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For Immediate Release:
Friday, April 22, 2022
CONTACT: Cameron Keir, [email protected], 614-506-5413

Ohio Democrats Bring “Cost of Corruption” Tour to Columbus

From the Largest Public Corruption Scandal in State History to Major Tax Breaks for the Wealthy, Ohioans are Paying Billions for Republican Corruption

Columbus, OH —  Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters, Ohio Attorney General candidate Jeff Crossman, Ohio Auditor candidate Taylor Sappington, Ohio Treasurer candidate Scott Schertzer and Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein brought the “Cost of Corruption” tour to Columbus to highlight the high costs Ohioans are paying for GOP corruption under Mike DeWine’s leadership.

Ohio Democrats drew the contrast between the high cost of Republican corruption and the Democratic plan to invest in working families and put the interests of working Ohioans first.

“At a time when too many Ohioans are worried about high costs and making ends meet, Mike DeWine and his fellow Republicans are making you pay the price for their corruption while Democrats are laser-focused on investing in working families,” said Chair Walters.

Under Mike DeWine’s leadership, Ohioans are paying billions for GOP corruption as Republican politicians look to line their own pockets and the pockets of dark money interest groups, all while leaving hard-working Ohioans behind.

“Ohio finds itself in the middle of the largest public corruption scandal in state history that’s led to the arrest of a former Republican Party chair, the expulsion of a former Speaker of the House – an expulsion I helped lead – and the resignation of a top aide to Gov. Mike DeWine. Yet, working Ohioans are the ones covering the cost of the scandal, footing the bill for $287,000 in subsidies every single day,” said Ohio Attorney General candidate Jeff Crossman.

“I know firsthand how hard it is when you’re struggling to make ends meet – to put food on the table or pay for prescription drugs. The last thing we should be asking hard-working Ohioans to shell out for is GOP corruption that puts working families further and further behind,” said Ohio Auditor candidate Taylor Sappington.

Ohio Democrats are offering a better way forward.

“In Marion, like in so many towns across Ohio, things get done with collaboration and cooperation. We are a community of good people who just want to do what’s right for their families. Corruption has run rampant and politicians like Robert Sprague have been asleep at the wheel. From the FirstEnergy scandal to misspent Medicaid dollars to the governor’s airplane travel, your tax dollars are being wasted, and we haven’t heard a peep from Robert Sprague about what he plans to do about it. We can’t afford to have representatives in Columbus neglecting their duty and failing to look out for you and your tax dollars,” said Ohio Treasurer candidate Scott Schertzer.

“While Republicans are costing you billions, Ohio Democrats are investing over nine billion federal dollars to fix highways across Ohio, $100 million to bring broadband to those that don’t have it and $1.4 billion to assure clean and safe drinking water is available every time you turn on the tap,” said Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein.

Ohioans are paying BILLIONS of dollars for GOP corruption at Mike DeWine’s statehouse, including:

• $287,000 every single day for subsidies that bail out an out-of-state coal plant and are tied to the largest public corruption scandal in state history. The subsidies are estimated to cost Ohioans up to $1.8 billion by 2030. 
• $9 billion for special interest tax giveaways that mostly benefit for-profit corporations.
• $1.85 billion in tax breaks for the wealthy and well-connected, including wealthy GOP lawmakers who leave working Ohioans behind. 
• $118 million in improper Medicaid payments made to ineligible dead or incarcerated individuals.
• $20 million promised in tax credits to Lordstown Motors, a company currently under investigation by the DOJ and SEC and that employs DeWine’s grandson as its lobbyist. 
• $17.5 million settlement for a man who was paralyzed after being tackled by state prison guards.
• $9 million for the election chaos created by Republicans who refuse to pass fair maps. Their refusal to do their jobs will likely make a May 3 primary impossible, likely costing Ohioans another $20 million.
• $763,000 and counting to litigate the GOP-gerrymandered maps in court.  
• $39,000 for Mike DeWine’s private airplane travel to taxpayer-funded photo ops in 2019.

At a time when Ohio families are worried about their ability to make ends meet, the last thing they should be spending their hard-earned money on is the corruption running rampant at Mike DeWine’s statehouse. Ohio Democrats are ready to offer a better way forward.

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Columbus, OH — With only two days until Trump’s rally, the GOP Ohio U.S. Senate field has descended into even more chaos following Trump’s surprise endorsement of Vance. 

Trump’s endorsement of Vance was expected to be a coronation but if this week has been any indication –  it’s only provoked condemnation. The “We the People Convention,” a national Tea Party group headquartered in Akron, said they would not accept Trump’s endorsement and questioned why Vance would say Trump was “America’s Hitler.” Zawistowski, the president of the group, said, “We were stunned when he would endorse a J.D. Vance who has no connection to us. J.D. Vance was nowhere in Ohio when we were electing Donald Trump twice.” The group is also planning to protest Trump’s rally in Delaware and Zawistowski said that Trump can expect to hear boos when he comes to Delaware County this weekend.

Half of Trump’s 2016 Ohio RNC delegates called Vance’s endorsement a “betrayal” and sent a letter to Trump asking him to reconsider. The letter also called out Vance’s lack of connection to Ohio, saying, “Unlike the other candidates in this race, JD Vance has not developed relationships with Republican voters and grassroots leaders that are crucial to win.” 

And Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Jason Williams lambasted Vance about how poorly his endorsement is going over in Ohio. He said Vance is “the candidate who cares the least about Ohio” and is “the least authentic candidate in the race.” Williams also said, “Many Ohio Republican Party influencers are irate at Trump over his Vance endorsement. They’re quietly working against Vance.”

Trump texted Club For Growth President David McIntosh, expecting him to take down their anti-Vance ads and when they didn’t, had his assistant text McIntosh, saying, “Go f*^% yourself.” Club For Growth Action responded within minutes, saying they are increasing their ad buy in Ohio.  

“Trump’s endorsement hasn’t united the Ohio GOP – it has only created more chaos and division as Republicans have spent the past week destroying each other. With less than two weeks to go, this crowded primary will only get uglier and make it even harder for the GOP to unite behind one of their toxic, out-of-touch millionaires,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

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For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, the Cincinnati Enquirer outlined the high price of GOP gerrymandering today, as Ohioans pay tens of millions of dollars because Republicans refuse to do their jobs and pass fair maps. Jessie Balmert lists the ways Ohioans are paying the price, from $20 million for two primaries to wasted money on mapmakers whose maps were never used to the cost of defending gerrymandered maps in court to $9 million allocated to the May 3rd primary – all because Republicans refuse to do their jobs.

“Between paying mapmakers for maps never used, defending ultimately unconstitutional maps in court and sending money to election officials for overtime, Ohio’s leaders have spent millions,” writes Jessie Balmert of the Enquirer.

“The cost of Republican corruption is too high and hard-working Ohioans have suffered enough under Republican rule. The redistricting process is just the latest example of  GOP corruption that is costing Ohioans billions. It’s clear Ohio can’t afford four more years of Mike DeWine and his Republican buddies controlling state government,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Elizabeth Walters. 

Read more about how you’re footing the bill for redistricting here and below:

• Ohio’s redistricting mess comes at a cost, and taxpayers like you are footing that bill. 
• Between paying mapmakers for maps never used, defending ultimately unconstitutional maps in court and sending money to election officials for overtime, Ohio’s leaders have spent millions.
• That doesn’t include the bill for holding a second primary for state legislative races, likely in early August. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose estimated the cost could be between $20 million to $25 million.
• Add to that $9.2 million that Ohio lawmakers allocated to help run the May 3 primary. Most of that money went toward speeding up the process of uploading legislative maps that ultimately weren’t used, said Aaron Ockerman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Election Officials.
• In the latest round of drawing state House and Senate maps, the Ohio Redistricting Commission hired two experts to craft legislative plans. The GOP-controlled commission ultimately didn’t use those maps.
• But the hired mapmakers will still be paid. University of Florida professor Michael McDonald billed just over $40,000 for travel and mapmaking. National Demographics Corp.’s Douglas Johnson spent nearly $49,300. Both made $450 an hour and were permitted to bill up to $49,000 apiece.
• The Ohio Redistricting Commission has billed another nearly $61,000 for computers, mapmaking software, staff’s travel expenses and advertising completed maps, according to Legislative Service Commission records. 
• Meanwhile, the legal bill is mounting. As of early April, attorneys had billed nearly $962,000 on lawsuits over Ohio’s maps, according to Ohio Attorney General’s Office records.

Redistricting is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Republicans costing you money. This is exactly why Ohio Democrats are crisscrossing Ohio this month outlining the Costs of Republican Corruption. 

Ohioans are paying BILLIONS of dollars for GOP corruption at Mike DeWine’s statehouse, including:

• $287,000 every single day for subsidies that bail out an out-of-state coal plant and are tied to the largest public corruption scandal in state history. The subsidies are estimated to cost Ohioans up to $1.8 billion by 2030. 
• $9 billion for special interest tax giveaways that mostly benefit for-profit corporations.
• $1.85 billion in tax breaks for the wealthy and well-connected, including wealthy GOP lawmakers who leave working Ohioans behind.
• $118 million in improper Medicaid payments made to ineligible dead or incarcerated individuals.
• $20 million promised in tax credits to Lordstown Motors, a company currently under investigation by the DOJ and SEC and that employs DeWine’s grandson as its lobbyist.
• $17.5 million settlement for a man who was paralyzed after being tackled by state prison guards.
• $763,000 and counting to litigate the GOP-gerrymandered maps in court.
• $39,000 for Mike DeWine’s private airplane travel to taxpayer-funded photo ops in 2019.

At a time when Ohio families are worried about their ability to make ends meet, the last thing they should be spending their hard-earned money on is the corruption running rampant at Mike DeWine’s statehouse. Ohio Democrats are ready to offer a better way forward.

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For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, April 19, 2022

From the Largest Public Corruption Scandal in State History to Major Tax Breaks for the Wealthy, Ohioans are Paying Billions for Republican Corruption

Cleveland, OH —  Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters, Ohio Attorney General candidate Jeff Crossman and Representative Juanita Brent brought the “Cost of Corruption” tour to Cleveland to highlight the high costs Ohioans are paying for GOP corruption under Mike DeWine’s leadership.

Ohio Democrats drew the contrast between the high cost of Republican corruption and the Democratic plan to invest in working families and put the interests of working Ohioans first.

“At a time when too many Ohioans are worried about high costs and making ends meet, Mike DeWine and his fellow Republicans are making you pay the price for their corruption while Democrats are laser-focused on investing in working families,” said Chair Walters.

Under Mike DeWine’s leadership, Ohioans are paying billions for GOP corruption as Republican politicians look to line their own pockets and the pockets of dark money interest groups, all while leaving hard-working Ohioans behind.

“Ohio finds itself in the middle of the largest public corruption scandal in state history that’s led to the arrest of a former Republican Party chair, the expulsion of a former Speaker of the House – an expulsion I helped lead – and the resignation of a top aide to Gov. Mike DeWine. Yet, working Ohioans are the ones covering the cost of the scandal, footing the bill for $287,000 in subsidies every single day,” said Ohio Attorney General candidate Jeff Crossman.

Ohio Democrats are offering a better way forward.

“While Republicans are costing you billions, Ohio Democrats are investing over nine billion federal dollars to fix highways across Ohio, $100 million to bring broadband to those that don’t have it and $1.4 billion to assure clean and safe drinking water is available every time you turn on the tap,” said Representative Juanita Brent.

Ohioans are paying BILLIONS of dollars for GOP corruption at Mike DeWine’s statehouse, including:

• $287,000 every single day for subsidies that bail out an out-of-state coal plant and are tied to the largest public corruption scandal in state history. The subsidies are estimated to cost Ohioans up to $1.8 billion by 2030. 
• $9 billion for special interest tax giveaways that mostly benefit for-profit corporations.
• $1.85 billion in tax breaks for the wealthy and well-connected, including wealthy GOP lawmakers who leave working Ohioans behind. 
• $118 million in improper Medicaid payments made to ineligible dead or incarcerated individuals.
• $20 million promised in tax credits to Lordstown Motors, a company currently under investigation by the DOJ and SEC and that employs DeWine’s grandson as its lobbyist. 
• $17.5 million settlement for a man who was paralyzed after being tackled by state prison guards.
• $9 million for the election chaos created by Republicans who refuse to pass fair maps. Their refusal to do their jobs will likely make a May 3 primary impossible, likely costing Ohioans another $20 million.
• $763,000 and counting to litigate the GOP-gerrymandered maps in court.  
• $39,000 for Mike DeWine’s private airplane travel to taxpayer-funded photo ops in 2019.

At a time when Ohio families are worried about their ability to make ends meet, the last thing they should be spending their hard-earned money on is the corruption running rampant at Mike DeWine’s statehouse. Ohio Democrats are ready to offer a better way forward.

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For Immediate Release:

Monday, April 18, 2022

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, the Columbus Dispatch did a deep dive on Frank LaRose, once again highlighting that voters never know which Frank LaRose they’re going to get. On issues ranging from redistricting to election fraud to impeaching a Supreme Court Chief Justice, the only thing that we know about Frank LaRose for sure is that he’s a political phony with no principles who’ll do or say anything to help himself.

“[A]s he faces a primary challenge from the right this year, LaRose has danced around impeaching Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, blamed Democrats for primary election chaos and taken an increasingly pessimistic view on legislative mapmaking,” writes Laura Bischoff of the Dispatch.

“Each time LaRose speaks out of both sides of his mouth, it’s clear the only Ohioan he’s looking out for is himself. Instead of doing his job and standing up for Ohio voters, he’s laser-focused on running a losing Senate campaign in two years,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

Read more about when and where LaRose changed his stance here and below:

• But as he faces a primary challenge from the right this year, LaRose has danced around impeaching Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, blamed Democrats for primary election chaos and taken an increasingly pessimistic view on legislative mapmaking.
• LaRose tried to strike a statesman-like tone in August as he faced one of the most politically charged assignments of his career – craft congressional and state legislative district maps that abide by new rules in the Ohio Constitution.
• But at every turn, the Ohio Redistricting Commission, of which LaRose is a member, failed to reach a bipartisan agreement. Delays, disagreements and court challenges on the maps have created chaos, uncertainty and forced Ohio to have two primary elections.
• Six months after LaRose called for statesmanship, Ohio’s chief elections official threw up his hands in frustration, blamed the Supreme Court and said he wouldn’t oppose impeaching O’Connor.
• Following the 2020 election, LaRose praised Donald Trump’s decisive win in Ohio but conceded that Joe Biden won the presidency. “Under the rules in place, President Biden won,” LaRose said in December 2020.
• In an April 2022 interview when asked if Biden won, LaRose said the Democrat got 270 electoral votes, which was accepted by Congress and Biden is commander in chief.
• In 2019, when he referred for investigation 77 cases of potential voter fraud, LaRose said voter fraud and suppression are both “exceedingly rare and certainly not as systemic as some claim.”
• Then in 2022, after sending 62 cases of illegal voting to investigators, LaRose took a more alarmist tone. On Feb. 3, LaRose tweeted: “The alleged voter fraud uncovered by my office and referred for prosecution this week is ONLY THE BEGINNING. This is one of MANY investigations.” 
• Forty-two ballots represent 0.0007% of the 5.9 million ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election in Ohio. LaRose said his Feb. 3 tweet was in response to a CNN report on the referral of potential voter fraud that painted it as a non-issue.

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