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For Immediate Release:

Friday, February 18, 2022

“When I am governor there will be an expectation that the new district maps honor the voters’ wishes.” – Mike DeWine, October 2018

Columbus, OH — In the wake of the Republican-controlled redistricting commission’s third failure to produce maps that reflect the political realities of our state, Mike DeWine and Frank LaRose are sure to be out there trying to do damage control in the coming days. To be clear, DeWine and LaRose had every opportunity to do their jobs, live up to their own words and work with Democrats to pass fair maps. They crumbled under political pressure and caved to their own party instead.

Amid calls for DeWine and LaRose not to receive the endorsement of their own state party, it’s clear these two politicians are desperate to do anything to save their own political hides, too weak to stand up to the extremists in their own party and do the right thing for Ohioans.

Here’s a small sample of DeWine and LaRose’s past comments on the redistricting process, and how those words ultimately meant nothing when it came to standing up for Ohioans’ best interests.

Mike DeWine’s Words:  

October 2018: The Cincinnati Enquirer

“The rules are pretty clear — the voters said that the redistricting process should be done in a bipartisan way and when I am governor there will be an expectation that the new district maps honor the voters’ wishes,” 

January 2022: Official Statement

“Throughout this process, I expected that Ohio’s legislative maps would be litigated and that the Ohio Supreme Court would make a decision on their constitutionality. I will work with my fellow Redistricting Commission members on revised maps that are consistent with the Court’s order.”

Frank LaRose’s Words:

October 8, 2021: Official statement 

“The Commission should set a goal of developing maps that can provide the public an honest opportunity to provide substantive input. A big lesson learned from our last experience is that we need every minute we can get to sit down together to consider proposed maps and negotiate in the hope of reaching a bipartisan consensus.” 

October 29, 2021: Statehouse News Bureau 

“I’ve been struggling for weeks to try and get people to come together and have serious conversations about compromise and meeting in the middle.”

Mike DeWine’s and Frank LaRose’s Actions:

September 19, 2021: Cleveland.com

January 22, 2022: WTOL-TV

February 17, 2022: David Skolnick, Vindicator

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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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