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Columbus, OH – Two new reports highlight how J.D. Vance’s “personal culture war” is with women – an ongoing struggle throughout his campaign, thanks to his extreme views on divorce, same-sex marriage, abortion, as well as his comments railing against “childless cat ladies” and women in the workplace as a whole.

A new Mother Jones report highlights how Vance went on a podcast hosted by a man who said “feminists need rape.” It shows the kind of company Vance keeps – just like a recent tweet from one of his super PAC cronies telling a Tim Ryan staffer she should strongly consider “finding someone who can make you a stay at home mom.” 

Vance’s first ad of the general election also underscored the challenges he faces with women – enlisting his wife Usha to talk about his biography while only having Vance himself speaking during the legally-required disclosure at the end of the ad, which political analyst Kyle Kondik noted “appears to be an effort to improve Vance’s image with women, which supposedly is in need of boosting.” 

Read more below: 

Cincinnati Enquirer: In Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, J.D. Vance declares war on behalf of nuclear family

Haley BeMiller 

August 25, 2022

• “This is one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is this idea that like, well, OK, these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy,” Vance said. “And so, getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, that’s going to make people happy over the long term. And maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though I’m skeptical, but it really didn’t work out for the kids of those marriages.”

• Critics say Vance’s comments, first reported by Vice News, show that he believes people should stay in violent marriages for the sake of their children. Vance contends news outlets and the campaign of his Democratic Senate opponent U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan twisted his words and called it a “disgusting” attack on someone who’s witnessed domestic abuse.

• Still, Vance is undeniably against divorce. And his personal culture war doesn’t stop there: He opposes abortion except when it’s necessary to save the pregnant person’s life. He told a Catholic magazine he wants to ban pornography. He’s against same-sex marriage and said he would not support federal legislation to codify marriage equality. He cast Democratic leaders as “childless cat ladies” who don’t have a true stake in the country’s future.

Mother Jones: J.D. Vance Appeared With Podcaster Who Once Said “Feminists Need Rape”

David Corn

August 25, 2022

• J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for Senate in Ohio, is typically described as the bestselling author of Hillbilly Elegy, a venture capitalist, and a Never Trumper who came to embrace Donald Trump. But that snapshot doesn’t do justice to Vance, a reactionary extremist who yearns to destroy what he calls the “American leadership class” and to implement an extensive and possibly illegal program to cleanse US society of liberal influence. He compares this project to the de-Nazification of Germany following World War II. Last September, Vance outlined this message of revolutionary conservatism on a podcast hosted by a rightwing activist and self-styled masculinity champion who once declared, “Feminists need rape.” During the interview, Vance called for returning Trump to the White House in 2024 so Trump could fire every top and mid-level federal government employee to “deconstruct the administrative state,” and he noted that Trump should even defy the law, if necessary, to mount such a purge.

• The show’s host was Jack Murphy, who runs a secretive men’s organization that claims all major American institutions—universities, the media, the government, unions, professional organizations, nonprofits, and corporations—have been “infiltrated, corrupted, demoralized” and aim to “control you forever.” For years, Murphy has railed against feminism, wokeness, and other conservative bête noires. In a blog post written in 2015 and subsequently deleted, he asserted, “Feminists need rape… It is our duty as men to save feminists from themselves. Therefore, I am offering rape to feminists as an olive branch.”

• The Vance campaign declined to comment on his interview with Murphy or to answer questions about his call for instituting a de-Nazification-like program in the United States. Murphy declined to comment on his blog post referring to feminists and rape.

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Columbus, OH – A new report from The Vindicator/Tribune Chronicle highlights the Ohio Democratic Party’s takeover of the now-defunct website for J.D. Vance’s sham non-profit, Our Ohio Renewal. The newly relaunched OurOhioRenewal.com redirects to OurOhioRipoff.com, which spotlights how Vance’s sham non-profit helped Vance and his political allies, while bringing in a puppet of Purdue Pharma, who pushed biased science that Purdue used to deflect responsibility for its role in the deadly opioid epidemic that has ravaged Ohio. 

Here’s what they’re reading in the Mahoning Valley today: 

The Vindicator: Dems buy former Vance website, now criticizes Senate candidate
David Skolnick
August 24, 2022

• The Ohio Democratic Party bought the web domain address of the defunct nonprofit founded by J.D. Vance to fight the opioid epidemic and turned it into a parody account critical of the Republican Senate nominee.

• OurOhioRenewal.com now directs people to OurOhioRipoff.com, which highlights shortcomings of Vance and the former nonprofit.

• “With a few quick keystrokes, Ohioans can now learn the truth about J.D. Vance and his sham organization,” Michael Beyer, an ODP spokesman, said. “Instead of taking meaningful steps to address the opioid epidemic, Vance recruited a Purdue Pharma puppet who echoed their lies and deflected blame from the damage they caused.”

• Beyer added: “If it wasn’t already clear, this is just one more way that Vance continues to prove himself a fraud who won’t hesitate to sell out Ohioans in order to further his own ambition.”

• In a July 27 interview with the Scioto Valley Guardian, Vance said of the organization: “I do think we did some good. We provided some treatment to people that otherwise didn’t have it, But also, you know, running a nonprofit is a lot of work. And the guy that we actually tapped to run it, unfortunately, got stage four cancer. He’s doing fine now.”

• He added: “It was something that we tried. I’m proud that we tried it, but it wasn’t ultimately very successful.”

• Vance is facing U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, the Democratic nominee, in the Nov. 8 general election for an open seat. Most polls show the race as a statistical dead heat.

• The Associated Press recently reported Vance’s shuttered nonprofit’s “most notable accomplishment — sending an addiction specialist to Ohio’s Appalachian region for a yearlong residency — was tainted by ties among the doctor, the institute that employed her and Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin.”

• The report added: “The mothballing of Our Ohio Renewal and its dearth of tangible success raise questions about Vance’s management of the organization. His decision to bring on Dr. Sally Satel is drawing particular scrutiny.”

• The report states Satel questioned the role of prescription painkillers in the opioid epidemic and that she sometimes cited Purdue-funded studies and doctors in articles she wrote.

• Satel is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, which received about $800,000 from Purdue, according to a 2019 ProPublica article. Satel told the AP that she never consulted with or took money from Purdue and wasn’t aware of the contributions to AEI.

• Vance has said in the past that his organization fell short of his goals. Vance rose to fame writing “Hillbilly Elegy,” a book that included his mother’s addiction to OxyContin and heroin and the impact those drugs have on people in Appalachia.

• Vance’s old website touted Our Ohio Renewal as “dedicated to promoting the ideas and addressing the problems identified in” the book.

• The ODP’s Vance website also cites a Business Insider article that states the nonprofit, created in 2017, spent no money on programs to fight the opioid epidemic and that 96.4 percent of its funding went to staff salaries and overhead in its first year.

• The report also states Jai Chabria, who was the organization’s top officer and is now Vance’s senior campaign adviser, made more in management fees than Our Ohio Renewal spent in programming.

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Website Highlights How J.D. Vance’s Sham Non-Profit Brought A Purdue Pharma Puppet To Ohio

Columbus, OH — Following a bombshell Associated Press report showing J.D. Vance’s sham non-profit recruited and promoted a “doctor echoing Big Pharma” known for “questioning the role of prescription painkillers in the national opioid crisis,” the Ohio Democratic Party is launching OurOhioRenewal.com. The website, formerly owned by Vance’s now-defunct organization, redirects to OurOhioRipoff.com, and will spotlight how J.D. Vance’s sham non-profit helped Vance and his political allies while bringing in a puppet of Purdue Pharma, despite its role in the deadly epidemic that has ravaged Ohio. 

Here is what OurOhioRenewal.com looks like now:

Mimicking the format of the old Our Ohio Renewal website, OurOhioRipoff.com focuses on the three “accomplishments” of Vance’s sham non-profit: spending nothing on programs to fight the opioid epidemic, bringing a Purdue Pharma puppet to Ohio, and using the non-profit to position himself for a political run. Just like his organization’s registration with the Ohio Secretary of State, J.D. Vance’s ownership of this domain has also lapsed – and we are very grateful to him for his carelessness here.

Ohio voters can also read about two main players in the non-profit: Dr. Sally Satel, a Big Pharma-backed doctor who echoed Purdue Pharma talking points about the opioid epidemic, and Jai Chabria, a senior advisor to Vance’s campaign who pocketed thousands of dollars through the non-profit while spending nothing to combat the opioid epidemic. 

OurOhioRipoff.com will now serve as a clearinghouse for Ohioans to learn about J.D. Vance’s sham non-profit and all the ways Vance failed Ohio while laying the groundwork for a future run for political office. Herb Asher, a longtime Ohio political expert, characterized the organization’s lack of accomplishments, as well as Dr. Sally Satel’s connection to Big Pharma, as a “betrayal.”

“With a few quick keystrokes, Ohioans can now learn the truth about J.D. Vance and his sham organization: instead of taking meaningful steps to address the opioid epidemic, Vance recruited a Purdue Pharma puppet who echoed their lies and deflected blame from the damage they caused. If it wasn’t already clear, this is just one more way that Vance continues to prove himself a fraud who won’t hesitate to sell out Ohioans in order to further his own ambition,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

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Columbus, OH — In what’s become an all too regular pattern, Mike DeWine is set to tout critical funding for law enforcement that he initially opposed, this time in Gallia County. DeWine has repeatedly taken credit for money that was passed by Ohio Democrats and that he’s on the record opposing. Today, DeWine will yet again shamelessly turn a critical Democratic victory into a political photo op to make it look like he’s got law enforcement’s back. He doesn’t.  

“Time and again, Mike DeWine tries to make it look like he’s got Ohio law enforcement’s back, but the truth is local law enforcement would not have this important grant funding if it were up to DeWine. Mike DeWine is doing little more than once again shamelessly campaigning and claiming credit for the hard work of Ohio Democrats who secured these critical resources for Ohio law enforcement,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes. 

Earlier this month, DeWine campaigned off the hard work of Democrats, using ARPA money awarded to local police agencies to fight violent crime as a political stunt. And back in May, DeWine similarly used Ohio law enforcement officers as political pawns when he announced funding for the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab and Cleveland’s critical Real Time Crime Center, both only made possible because of the American Rescue Plan.   

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Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, The American Independent outlined deep ties between the three extreme Republicans running for the Ohio Supreme Court and the Federalist Society, a right-wing organization with an agenda aimed at installing far-right judges and stripping abortion rights in states like Ohio. The deep ties between GOP justices and the organization that has been working for years to overturn reproductive rights indicate that if Republicans retain the Court, abortion rights in Ohio are on the line. 

“The outcome of these three races will directly affect the future of abortion access in Ohio. Immediately after Roe was overturned, an Ohio law banning abortion after six weeks’ gestation went into effect. Attorneys representing the state’s abortion providers sued to restore access, and the case is waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court, but the outcome of November’s elections could determine how the court rules,” writes The American Independent’s Matt Cohen.

“Make no mistake, reproductive rights are on the ballot at every level this November. This new report puts a direct spotlight on Republican justices’ extreme and troubling views when it comes to abortion rights in this state and indicates that Ohioans’ rights will be stripped away if Republicans retain the court in November,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes. 

Read more from The American Independent here and below:

• When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, its 1973 landmark ruling that affirmed Americans’ constitutional right to an abortion, it was a moment that had been decades in the making. And the organization that played a leading role in laying the groundwork for the court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe continues to push its broader agenda in such states as Ohio, where it is working to make abortion illegal.

• As Ilyse Hogue, former president of the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, noted in a story adapted from her book on the movement to abolish abortion rights, “The Lie That Binds,” a great deal of the push to overturn Roe was organized by the Federalist Society, a right-wing organization founded in 1982.

• The Federalist Society, Hogue says, was “a new effort to train and promote conservative-minded lawyers into prominent positions, with an eye toward installing far-right judges. 

• And now that the future of abortion access is in the hands of the states, the Federalist Society is setting its sights on state supreme courts, utilizing its network and resources to ensure a majority of state supreme court justices are aligned with its conservative values.

• The effort is especially pronounced in Ohio, where two of the state’s Supreme Court justices are running for reelection, and a third open-seat race will fill an impending vacancy on the seven-person court.

• The outcome of these three races will directly affect the future of abortion access in Ohio. Immediately after Roe was overturned, an Ohio law banning abortion after six weeks’ gestation went into effect. Attorneys representing the state’s abortion providers sued to restore access, and the case is waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court, but the outcome of November’s elections could determine how the court rules. A recent Suffolk University/Cincinnati Enquirer poll found that a majority of likely midterm voters in Ohio want see abortion rights protected.

• Currently, the Ohio Supreme Court has a 4-3 Republican majority, and three of the four conservative justices have deep ties to the Federalist Society.

• Pat DeWine and Pat Fischer, who are both running for reelection, are both listed as contributors on the Federalist Society’s website. DeWine, who is also the son of Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, participated in Federalist Society-sponsored events during his candidacy in 2016 and often refers to his involvement with the organization on Twitter.

• Fischer too participated in Federalist Society events when he was a candidate for Ohio’s highest court in 2016, as has continued to do so since he was elected. 

• Sharon Kennedy, a sitting justice who is running to fill the impending vacancy left by Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, who is set to retire after this year, participates in Federalist Society events and frequently mentions her involvement with the organization.

• But the Federalist Society’s influence in Ohio’s judiciary branch doesn’t end with the state Supreme Court. Ohio Attorney General David Yost is also listed as a contributor on the Federalist Society’s website and has repeatedly mentioned his involvement with the organization. After Roe was overturned, Yost hurried to file a motion to dissolve a federal court injunction that had been placed in 2019 on the state’s recently passed and misnamed “Heartbeat Protection Act,” which prohibits abortion as soon as what is incorrectly referred to as a “fetal heartbeat” is detected. As doctors note, there is no heart in an embryo when electrical activity right-wing lawmakers incorrectly call a “heartbeat” can be picked up by an ultrasound. 

• Yost drew widespread ire in July when he questioned the veracity of a story of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who was allegedly raped and had to travel to Indiana to get an abortion because of the Ohio abortion ban that he championed. Shortly after Yost cast doubt on the story, a 27-year-old man was arrested and charged with rape. The Democratic Party of Ohio has since called on Yost to resign.

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