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For Immediate Release:

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

“Ohio is flailing in a ‘code blue’ medical emergency. The patient is critical. But the rapid response team got waylaid. By politics.”  

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, an Ohio Capital Journal commentary eviscerates Mike DeWine today as he and fellow Republicans have “failed the public” in response to surging COVID-19 cases statewide. Instead of standing up to “do something,” DeWine is showing exactly what kind of leader he is by putting politics above the health and safety of Ohioans, as cases continue to skyrocket.

“Gov. Mike DeWine, never a profile in courage, refused to buck the right-wingers calling the shots with his administration. He could have challenged their unconstitutional seizure of his authority, but snagging a second term took precedence over taking a stand in the public interest. He chose to acquiesce to the MAGA cult for his own career and never looked back,” writes the Ohio Capital Journal.

“Mike DeWine is only concerned about his own political prospects and Ohioans are paying the price for the lack of leadership every day. As Ohio continues to set record case numbers, it’s far past time for DeWine to grow a spine and stand up to his own party instead of risking the lives of Ohioans for his own political gain,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

Read more on DeWine’s lack of leadership from Ohio Capital Journal here and below:

• Paging Dr. Amy Acton. Help! We are rudderless and reeling. Our health care system is crashing. 
• Ohio is flailing in a “code blue” medical emergency. The patient is critical. But the rapid response team got waylaid. By politics.
• Today, a state once nationally lauded for its prudent, pre-emptive shutdowns that successfully blunted Ohio’s pandemic toll, is cited as a standout example of abject failure in public health.
• In melodramatic legislating, akin to adolescent door-slamming, state lawmakers declared themselves in charge of public health emergencies — skilled as they were in triaging catastrophic medical events. The MAGA crowd also clipped the wings of the executive branch, just in case the governor got any ideas about leading the state in a full-blown crisis.
• Gov. Mike DeWine, never a profile in courage, refused to buck the right-wingers calling the shots with his administration. He could have challenged their unconstitutional seizure of his authority, but snagging a second term took precedence over taking a stand in the public interest. He chose to acquiesce to the MAGA cult for his own career and never looked back. 
• Rather than being upstaged by his fellow Republicans, DeWine quickly dropped mask mandates, social distancing and other restrictions ahead of his own criteria for safely doing so.
• Instead of leading on the pandemic, DeWine made excuses. He didn’t mandate proven tools for curbing COVID outbreaks because there was no “appetite” for them. His hands were tied by law. It was the legislature’s fault. 
• [DeWine] would recommend public health protections during a raging pandemic but not require compliance (for the greater good) with any of them. Not if he wanted to win reelection.
• As the delta variant surged in August, we waited for DeWine to do something. As the school year started with cases up sharply and half of all districts maskless, we waited for DeWine to protect thousands of Ohio students and staff. As children’s hospitals throughout the state begged schools to mandate masks, we waited for DeWine to intervene after he agreed it was the right thing to do. 
• As the omicron variant packs Ohio hospitals to the breaking point with mostly unvaccinated patients, we wait for DeWine to do something besides propping up besieged medical facilities with reinforced manpower.
• During a recent press conference, DeWine spoke like a man running for reelection and not like a leader doing what needs to be done to prevent a train wreck from happening in the next few weeks. 
• Unfortunately, DeWine put keeping his job first and let what should have been a stat response to an imminent disaster become a recommendation — lest anyone be offended.  “Ohio Strong” rings hollow.

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  January 3, 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.

As the gubernatorial race heats up, Republicans are in disarray with Mike DeWine’s popularity dropping by the day, facing attacks both inside and outside of the Republican Party, and having to answer for the largest public corruption scandal in state history. It’s hard to keep up with all of the corruption and mess surrounding Mike DeWine and the GOP gubernatorial primary, so here are some stories you may have missed:

PUTTING POLITICS FIRST.  Recently, Washington Monthly took Mike DeWine to task for the way he’s caved to political pressure, putting Ohioans and their families at risk amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The article outlines how DeWine has increasingly folded to political pressure and the extreme members of his own party who have responded in turn by further weakening DeWine’s hand. While Mike DeWine seems to only be concerned about his own political prospects, Ohioans are paying the price for DeWine’s lack of leadership as Ohio continues to set record case numbers. Now, just four states are “more dangerous for COVID-19 than Ohio.” It’s far past time for DeWine to put political considerations aside and do the right thing by Ohio families.

“REIGN OF TERROR.” In a sign of just how messy the next few months are about to become for Mike DeWine, his primary challenger, Jim Renacci released an ad this week going directly after DeWine. The ad, set to air statewide, attacks DeWine for his ties to corruption and for being a career politician, calling DeWine’s tenure a “reign of terror.” These attacks are only sure to escalate over the coming months as this race gets messier. WATCH:

HB6 IS “FEELING ‘22.” As we head into 2022, the largest public corruption scandal in state history drags into another year with no clear end in sight. Every single day, Ohioans are on the hook for $232,000 for the bribery scandal. That’s $170 million to date. That’s $170 million too much for hard-working Ohioans to lose. This year, Ohio demands more accountability into HB6. We’ll be working overtime to hold DeWine and those in his orbit accountable for statehouse corruption coming at the heavy expense of hard-working families in Ohio.

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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Columbus, OH — This past year, we’ve witnessed plenty of clownery from the Republican U.S. Senate candidates as their primary has “descended into meanness and pettiness and just plain craziness unlike anything ever seen in Ohio Republican politics.” We wanted to take a moment to commemorate how the event has become a “reputation-ruining event for the ages” with awards these out-of-touch millionaires deserve. 

The Republican primary for U.S. Senate has been called Ohio’s ugliest primary ever, the “clown olympics,” and “crazy pants.” As the candidates find new ways to sink lower and lower, we want to relive the moments this past year that remind us just how nasty, chaotic, and expensive the Ohio GOP Senate primary has become. 

Taylor Swift says, “you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes” and we’re here today to hand out stupid prizes to commemorate just how much of a dumpster fire the GOP Senate primary has been this past year. Without any further ado *drumroll commences*, the Ohio Democratic Party Clown Awards go to… 

Most Cringe: Jane Timken saying, “It’s Timken Time!”

Timken really thought she was doing something with this alliteration. At the latest traveling clown show debate, Timken said (at the 21-minute mark), “It’s time to stand up and fight back… it’s Timken Time.” And based on the poll her campaign released this month, showing she had lost ground from the internal poll her campaign released in June, where did Timken Time go? Like most Timken things, our best guess is overseas to China. 

Most Ambition: Josh Mandel

Do we really need to explain this one?

Most Embarrassing: Everyone’s Twitter Account

In an effort to be the most Trumpian, the out-of-touch millionaires have taken to saying the most outrageous things on every social media platform in order to please a Florida man. It’s not actually who any of them are, it’s all an act. It’s embarrassing that instead of focusing on Ohio, all of the candidates are pleading through soundbites online for the approval of a Florida man. This award was really a team effort, congratulations to all the clowns! 

Biggest Coward: Jane Timken 

Jane Timken called Anthony Gonzalez’s decision to impeach Trump “rational” after he incited a riot that tried to overturn the results of the election. Through a spokesperson, Timken refused to say if she still supported President Trump. But my, how times change when your political ambition is top of mind. Timken completely abandoned this position in order to be competitive in this primary and has morphed her political persona to saying “America First” as many times as possible in her stump speech. The Biggest Coward Award is well-deserved, Jane Timken. 

Biggest Flip-Flop: J.D. Vance 

J.D. Vance went from calling Trump “reprehensible” and an “idiot” to now sucking up to the former president. The other GOP Senate candidates haven’t let him forget it, with Mandel allies and Gibbons’ campaign running ads totaling millions of dollars reminding Ohioans of Vance’s anti-Trump past. Vance has bragged about his 180, even calling himself a “flip-flop flipper.” By Vance’s own admission, he really earned this award. 

Biggest Consulting Windfall: Mike Gibbons 

Huge congratulations are in order for all of the TV consultants who work for Mike Gibbons, they’ve had a heckuva year. They convinced a multi-millionaire to pledge to launch a $10 million ad campaign that has gotten him to 11.9 percent in this primary. No one is merrier this holiday season than the consultants who have stuffed their pockets with Mike Gibbons’ money. Congratulations on winning Biggest Consulting Windfall, you deserve it!

Peter Thiel Puppet Award: J.D. Vance

Thiel donated $10 million to a super PAC supporting his campaign and then Vance parroted Peter Thiel’s attacks against one of Peter Thiel’s competitors in Silicon Valley. It’s pathetic to watch Vance jump however high an out-of-state Big Tech billionaire tells him to, but much like his Trump about-face, it’s clear Vance will grovel to out-of-staters in order to advance his political career. Ohioans don’t need a Peter Thiel puppet in the Senate, but Silicon Valley Vance is sure trying to keep his and Peter Thiel’s dream alive. 

Biggest Grifter: J.D. Vance’s Sham Opioid Non-Profit

Writing a New York Times op-ed about how you plan to do good for your home state and then spending most of the money meant to help Ohioans struggling with opioid addiction on your political cronies is a big grift. But for Vance, it’s behavior he learned from the best during his time in D.C. and San Francisco! It should be clear to everyone now that Vance was using this opioid non-profit to build goodwill while padding his political cronies’ pockets in order to set himself up for a future run for public office. It’s inspiring to watch Silicon Valley Vance use whatever cause he thinks will benefit his ambition and for that, Biggest Grift has Vance’s name all over it. 

Most Extreme: Josh Mandel

No candidate has gone further in perpetuating the Big Lie than Josh Mandel, going so far as to meet with January 6 rallygoers and lie about the 2020 presidential election being stolen. It’s a dangerous game Josh Mandel is willing to play in order to advance his political career. Josh Mandel is the Most Extreme in this primary, and we take no pleasure in giving him this distinction.  

Biggest Fraud: It’s A Tie!

Every single one of the out-of-touch millionaires has had to create a new political persona in order to chase Trump’s endorsement and be competitive in this out-of-control primary. This crowded primary is a bunch of phonies calling each other phonies for being phony. Everyone’s a fraud for participating in this primary, congratulations! 

Biggest Who?: Bernardo Moreno

GOP donor and insider Bernie Moreno has donated under two names, Bernardo Moreno and Bernie Moreno. So who’s really running for Senate… Bernie or Bernardo? This one’s a puzzler.

Biggest Why?: Matt Dolan

Why get in this field of clowns in the first place? 

Creepiest Everyman Attempt: Josh Mandel

Josh Mandel’s bit of greeting restaurant workers, which became a regular occurrence after his tweet thanking a server showing up to work sick during a global pandemic, features Mandel trying to appear like a human being. It’s awkward to watch Josh Mandel try and relate to people who actually show up to work, but he’ll do or say anything to remind people he’s not a robot. Congratulations Josh, you’ve really had to work hard for this. 

People’s Choice: Mark Pukita 

Mark Pukita has gone above and beyond to pander to the worst elements of this primary. He’s bragged about being unvaccinated to loud applause at forums. It’s clear he’s the People’s Choice in another example of just how crazy this primary has become. 

Class Clown: Josh Mandel

Clumsily burning a mask, fighting over civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr.’s family, and feuding with the Anti-Defamation League all for attention. Josh Mandel brings his clown face paint to every fight he gets into and has certainly earned this distinction. 

Messiest Senate Primary: The GOP Ohio Senate Primary

Need we say more? 

Now that we have named our winners and taken a look back, do not congratulate all of the winners of this year’s Ohio Democratic Party Clown Awards if you see them. It’s clear that no matter who wins this primary, Ohioans will be the biggest loser if any of these clowns make it to the U.S. Senate. 

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For Immediate Release:

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Columbus, OH – Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, cementing the largest investment in our nation’s infrastructure in a century. This month, the Ohio Democratic Party and For Our Future Ohio traveled around the state to talk directly to Ohioans and tell them about the critical investments coming to their communities as part of the ‘Building Ohio Together’ Tour. Leaders across Ohio praised the crucial infrastructure legislation and continued calling on Congress to keep building on the momentum created by the infrastructure bill.

Read more about what they’re saying from the Building Ohio Together Tour stops across Ohio:

Lorain:

The Morning Journal: Infrastructure bill will benefit family, community, Lorain County Democratic leaders say

Richard Payerchin

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help communities pay for road and utility projects — and it will help Lorain County families, said Democratic elected officials and local union leaders.

…

“‘It means supporting the small businesses that grow our economy and help us compete against other countries to bring more jobs back home,’ [John] Novak said. ‘And right here, because of this historic bill, the Great Lakes are set to receive $1 billion in new funding to support clean drinking water and spark hundreds of thousands of jobs.’”

…

“The bill is the largest infrastructure investment in American history and it will have meaningful results for working families in Lorain city and county, [County Commissioner Matt] Lundy said.

…

“Who in the world doesn’t want improved roads?” Lundy asked.”

The Chronicle-Telegram: Local Democrats, union leaders celebrate $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill

Kevin Martin

“Gathering at Lorain’s Lakeview Park on the Lake Erie shore, Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy and Sheffield Mayor John D. Hunter were joined by John Novak, business manager for IBEW Local 129, and Jim Slone, president of the Lorain County UAW’s CAP Council, as part of the Building Ohio Together Tour, organized by the Ohio Democratic Party and For Our Future Ohio.

…

“The plan will provide funding for broadband infrastructure investments, expanding access for thousands of Ohio students. Lundy said the package represents a game-changer for Lorain County and the entire country.”

Lima: 

Hometown Stations: Mayor-Elect Smith and Union leaders talk about benefits of federal infrastructure bill

“Mayor-Elect Sharetta Smith was joined by the presidents of the local UAW and the Lima Building Trades unions to talk about the funding plan. The bill will give Ohio over $9 billion for highway improvements and nearly $500 million for bridges. Plus, there is another $1.4 billion heading to the state to improve water infrastructure, and millions more to increase broadband access around the state. All of that work could mean more work for union labor locally. The bill was signed into law last week, and Mayor-Elect Smith says that the new funding source could be a benefit to help with some of Lima’s aging infrastructure problems.”  

Lima News: Lima hoping for funding help

Joe Gilroy

“Passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act should bring extra funding to the City of Lima, mayor-elect Sharetta Smith and local union leaders said Monday.”

…

“Experts believe the bipartisan bill will create good-paying jobs that will help Ohio businesses grow by investing in roads, bridges, public transit, water pipes and broadband.

…

“‘Because of this bill, Ohio’s economy will be back on the road to recovery with billions of dollars in investments and hundreds of new good-paying jobs. We’re working to lower costs for working Ohioans, rather than for big corporations and the super rich,’ [Jeff] Adams said.”

Zanesville:

WHIZ-TV: Zanesville Leaders Discuss How the Infrastructure Bill Will Improve Muskingum County

“This past November, President Biden passed a major infrastructure bill that invests in roads, bridges, public transits, water pipes and high speed internet. Zanesville leaders came together today to discuss what this would mean for the Muskingum community.

“Ohio is expected to receive $9.2 billion for highways and $483 million for bridge replacement and repairs. According to Todd Ware, Third Ward City Councilman Representative, $6 to $7 million of that will go towards Putnam Hill Park and Dug Road repairs.

Zanesville Times Recorder: Officials hope to see Dug Road reopen with federal infrastructure bill money

Erin Couch

“On Thursday, Zanesville City Councilman Todd Ware and representatives from the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council and the Communications Workers of America union spoke at Putnam Hill Park, about what the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act could mean for Zanesville and Muskingum County.

…

“Roads, bridges, water and broadband are all included in the bill, but Dug Road, formally known as Muskingum Avenue, was a talking point as a project that could benefit from the $1 trillion bipartisan bill.

…

“Dug Road was partially closed in 2017 due to rock slides. It was closed fully in 2019. In some cases the road was an alternative for emergency vehicles, shortening drive times to medical services by several minutes, Ware said.

‘That could be the difference between life and death,’ he said.”

Cleveland: 

WOIO-TV: Northeast Ohioans host rally in support of President Biden’s Build Back Better Act

“The Build Back Better Act has already been passed in the U.S. House, but it still needs to be passed in the Senate, so Kubicki and others rallied outside of Ohio Senator Rob Portman’s office to encourage him to pass the bill.

“‘Pass the Build Back Better Act, it’s not just about his family, it’s about hundreds of thousands of people who could be helped,” said Kubicki.

Toledo: 

WNWO-TV: Officials celebrate Passage of Infrastructure Bill 

“‘Cities like Toledo haven’t gotten this sort of investment and this sort of attention from Washington in a really long time. I believe you’d have to go back to the New Deal, the Great Depression, and the Works Progress Administration for the last time that Washington D.C. has sent this amount of money to Toledo, and we’re gonna put it to good use,’ said Toledo Mayor ‌Wade‌ ‌Kapszukiewicz‌.”

WTOL-TV: Local Leaders Celebrate Passage of Infrastructure Bill

“‘It will allow us to do things, frankly, that we weren’t able to do under the American Rescue Plan,’ said Toledo Mayor ‌Wade‌ ‌Kapszukiewicz‌.”

WTVG-TV: Preparing for Infrastructure Projects 

“Projects like replacing water lines and expanding broadband access are all possible by funding not seen in recent years.”

Youngstown: 

WKBN-TV: Local leaders celebrate historic infrastructure bill

“‘You’re gonna see roads, bridges, you’ll see ironworkers, you’ll see carpenters, laborers, operating engineers, plumbers and pipefitters. I mean all the way down the list. With this kind of bill to be able to put people to work and good-paying, high paying jobs that can sustain that and actually have a focus on the areas that they’re working in, to keep those tax dollars here, that’s what the best focus of it could be,’ said Marty Loney, Western Reserve Building Trades president.”

The Vindicator: Youngstown labor leaders praise infrastructure bill

“Valley labor and state Democratic Party leaders on Friday celebrated passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and discussed what it means for communities like Youngstown.

…

“The bipartisan infrastructure bill includes strong Buy America rules for taxpayer-funded infrastructure and public works projects. This means American-made iron, steel and manufactured products would be required for federally funded infrastructure projects. That’s great news for growing good-paying union jobs, and that’s why we are here in Youngstown,” [Chair] Walters said.”

Dayton: 

WDTN-TV: Dayton leaders push for passage of ‘Build Back Better’

“Dayton Mayor-elect Jeff Mims and other city leaders held a news conference to discuss the importance of passing the plan. Mims said it is ‘critical for us to make sure we give our youngest learners the best start possible that will put them in a position to make a contribution to this society.’”

More on the new infrastructure funding below:

• Ohio is expected to receive $9.2 billion for highways and $483 million for bridge replacement and repairs. [White House, 8/4/21]
• Ohio is expected to receive $1.2 billion to improve public transit. [White House, 8/4/21]
• Ohio is expected to receive $100 million in broadband funding, including providing high-speed internet access to the at least 259,000 Ohioans who lack it. [White House, 8/4/21]
• Ohio is expected to receive $1.4 billion over five years to improve water infrastructure across the state. [White House, 8/4/21]
• Ohio is expected to receive approximately $253 million for infrastructure development for airports. [White House, 8/4/21]

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Columbus, OH — The Ohio Republican Senate primary is one of the most expensive races in the country. The crowded primary is “unprecedented,” “expected to break records,” and “one of the costliest elections in America.” 

An expensive primary with five well-funded candidates could mean a long, protracted primary fight that forces candidates to extreme positions and hobbles the eventual Republican nominee. Without any records to be proud of, the out-of-touch millionaires have already descended into personal and nasty attacks that will spotlight each of the candidates’ individual weaknesses that could carry over into the general election. 

Here’s what they’re saying: 

• Review Times: “With campaign spending in the race for Ohio’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2022 expected to break records, Ohioans should brace for a bombardment of political advertising — and soon.”
• David Niven, Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati: “Part of this is going to be an arms race. There will be money spent because others are spending money. Expect it to be a record-breaking campaign.”
• Fox News: “The showdown is fast becoming the most expensive and ugly GOP Senate contest in next year’s midterms.”
• Wall Street Journal: “Each has the means to assemble a fully loaded war chest for the primary battle. In interviews, all five said they expected to raise—from individual contributions or their own bank accounts—the $10 million that political operatives estimate a successful primary contest would cost…That would give them all the ability to pitch to the two million Republican voters in the state’s 12 media markets. A primary with so many well-funded candidates would be unprecedented, political operatives said.”
• Cleveland.com: “Thanks to a rare mix of factors – an open seat, several independently wealthy candidates funding their campaigns and one billionaire super donor — Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senate primary stands out as one of the costliest elections in America.”
• NBC News: “Nearly all of the ad spending has been on the Republican side, thanks to a crowded Republican primary to replace Portman.”
• Axios: “The race is expected to be one of the most expensive in the country, during a midterm cycle that will likely break election spending records.” 
• Roll Call: “The open Senate race in Ohio has attracted the most self-funders so far, with five Republicans putting in their own money to bolster their campaigns.”
• Politico: “Former President Donald Trump has yet to issue an endorsement in the race, which has featured messy attacks and high-dollar outside super PAC spending.”

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