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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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Columbus, OH — With barely two weeks left in one of the most crowded and expensive primaries in the country, Ohio’s GOP Senate candidates have ramped up their attacks on each other, with “mudslinging in all directions” creating a “hodgepodge of continuing controversy.” The race remains wide open and chaotic as the candidates go after one another in an increasingly ugly fashion.

Earlier this month, even Republican operatives like Kellyanne Conway were freely admitting how this crazy primary helps Tim Ryan’s chances in November.   

Cleveland.com: With mudslinging in all directions, Ohio’s Republican Senate candidates head for the big finish

Andrew Tobias and Seth Richardson

April 17, 2022

• Candidates in Ohio’s already hotly contested U.S. Senate race are turning up the heat even further, launching attacks against each other in all directions in the final days before the May 3 primary.
• A profane confrontation between Mike Gibbons and Josh Mandel last month that nearly turned physical. Comments Gibbons made during a podcast last October that suggested the middle class doesn’t pay its “fair share” of taxes. JD Vance attacking Mandel for hiding behind his Marine service. Jane Timken trying to steer the conversation toward her general election viability against Democrats. And Matt Dolan continuing to bill himself as above the fray.
• In total, the candidates have created a hodgepodge of continuing controversy with just two weeks of voting left to pick the Republican nominee to replace retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman.
• Despite the vitriol, the candidates themselves are not far apart regarding the issues, including red-meat topics like guns and abortion, with so much of their attention turned toward courting the endorsement of former President Donald J. Trump. Vance scored the endorsement on Friday, putting to end months of speculation and deflating local Republicans’ last-minute effort to block the endorsement.
• Vance might be the most significant outlier as the lone candidate who has said he does not care what happens to Ukraine – a position the other candidates have attacked him for plenty.
• New campaign ads and interviews the candidates have given over the past week with Hugh Hewitt and Steve Bannon, two conservative media figures with dramatically different world views, help reveal what the candidates are focusing on as they hit the final days before the May 3 election.
• The candidates also have spent time mudslinging in all directions and continuing their attention-grabbing antics, illustrating what appears to be a fluid race in which four or five candidates appear to have a realistic chance of winning.
• In various interviews over the past week, Mandel also has rolled out a new talking point that puts a slightly friendlier face on what’s generally been a far-right, flame-throwing campaign of grievance: the other candidates are not “bad” people but aren’t senator material.
• In a Wednesday interview with Hugh Hewitt, the conservative radio host and Ohio native with a national program, Mandel bashed other leading candidates in the race while saying he’s trying to get Trump’s endorsement.
• “All of us are doing everything we can to earn his support and earn his endorsement,” Mandel said. “I think JD Vance and Jane Timken are two of the candidates who would still lose the race even if they did get the endorsement because they’re so far behind in the polls.”
• Gibbons, who’s been of particular focus of attacks given his surprising strength in various campaign polls, tried to turn the tables on everyone launching new attacks against Timken, Vance and Mandel while defending himself against criticism over his history of making business deals in China.
• Over last weekend, Gibbons had gone on the defensive after the Associated Press published a story highlighting comments about taxes he made in October during a podcast interview with Crain’s Cleveland Business.
• Specifically, as part of a lengthy answer about economic policy, Gibbons said Democrats advance what he called a “false narrative” that the wealthy aren’t paying their fair share of taxes at the expense of the middle class.
• “The top 20% of earners in the United States pay 82% of federal income tax — and, if you do the math, and 45% to 50% don’t pay any income tax, you can see the middle class is not really paying any kind of a fair share, depending on how you want to define it,” Gibbons said.
• Gibbons also has spent time cleaning up over attacks on his business connections in China, a popular theme in the race. A recent ad bashes Mandel, the former state treasurer, for loaning “tax dollars” to “Chinese business interests.”
• Timken has heavily invoked being the only woman in the race in recent weeks. During a debate last month, she scuffled with Gibbons over previous comments he’d made that women were not oppressed and saying Timken, a Harvard-educated attorney, hadn’t held a real job before entering politics.
• Some of the attacks Timken has received involve the business activities in China and Russia of the Timken Co., a Canton manufacturer founded and previously run by her husband’s family. Gibbons also has attacked Timken for “bankrolling tax-raising politicians,” which the ad says is a reference to Gov. Mike DeWine’s 2019 move to hike the state’s gas tax to pay for roads and bridges.

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