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Columbus, OH — Following the U.S. Senate’s failure to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement:

“Today’s vote is a reminder that the basic rights of all Ohioans to reproductive healthcare – including abortion and birth control – are at stake in this year’s election. Ohio Republicans, from J.D. Vance to Mike DeWine to extremists in the Statehouse, are on a relentless campaign to strip women of their fundamental rights and enact new, cruel restrictions that would punish women, including survivors of rape and incest. 

“Thank you to Senator Brown for recognizing the urgency of this moment and voting to protect abortion rights. With Ohio Republicans already vowing to criminalize abortion, it is critical that Ohioans elect Tim Ryan and Nan Whaley, as well as pro-choice Democratic candidates up and down the ballot in November. This year’s election could not be more important and we will continue to fight so that women can make these healthcare decisions in consultation with their doctors – without unwanted and unnecessary interference from politicians.”

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For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, the Cleveland.com Editorial Board today called on Treasurer Robert Sprague to address allegations of improper record keeping when it comes to state taxes. Two Akron-area taxpayers and their lawyer at Akron’s Community Legal Aid Services uncovered what could be a “systemic failure” by Sprague’s office. The recent lawsuit raises questions about whether Sprague’s office has been failing to keep proper tax records and failing to track how much money is being withheld from Ohioans’ for tax purposes. The editorial points to the potential headaches that creates for Ohioans – from double taxation to failing to provide refunds for Ohioans who make overpayments.

“If the assertions in this lawsuit are true and Ohio is failing to track individual tax withholding amounts on its own, the problems could go beyond low-income taxpayers whose W-2 forms were destroyed or lost. How can the state possibly determine whether taxpayers are paying the right amount of taxes if it doesn’t track how much was actually withheld,” writes the Cleveland.com Editorial Board.

At a time when far too many Ohioans are worried about making ends meet, the failure of the Treasurer’s office to do its job and serve as a watchdog and responsible steward for Ohioans’ tax dollars is unacceptable. It’s clear Ohioans can’t afford four more years of Robert Sprague overseeing their hard-earned money. 

Read more from Cleveland.com HERE and below:

• All Ohioans may owe a big debt to two Akron-area taxpayers and their lawyer at Akron’s Community Legal Aid Services for uncovering what appears to be a major failing in the state’s tax-withholding recordkeeping.
• Last August, James Palm of Akron and Sara Pearson of Ravenna, two taxpayers who had been trying to come current on their taxes, filed a lawsuit against Ohio Tax Commissioner Jeff McClain and State Treasurer Robert Sprague.
• Their lawsuit alleged that the state’s lack of proper recordkeeping, as required by Ohio law, of employer withholding amounts had thwarted their efforts to determine their actual Ohio tax liability in lieu of W-2s that were missing, inaccessible or destroyed. And they charged that, instead of the state properly crediting them for their actual payments, they were double-taxed and are now owed refunds in the scores and maybe hundreds of dollars.
• What’s more, the lawsuit, filed by Community Legal Aid lawyer Dana Goldstein, alleged a “systemic failure” by Ohio to properly credit withholding to individual taxpayers as required by a 2007 law, and a related failure to automatically refund overpaid taxes. That impacts all Ohio taxpayers, potentially.
• What’s most egregious in these taxpayers’ experiences is that they were trying to pay back taxes that they owed. Yet, the lawsuit charges, they were not just foiled in their honest efforts — but then wrongly overcharged, instead.
• The 144-page lawsuit goes beyond Palm and Pearson’s experiences, however. It calls for a remedy that addresses the systemic issues it alleges have had “a disparate impact on low-income individuals.
• The lawsuit, filed directly to the Ohio Supreme Court, was referred to mediation when first filed, cleveland.com’s Jeremy Pelzer reported last August.
• Evidently, mediation was unsuccessful. So last Tuesday, May 3, a writ of mandamus signed by Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor restored the case to the high court’s docket and ordered Tax Commissioner McClain and State Treasurer Sprague to respond to the allegations within 21 days.
• If the assertions in this lawsuit are true and Ohio is failing to track individual tax withholding amounts on its own, the problems could go beyond low-income taxpayers whose W-2 forms were destroyed or lost. How can the state possibly determine whether taxpayers are paying the right amount of taxes if it doesn’t track how much was actually withheld?
• And if Ohio really is not keeping these records as required by fairness and the law, it needs to start doing so, forthwith.

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Columbus, OH — J.D. Vance’s extreme views on abortion keep making national news. A new report in Axios highlights how Vance’s views are even out of step with Donald Trump, who favored exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.

“J.D. Vance is so far out of the mainstream that he believes Ohio women – even survivors of rape and incest – should not be free to make decisions about their own reproductive health care,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

Axios: These GOP Senate candidates oppose most exceptions to abortion bans

Alayna Treene 

May 8, 2022 

• A series of Republican candidates running in crucial Senate battlegrounds hold strict anti-abortion views — including opposing the procedure even in cases of rape and incest.
• Why it matters: The views of these GOP front–runners go far beyond what Republicans have traditionally embraced: exceptions for rape, incest and the life of a mother. If elected, these candidates — from J.D. Vance in Ohio to Herschel Walker in Georgia — would push the party further right.
• Between the lines: Even former President Trump, whose anti-abortion rights bonafides were a key component of his 2016 and 2020 platforms, favored exceptions to abortion bans.
• In 2019, he tweeted: “As most people know, and for those who would like to know, I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions — Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother — the same position taken by Ronald Reagan.”
• The leaked draft signaling the Supreme Court’s intent to overturn Roe v. Wade has thrust abortion into the forefront of the midterm elections.
• The current candidates’ views are in line with a series of abortion bans recently enacted at the state level in places like Ohio, Arizona, Oklahoma, Florida and Texas.

The big picture: The state laws and positions held by the Senate candidates have spurred new questions about whether Republicans — if they regain the majority in the House or Senate — will try to pass a federal abortion ban.

• Such a measure wouldn’t be signed into law while President Biden is in office but would tee up future legislation for when a Republican is back in the White House.

J.D. Vance, the Trump-endorsed author of “Hillbilly Elegy” who was victorious in a crowded Republican primary last week, told Spectrum News he doesn’t think rape and incest exceptions are necessary.

• Vance said, “Two wrongs don’t make a right,” adding, “The question to me is really about the baby.”
• “It’s not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, it’s whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society,” Vance said.

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For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, blogger and radical conspiracy theorist turned GOP Congressional candidate J.R. Majewski seems to be more interested in overthrowing the government than serving in it. Now his repeated rhetoric sharing QAnon material and other conspiracy theories over discussing the issues that are important to hardworking Ohioans is making national headlines.

“J.R. Majewski, the MAGA rapper and landscaper who last week won a Republican primary for Congress in Ohio, has been trying to distance himself from QAnon. It’s going to be difficult, though, considering some of his past displays of loyalty to the unfounded conspiracy theory centered around the idea that the nation is run by a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles,” writes William Vaillancourt for Rolling Stone.

In contrast, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur has stood up against her own party to oppose bad trade deals like NAFTA, and worked across party lines to save the American auto industry and thousands of jobs at Jeep, GM, and hundreds of small shops across the district. Last year, Kaptur helped pass the American Rescue Plan which kept police officers, firefighters, and first responders on the job, and hospitals, schools, and small businesses open. While Majewski is focused on peddling conspiracy theories, Marcy Kaptur will continue her fight on behalf of Ohio’s Middle Class.

“J.R. Majewski is a conspiracy theorist known for his ties to the extremist group QAnon and funding and attending the January 6, 2021 efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Throughout the primary campaign, Majewski repeatedly promoted conspiracy theories, while offering nothing of substance to improve the lives of hardworking Ohioans. In contrast, Marcy Kaptur has a robust record of delivering real results for Ohioans. We’re confident that when shown that contrast, Ohioans will reward Marcy’s record of results in November,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

Read more about Majewski below:

CNN Politics: J.R. Majewski, an Ohio GOP congressional candidate, was a January 6 participant and has repeatedly shared pro-QAnon material

• .R. Majewski, the Air Force veteran who won the GOP primary for Ohio’s new 9th Congressional District, was a January 6 rally participant and has repeatedly shared pro-QAnon material — including a video showing him painting his lawn to say Trump 2020 with “Q” replacing the zeros.
• CNN’s KFile reviewed since-deleted and public tweets that show Majewski with a group of people who attended the January 6, 2021, “Stop the Steal” rally throughout the day in various places outside the Capitol — including a video in which a member of the group leads them in repeating the slogan of QAnon.
• Majewksi posted a photo in a since-deleted tweet that shows him and at least two attendees of the group with their heads photoshopped on the Founding Fathers with the caption, “It’s going down on 1/6.” 
• In April 2021, Majewski denied supporting QAnon in an interview with the Toledo Blade, saying, “I’ve never read any QAnon drop — what they call the ‘Q-Drop.” A “Q-drop” refers to messages posted by the anonymous “Q” who originally fed the conspiracy theory. But a CNN KFile review of Majewski’s tweets shows that despite claiming not to follow Q’s updates, Majewski engaged with QAnon hashtags, memes and rhetoric frequently online prior to this interview.
• Between July 2020 and January 2021 on his now-deleted personal Twitter account, Majewski tweeted the QAnon hashtag #WWG1WGA — which stands for “Where we go one, we go all” — more than 50 times.

Rolling Stone: MAGA Candidate Who Claims He’s Not a QAnon Follower Once Said ‘I Believe in Everything’ Q Has Released

William Vaillancourt

• J.R. Majewski, the MAGA rapper and landscaper who last week won a Republican primary for Congress in Ohio, has been trying to distance himself from QAnon. It’s going to be difficult, though, considering some of his past displays of loyalty to the unfounded conspiracy theory centered around the idea that the nation is run by a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles.
• Media Matters followed up CNN’s report by releasing a report of its own, including a video of Majewski explicitly stating his belief in the conspiracy theory. “I believe in everything that’s been put out from Q,” he said last year, adding that he “wanted nothing more than to go in that building,” referring to the attack on the Capitol, and that the only reason he didn’t was because he was with people who “had physical limitations.”
• Majewski didn’t seem to mind CNN’s piece exposing his history with QAnon. If @CNN is coming after me, that means I am doing something right,” he tweeted on Sunday.

Business Insider: Ohio GOP primary winner J.R. Majewski once displayed a 19,000-square-foot ‘Trump 2Q2Q’ sign on his lawn in an apparent reference to QAnon: report

Matthew Loh

• An air force veteran who won the GOP primary in Ohio’s 9th congressional district has a history of spreading QAnon conspiracy beliefs and defending the movement on social media, according to media reports.
• Majewski also tweeted the QAnon hashtag #WWG1WGA, or “Where we go one, we go all,” more than 50 times on his now-deleted personal Twitter account, per the outlet [CNN].
• While speaking to a right-wing radio host, the congressional candidate also promoted a baseless conspiracy theory that the violence during the January 6 Capitol riot was instigated by the FBI, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

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May 09, 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:

SEEKING JUSTICE. In case you missed it, Mike DeWine now faces a lawsuit from Ohio Democrats over his increasing connections to the largest public corruption scandal in Ohio history. Ohio Democrats, on behalf of Ohio voters are demanding answers on what DeWine knew and when about the $60 million bribery scandal. The story has gained traction across the state as Ohioans are demanding answers and transparency from DeWine and many are questioning how deep the scandal goes in the DeWine administration. Bottom line, Democrats are not going to let Mike DeWine stonewall and ‘no comment’ his way out of this scandal.

BAD SIGN FOR DEWINE. More Republicans voted against Mike DeWine than for him. After barely surviving a primary full of weak candidates, Mike DeWine limped across the finish line last week making one thing clear: he’s in real trouble come November. Despite spending $5 million in his own money, DeWine couldn’t even get 50% of Republicans in Ohio to vote for him. It’s a first in nearly 50 years, leaving Ohio political experts to say “without a doubt he’s vulnerable.” Republicans and Democrats agree on one thing: Mike DeWine is the wrong choice for Ohio. Ohioans have paid too high a price for DeWine’s corruption and incompetence over the last four years, it’s time for a new direction.

NO CREDIT IS DUE. DeWine once again is trying to claim credit for critical funding for Ohio law enforcement, but here’s the problem: DeWine opposed the legislation passed by Democrats that made this funding possible. DeWine traveled to the Miami Valley today to talk about funding for law enforcement, funding that comes from the American Rescue Plan, which DeWine said he would have voted against in March 2021. It’s another example of DeWine’s desperation and hypocrisy, using Democratic accomplishments to try to stay relevant politically and using Ohio law enforcement as a political pawn in the process.

DUCKING RESPONSIBILITY. Mike DeWine just admitted he’s given up on doing his job and following the Constitution when it comes to redistricting. In a response filed by the Ohio Redistricting Commission, DeWine says the third GOP-gerrymandered legislative map, rammed through by Republicans again last week after previously being struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court, is the only approach to the 2022 election. DeWine also tried to again duck responsibility by saying the commission should not be blamed. We can’t imagine many hard-working Ohioans get to duck their jobs and then shift the blame to someone else…

Thanks for catching up with us, that’s all the Mike Check we’ve got for this week. If you have questions my email is [email protected]. Have a great week!

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