top acolytes.

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