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February 18, 2022

Happy Friday, and welcome to “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. 

“It’s one of the most crowded and competitive Republican Senate primaries in the 2022 election cycle, and as all but one of the major candidates in Ohio’s GOP showdown spotlight their support for Donald Trump in hopes of earning the former president’s endorsement, the race has turned increasingly combustible.” –Fox News, 2/17/22

Here’s what you may have missed:

OVERCOMPENSATE. Channeling Marco Rubio’s failed 2016 presidential bid, Jane Timken says in a new attack ad, “We all know guys who overcompensate for their inadequacies, and that description fits the guys in the Senate race to a T.” It’s a new line of attack from Timken, whose attacks on her opponents for not being pro-Trump enough (while ignoring how she flip-flopped on January 6th and supported a pro-impeachment congressman) have left her stalled toward the bottom of the pack. Hey, anything to try to compensate for your vastly inadequate campaign though!

CRYPTO FIGHTS. In between trying to convince Ohio voters that he’s “like any normal person,” Silicon Valley Vance went after Josh Mandel for being the type of politician who only says something to get them on TV or elected. I guess Vance has completely forgotten his stunts, including admitting that he only decided to “just suck it up” and support Trump in order to – you guessed it – get himself elected. He laughed at Mandel being the “Bitcoin candidate” and said, “We have to elect politicians who are more interested in substance and not on show.” Proving just how deep in JD’s head Mandel is living, he didn’t stop there, adding, “What’s so funny about the Bitcoin thing is, you know Josh Mandel says he’s the world’s biggest fan of Bitcoin, the only candidate in the race who owns Bitcoin. Josh Mandel loves Bitcoin so much, he owns zero dollars worth of Bitcoin, right? That goes back to substance and show. Somebody talks a lot and somebody who actually knows how it works. I’m the guy who knows how it works.” Finally, we get to see Silicon Valley Vance in his most authentic form: the kind of guy who would take time out of a busy campaign schedule to explain Bitcoin to you unprompted! 

WASHINGTON WIMPS. According to the Washington Examiner, Mike Gibbons unleashed a new attack ad against Timken and Vance, calling them both “Washington Wimps.” The ad goes after Vance for his anti-Trump past and Timken for supporting a congressman who voted to impeach Donald Trump. This is Gibbons’ second attack ad against Vance. Last year, he ran an attack ad saying that J.D. Vance is a RINO and plays for the wrong team. As a reminder, Gibbons donated to Carly Fiorina (why?), John Kasich (uh-oh), and Marco Rubio (woof). Nice try, Mike, but it’s phony.  

PAGING PORTMAN. Following Trump skeptic Rob Portman’s endorsement of Jane Timken, Vance reacted by saying he wasn’t surprised considering Timken is a moderate like Senator Portman. Ouch! Vance went on to insult Portman and say he’s failed on trade. On Bannon’s War Room, Josh Mandel was asked to react to the endorsement and said that Timken is the “antithesis of MAGA” and the “antithesis of America First.” Meanwhile, Gibbons consultant Mike Biundo tweeted, “@RandPaul is a > endorsement than Portman. He just is. Jane is flailing, desperate, & losing – so she is moving into the Dolan lane out of desperation.” To prove that they’re Definitely Not Mad About It, Gibbons’ campaign also made the wise strategic decision to shop oppo to reporters on Portman (you know, the U.S. senator they’re spending millions to replace who isn’t on the ballot). Seems like a great use of time and resources with less than 3 months to go until the primary!  

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! 

For Immediate Release

Thursday, February 17, 2022

At the Request of Both Candidates, Executive Committee Did Not Endorse in Governor’s Race

Columbus, OH — Today, the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) held a virtual meeting of its Executive Committee. Per ODP bylaws, the Committee is required to consider endorsements of statewide candidates before the primary election. The Executive Committee voted tonight to endorse Rep. Tim Ryan for Senate, Justice Jennifer Brunner for Chief Justice and Judges Marilyn Zayas and Terri Jamison for Supreme Court.

“Ohio Democrats are proud to endorse Rep. Tim Ryan, Justice Jennifer Brunner and Judges Marilyn Zayas and Terri Jamison, and we’re excited about the strong candidates we have running. We’re confident we have a strong, diverse ticket coming out of the primary elections that will show voters we’re on their side and lead us to victory in November,” said Chair Walters.

At the request of both candidates, ODP’s Executive Committee did not endorse in the race for governor.

“We respect Mayor Cranley’s and Mayor Whaley’s request for the party not to endorse in the governor’s race. We’re confident that our eventual nominee will provide Ohio voters a much better alternative to the failed leadership and corruption coming out of Mike DeWine’s statehouse,” said Walters.

The Executive Committee will meet again in March to consider endorsements in the other statewide races.

According to ODP bylaws, the Executive Committee shall be called for a meeting before the primary election and the Committee must carefully consider an endorsement in each race. Before tonight’s endorsement vote, the Party convened a screening committee made up of members of the Executive Committee that met with each candidate. The candidates also filled out questionnaires and were vetted thoroughly.

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For Immediate Release:

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Columbus, OH — Today, the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) issued the following statement as  Republicans adjourned the redistricting committee today without passing a map that reflects the political realities of our state. This latest failure will create chaos for Ohio voters and force Ohioans to pay the price – literally – for the political dysfunction perpetrated by the Ohio GOP.

“Republicans have broken this process. Apparently too busy going to the Super Bowl and fundraisers to do their jobs, the chaos Republican commissioners are causing will have very real consequences for Ohio voters. Let’s be clear, this failure falls solely in the lap of Ohio Republicans who continue to break the law in order to appease their special interest buddies. Ohioans deserve leaders who fight tooth and nail for their best interests, instead they’ve gotten the middle finger,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters.

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For Immediate Release:

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Columbus, OH — Today, ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to Ohio, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement:

“President Biden’s first year was the greatest year of job creation in US history, ever. We are excited to welcome President Biden to Ohio. With the help of Ohio’s Democratic delegation in Congress — President Biden is bringing billions of dollars to Ohio to invest in infrastructure projects across the state. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the largest infrastructure investment in our nation’s history, will improve Ohio’s roads, bridges and public transit, invest in clean drinking water, protect our Great Lakes, and expand reliable access to high-speed internet. And thanks to President Biden and Senator Brown, it will create good-paying jobs with strong ‘Buy America’ provisions and opportunities for working families here in Ohio while strengthening our economy.

“While Ohio Democrats work tirelessly to deliver jobs and this historic investment in our state, Ohio Republicans on the ballot this November opposed these bills and against Ohio’s working families. President Biden’s pro-job, pro-union, and pro-family agenda is going to help Ohioans. Democrats are laser-focused on delivering for working families while Ohio Republicans are only looking out for themselves and the special interests they’re bought by.” 

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Columbus, OH — Jane Timken likes to have it both ways on many issues – her support for establishment politicians like Mike DeWine and John Kasich, defense of those who supported the impeachment of Donald Trump – and today’s endorsement from Senator Rob Portman is no exception.  

Senator Portman declined to run in 2022 right around the time his approval rating dropped among members of his own party after he said the election wasn’t stolen. Some speculated that he would have faced a credible primary challenge fueled by an angry Republican base fed up with his lackluster support for Donald Trump. And while Timken’s front-running opponents can’t run far enough from the man they hope to succeed, Timken is enthusiastically accepting the endorsement from someone who even avoided saying Trump’s name the last time he was on the ballot. 

Struggling in the polls and unable to gain traction with the GOP base, Timken is resorting to building out a bench of endorsers who have been all too happy to go after the former president. Last month, she touted the endorsement of a Trump critic who blasted Trump as “untruthful, insulting,” and lacking “substance.” And while Timken and her allies have gone after other candidates in the field for not being Trumpy enough, all she has to do is look in the mirror to see the face of the anti-Trump lane in this messy, costly, and increasingly nasty primary.

“As she trails the pack in her crowded, nasty, and expensive primary, Jane Timken has given up on even pretending to be anything but a desperate political phony – claiming the Trump mantle one day, and accepting support from some of the most Trump-skeptical members of the GOP the next. Ohioans can spot a phony when they see one, and Timken’s pathetic attempts to do or say anything to save her flailing campaign are no exception,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party. 

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