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Columbus, OH — Remember when a bunch of people tried to warn Mike DeWine that Sam Randazzo was too close to Big Energy, but Mike DeWine appointed him to be Ohio’s top energy regulator anyway? Well, this week the Ohio Supreme Court joined the Feds in reminding DeWine why that was a terrible decision after they ruled that Randazzo should not have approved a FirstEnergy affiliate’s ability to help Ohioans shop for utilities, because it was too closely tied to the utility itself. As a note for those of you watching at home, this is AFTER Randazzo took a multi-million dollar bribe from FirstEnergy.

The latest repudiation of Randazzo comes as DeWine faces more and more questions about his ties to FirstEnergy and the largest public corruption scandal in state history. DeWine has continued to defend his selection of Randazzo to serve as chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, even after the FBI raided his home. This week’s ruling only further confirms that DeWine’s connections to Randazzo will continue to be a problem.

“It seems like every week, Mike DeWine is further embroiled in another scandal that betrays Ohio voters. This week was no different. DeWine ignored warnings about Randazzo, putting the needs of Big Energy above the interests of Ohioans, leaving Ohio voters to pay the price. Mike DeWine can’t be trusted,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Read more below from the Cincinnati Enquirer:

• In April 2020 the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio led by chairman Sam Randazzo approved FirstEnergy Advisors as a “competitive retail electric service provider” – essentially an energy broker and aggregator that shops for electricity for customers.
• These brokers are an alternative to purchasing energy directly from a distribution company like FirstEnergy’s Ohio Edison.
• The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel and the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council opposed FirstEnergy Advisors’ application, saying that the applicant shared a parent company, FirstEnergy Corp., and several executives with the distribution companies.
• A 2018 independent audit raised the same corporate-separation concerns
• PUCO staff ultimately disagreed with consumer advocates, saying in a two-paragraph finding that FirstEnergy Advisors intended to comply with all commission rules and recommended that it be approved. 
• On Thursday the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the PUCO should not have approved FirstEnergy Advisors’ application.
• FirstEnergy has been under scrutiny for connections to its subsidiaries past and present after five were arrested in connection with a nearly $61 million bribery scheme to pass a $1 billion bailout for two nuclear plants then-owned by FirstEnergy Solutions
• FirstEnergy Corp. admitted to bribing two public officials, including Randazzo, and will pay a $230 million penalty as part of a deferred prosecution agreement.

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 October 15, 2021

Happy Friday, and welcome to a special edition of “Buckeye Brawl,” a weekly newsletter from the Ohio Democratic Party highlighting the nasty, chaotic, and expensive Republican primary for Senate. This out-of-control primary is making conservatives “deeply worried” about the prospects of Republicans losing this seat. 

As the Republican Senate primary continues to sink lower and lower, these GOP candidates are injecting even more nasty personal attacks, more chaos, and more money into this race. We’re here to help you keep track of all of it. 

Last night’s forum was a time for the out-of-touch millionaires to preview what attacks may make it to the airwaves since the ‘Foul Five’ have admitted they would spend $10 million each in order to stand out in this crowded primary. Here’s what you may have missed:

DUCKING THEIR PRO-DEWINE PAST. Moreno took a shot at the GOP Senate field for staying silent while DeWine issued a stay-at-home order to protect the health and safety of Ohioans last year. He said, “It’s one of the most popular things to do on this circuit, to say nasty things about DeWine. But where were they last April [2020], last May?” That would put Timken, Vance, Gibbons, and Mandel in the hot seat, showing these politicians will change their positions or do or say anything to help advance their own political agendas. It also further exposes deep divisions within the Ohio Republican Party, as one of the top applause lines of the night was an attack on a fellow Republican. 

WHO’S AN INSIDER? Some guy named Mark Pukita who’s apparently also running (?) took a shot at the entire Republican Senate field on stage and called them all insiders. Gibbons also had a similar attack in his opening statement, saying, “I firmly believe we don’t need another politician or party insider in Washington.” Timken’s a former GOP party chair, Mandel’s a former treasurer, Moreno and Gibbons are GOP donors, and Vance has been rubbing elbows with major GOP figures for years. And oh, yeah, Gibbons ran for Senate in 2018. 

TIMKEN AND VANCE ATTACKING JUDEO-CHRISTIAN BEDROCK? Now, Mandel has called Timken and Vance “squishy establishment Republicans” in the past. At yesterday’s forum in his opening statement, Mandel chose to tie his attacks on Timken to Vance as to why he’s running for the U.S. Senate in the first place. He said, “That Judeo-Christian bedrock is under attack by… some squishy establishment Republicans.” This follows Mandel’s attack last week in an interview with the Butler County Republican Party, where he said he is running to rid the Republican Party of RINOS like Jane Timken and J.D. Vance. He went on to call them both “squishy establishment RINOS” and said he wants them out of the GOP altogether.

WHO SUPPORTS THE BIG LIE THE MOST? In his closing statement, Josh Mandel said he was the only candidate who believes the 2020 presidential election was stolen and the only candidate calling for a 50 state audit in contrast to the rest of the GOP Senate field. Mandel repeated the Buckeye Big Lie, a new lie Mandel has made up that Trump won Ohio by more than 8 points. Mandel did the same last week and it’s clear he continues to drag the Republican Senate field down the Big Lie conspiracy rabbit hole. 

NO NEVER TRUMPERS AND PRO-IMPEACHMENT POLITICIANS. In his closing speech, Mandel went after Timken and Vance for their anti-Trump pasts. He said, “What we need in Washington is not these Never Trumpers, these pro-impeachment politicians…” Mandel continues to hammer Timken for saying Anthony Gonzalez had a “rational reason” to vote for the impeachment of Trump after the insurrection. Last week, in a Newsmax interview, Mandel said Vance “gets a lot of love from Never Trumpers.” This follows Mandel recently tweeting, “If the election were held today in Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Wall Street and DC, Never-Trumper JD Vance would run away with it. If the election were held today in Ohio he’d get crushed.” These attacks are here to stay, folks. 

Thanks for reading along – that’s all for the Buckeye Brawl this week. If you have questions, my email is [email protected]. Have a great weekend! 

Columbus, OH — Today, as another round of child tax credit payments enters bank accounts of millions of Ohioans the Ohio Capital Journal reminds all of us just how critical those checks are to hard-working Ohioans. Capital Journal’s Susan Teben highlighted a new study by Policy Matters Ohio showing how the child tax credit is helping millions of Ohio families, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Ohio Republicans continue to look out for their own interests debating laws that handcuff Ohio businesses, putting them and Ohioans at risk amidst the latest COVID surge, Democrats aided by the American Rescue Plan are putting over $1.6 billion into Ohioans pockets.

“[T]he analysis estimated 1.15 million adults with children reported struggling to pay for basic household expenses before the child tax credit, and after the tax credit, that number decreased by 26%,” writes Teben.

“Thanks to President Biden, Senator Sherrod Brown and Ohio Democrats, the American Rescue Plan is delivering major tax relief for working families with children through a historic expansion of the child tax credit. Despite opposition from Ohio Republicans, the expanded child tax is lifting 132,000 children out of poverty here in Ohio, helping to bolster financial security and spur economic growth in our state,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

You can read more from the Ohio Capital Journal here and below:

• An analysis by an Ohio-based think tank says the expanded child tax credit has given life to families who were already struggling before the pandemic began, but sank further amid job losses and increased child care needs.
• The child tax credit was expanded temporarily in March as part of the federal American Rescue Plan, raising the per-child credit from $2,000 per child in 2020 to $3,600 for each child younger than six, and from $2,000 to $3,000 per child for children age six to 16.
• So far, $1.6 billion has been given to more than 2.1 million Ohio children since July 15, federal data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury shows, averaging $437 per month per family.
• The think tank said this expansion brought minority communities and children in rural communities funding they needed and didn’t have even before the pandemic.
• Years of policy choices have held down wages and limited opportunities for many Black and brown and rural families, draining resources from their communities,” the Policy Matters analysis stated.
• As the pandemic continued, the analysis estimated 1.15 million adults with children reported struggling to pay for basic household expenses before the child tax credit, and after the tax credit, that number decreased by 26%.
• Citing data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Policy Matters said an estimated 84% of households who make less than $35,000 per year used the refundable child tax credit to pay for “basic needs, including food, clothing, rent, mortgage, phone and internet, to support their family.”
• The CBPP said 60% of those making more than $35,000 per year would also be using the credit for the same basic needs.
• Financial recovery from the pandemic is still going on, as is the COVID-19 pandemic, so having the temporary boost has allowed more financial security and stability.
• Because of the increased financial stability and food security with the expanded child tax credit, among other reasons, Policy Matters recommended that Congress make the expansion permanent.

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Versailles, OH — Following the first GOP Senate forum tonight, Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Michael Beyer released the following statement: 

“Tonight, Ohioans heard the out-of-touch millionaires running for Senate focus on their petty feuds instead of any plans to help working families. The parade of out-of-touch millionaires confirmed this nasty primary will be a race to the bottom. Ohioans deserve a senator who is focused on them, but all they heard tonight was self-obsessed millionaires trying to advance their own political careers.”  

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Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters issued the following statement calling on Republican lawmakers to finally drop HB 435, a GOP-led measure that will put Ohioans’ health and safety at risk, and focus on the issues that matter to Ohio voters instead. The GOP bill would prevent Ohio businesses and organizations from taking critical steps to keep their employees safe amidst the latest surge of COVID-19, and has stalled several times in Committee, taking valuable time away from the issues that matter most to Ohioans.  

“It’s far past time for Republicans to stop playing political games with a pandemic. Instead of focusing on critical issues that matter, like fixing gerrymandered state maps or taking action to stop Ohioans from bearing the cost of the GOP’s $60 million bribery scheme, Republicans are wasting time discussing a bill that puts Ohioans and businesses at risk. This bill is dangerous and going nowhere, it’s time to move on,” said Chair Walters.

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