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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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“J.R. Majewski lying about fighting in combat absolutely disqualifies him from ever being able to serve in Congress.” 

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, WEWS-TV in Cleveland shared the disappointment, anger and outrage of Ohio military veterans after a bombshell Associated Press report alleges J.R. Majewski lied about his military service record, including his record 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 the AP report, national Republicans pulled down ads they had scheduled for Majewski and now veterans across Ohio are demanding answers from Majewski. 

“He just does a disservice to his brothers and sisters. You don’t have to puff out your chest and say, ‘Well, I did this, but it’s a secret.’ No, it was not a secret,” said veteran Bob Shields in the story. 

Read more from WEWS-TV below and watch the interviews with Ohio veterans here: 

• Military veterans in Ohio are reacting with disappointment and anger following congressional candidate J.R. Majewski’s alleged misrepresentation of his Air Force service. Military documents obtained by the Associated Press do not tell the story that Majewski has been sharing on his campaign trail.
• The candidate from Toledo has been representing himself as an Air Force combat veteran who served in Afghanistan after 9/11. Northeast Ohio vets said he is acting against the Air Force honor code.
• “I’m disappointed that anybody should claim more than what they did,” 30-year veteran Bob Shields of Bay Village said. “Take pride in what you did.”
• Majewski’s military experience shows he was deployed but far away from any combat. He spent six months in Qatar loading planes, which Shields said is a valuable job but definitely not combat.
• “Integrity always,” Shields added, referencing the Air Force honor code. “If he’s claiming something that he cannot support, he’s going against his core values.”
• During a rally on Friday, the candidate doubled down on his claims.
• Both Republican and Democratic leaders seem to not be buying the story. The National Republican Congressional Committee announced it will cancel an approximate $1 million ad buy in the race.
• “He just does a disservice to his brothers and sisters,” Shields said. “You don’t have to puff out your chest and say, ‘Well, I did this, but it’s a secret.’ No, it was not a secret.”
• Veterans are asking for the documents that prove he was in Afghanistan, but until then, many are asking for an apology, saying this isn’t a party issue — but an issue of honesty and service.
• “J.R. Majewski lying about fighting in combat absolutely disqualifies him from ever being able to serve in Congress,” said Lucas County Marine veteran Ralph Green.
• The Majewski team reached out to News 5 to offer an interview with a service member it claimed would corroborate that Majewski served in Afghanistan. The interview would have to be conducted with the condition that News 5 not reveal who this person is, due to “concern about harassment,” according to a campaign spokesperson. News 5 declined that interview because it does not reach the station’s standards for providing anonymity.
• We asked for additional information, such as a supervisor who was stationed in Afghanistan whose records prove that they were physically there, or for an on-camera interview with full documentation, but those requests were not answered by the Majewski campaign.

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Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters and Ms. Diona Clark, a domestic violence survivor and advocate, held a virtual press conference to denounce disgusting Republican ads that lie about Rep. Emilia Sykes’ record. Rep. Sykes has been a leading champion of legislation that better protects victims of domestic violence and keeps Ohioans safe. 

“Rep. Emilia Sykes has spent her whole career championing the people of Ohio, leading on issues ranging from investing in working Ohioans to healthcare to public safety to standing up for victims of domestic violence. Republicans are scared of running against that record. So they simply make up lies. And the latest ad coming from the Republican camp shows just how scared they are,” said Chair Walters. 

“Rep. Sykes is really invested in domestic violence survivors. She really cared. I never really thought I would be working with someone who makes policies. Our friendship, it grew through that and I’m grateful for her,” said Ms. Clark. 

The false ads in support of Sykes’ far-right opponent distort Sykes’ record in a naked, partisan attempt to distract from her opponent’s extreme record on abortion and critical issues that matter most to working Ohioans. 

Here’s a sampling of Madison Gesiotto Gilbert’s extreme record:  

• She supports banning abortion at six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant. 
• She’s endorsed by groups that want to outlaw contraception like birth control pills and emergency contraception like Plan B.
• Support no exceptions to her abortion ban, even in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk.
• She said that “abortion is the number one killer of Black Americans” 
• And said the overturn of Roe v. Wade was ‘amazing news.’ 

Rep. Emilia Sykes has led bipartisan efforts to protect victims of domestic violence. She passed legislation through the Ohio House that would allow victims of dating violence to secure a civil protection order against their attacker. Before Emilia’s bill, only spouses, people living as spouses or people who shared custody of children could do so. She also sponsored a bill that would criminalize tracking another person without their consent. In an age where so much of our information lives online, we shouldn’t be enabling domestic abusers to use that information to track their victims online. 

Most recently, legislation supported by Emilia helped secure almost $3 million for the Summit County Sheriff’s office to help crack down on violent crime. But facts don’t seem to matter to the Republicans spreading these lies.

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