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For Immediate Release:
July 19, 2022

Columbus, OH – Struggling to overcome poor polling and lackluster fundraising numbers, J.D. Vance is also facing mounting criticism from Ohioans noticing he’s nowhere to be found. WEWS put it succinctly in new reporting yesterday: “Around the Ohio Statehouse, Democrats and Republicans alike have all been wondering: where is Vance?”

Conservative talk radio hosts have criticized Vance for being missing on the airwaves. Youngstown host Ron Verb tore into J.D. Vance for his “horrible campaign” and said he needs to “get off his ass and start moving.” The show’s episode was titled, “Where is J.D. Vance?” When Vance finally appeared on Verb’s show weeks later, Verb left Vance with a warning about his campaign, saying (at 16:39), “…you need to appear more often on the program. We just want more from you, I guess, is what we’re trying to say.”

Bill Cunningham also chided Vance (at the 51:35 mark) for missing DeWine’s ice cream social last month. He said, “You missed Fran’s cherry pies, one of the highlights in Greene County, but alright we’ll talk again, but J.D. there’s a sense you’re not campaigning.” Last week, Bill Cunningham said he would have a guest on to discuss “what many consider to be the non-campaign of J.D. Vance.”

“J.D. Vance is hiding from Ohioans because he feels ‘out of place’ in the state and can’t answer for his sham nonprofit, defend his toxic position that survivors of rape and incest should be forced to give birth, or explain why he shrugged off the devastating impact of trade and outsourcing on Ohio workers. San Francisco Vance may be afraid to talk about his out-of-touch positions on the campaign trail but Ohioans won’t be fooled by Ohio’s biggest fraud,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

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Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) Chair Elizabeth Walters called on Dave Yost to resign as Attorney General. Yost rushed to implement a six-week abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest and then questioned the story of a ten-year-old rape victim who suffered even more by having to travel out of state to receive critical reproductive healthcare because of Yost’s ban. 

Yost has refused to apologize to the victim and continues to spread misinformation about the law he helped implement, demonstrating that he’s not qualified to serve as Ohio’s Attorney General any longer.

“Dave Yost is clearly incapable of shame. He’s incapable of doing the right thing. As attorney general, Yost should be looking for justice, not getting in the way of it. An apology is not enough, Dave Yost must resign. And if he does not, we’re ready to defeat him at the ballot box in November,” said Walters.

Chair Walters was joined on the call by family medicine doctor and abortion provider Dr. Catherine Romanos, who has firsthand experience with reproductive health and the risks the dangerous new Ohio laws may pose to patients.

“I don’t think that our leaders should be setting examples like this. People should feel comfortable going to law enforcement, people should feel supported when they go to law enforcement. When stories like this circulate, we should do everything to make people believe that we believe them. That we trust them, care about them and are going to support them,” said Dr. Romanos.

Yost also asserted without a doubt that the ten-year-old victim could have gotten an abortion in Ohio. Now legal experts, doctors and even Ohio’s own Legislative Service Commission (which helps state lawmakers draft laws) have weighed in on that assertion and made clear the six-week abortion ban makes no exceptions for rape or incest.

Yost either doesn’t understand the law or is pretending not to, once again demonstrating why he is unfit to serve as Attorney General.

A full video of today’s press conference can be provided upon request.

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Columbus, OH — Though independent candidate Neil Petersen submitted his signatures to run as an independent gubernatorial candidate months ago, Frank LaRose still hasn’t certified his candidacy, just months before the November election. LaRose’s delay raises questions about his intentions, especially as Petersen is running as a conservative challenger to DeWine.

“More Republicans voted against Mike DeWine than voted for him, and now DeWine’s buddy Frank LaRose is dragging his feet in certifying the candidacy of a candidate who poses a real threat to DeWine’s re-election. Ohio voters deserve answers from Frank LaRose about the delay, why it has taken so long and when voters can expect an answer,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

According to a tweet from Petersen, LaRose’s office promised results by Friday but now are walking that back and providing no timeline to the candidate on when they may get results.

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July 18, 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:

SICK AND DISTURBED… is how some are describing Mike DeWine and his Republican buddies (we’re looking at you Dave Yost) after they cast doubt on the validity of the rape case involving a 10-year-old forced to travel to Indiana for an abortion because the six-week abortion ban they helped implement includes no exceptions for rape or incest. Facing questions about the consequences of the six-week abortion ban DeWine himself implemented, DeWine refused comment. Now, the Dayton Daily News has noted his campaign website has scrubbed language about DeWine’s abortion record. DeWine is the most anti-choice governor in the country, and now he’s trying to hide it. Sick and disturbed indeed.

FOLLOW THE MONEY. Thanks to Ohio Democrats, Appalachia just received an influx of investments to help communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. But if it were up to DeWine, they would never have seen a dollar of that funding. Why? Because DeWine (and every other Ohio Republican on the ballot this fall) opposed the American Rescue Plan championed by Ohio Democrats. But Mike DeWine is so desperate to stay relevant, he’s touting funding he opposed and that Democrats passed – a sure sign that DeWine knows he’s in trouble.

FACT CHECK: FALSE. Mike DeWine claimed on Twitter this weekend that he will always support Ohio law enforcement, but his actions tell a different story. Ohio’s largest police union has said ‘our voices are not heard’ when discussing recent actions by DeWine to sign dangerous gun bills into law. Time and again, DeWine has said one thing and done another. In this case, it’s making our law enforcement officers and Ohio families less safe.

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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Columbus, OH – J.D. Vance is facing brutal coverage for a brutal fundraising quarter that left his campaign in debt. With a high unfavorability rating, polls showing a dead heat and low fundraising numbers, the problems for Vance’s campaign continue to pile up.

Here’s what they are saying about Vance’s abysmal fundraising numbers:

• “J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, raised considerably less money in the second quarter than Tim Ryan, his Democratic opponent. Also, Vance’s Senate campaign would have a deficit if not for $700,000 the candidate gave it while a joint fundraising committee he uses to raise most of his money would have only a $91,626 surplus as of June 30 if it paid the outstanding debt it owes.” –David Skolnick, The Vindicator
• “I think legitimately he’s got to crank up his fundraising, and a lot of that’s got to be national. But clearly, they’re still digging out and recovering from the primary, because it was so nasty, twisted and dirty.” –Terry Casey, a Columbus-based Republican strategist to Cleveland.com 
• “It’s certainly got to be a wake-up call to the J.D. Vance campaign, because Tim Ryan is running circles around him right now.” –Ohio Republican strategist to Cleveland.com
• “But in the money game, Vance’s opponent has the upper hand.” –Haley BeMiller, Columbus Dispatch
• “The J.D. Vance campaign is broke.” –Roger Sollenberger, The Daily Beast
• “Vance showing some low fundraising numbers.” –Jonathan Lemire on MSNBC
• “But his campaign, totally broke.” –Gabby Orr, CNN
• “Tim Ryan…crushed GOP nominee J.D. Vance in the campaign cash dash…” –Paul Steinhauser, Fox News

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