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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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Columbus, OH — A new report from Cleveland.com reveals Republican Senate candidates are once again in disarray as they waver on Trump’s effort to oust Mitch McConnell as Minority Leader. As Andrew Tobias points out, these candidates — who are always putting their own political interests first — can’t seem to decide between McConnell and Trump, putting them at risk of angering Trump. And we all know in today’s Republican Party, a nasty tweet from Trump can quickly sink a GOP campaign.

The Trump-McConnell feud is just the latest loyalty test for these GOP Senate candidates, whose political positions are always based on placating out-of-state Republicans rather than the needs of Ohio voters. In a sign of how messy this race will get for the Republican Party, these millionaire candidates have been willing to go to new lows each week in attacking each other and debasing themselves to chase Trump’s endorsement – yet most of the Republican Senate candidates are too afraid to cross Mitch McConnell and his army of wealthy special interest donors.

Stay tuned to see how this plays out with Trump world. We’re guessing not well.

“In true millionaire fashion, the Ohio GOP Senate candidates have made clear the endorsement they value most is out-of-state special interest donors,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Cleveland.com: Most of Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senate candidates decline to follow Trump’s lead in seeking to oust McConnell

By Andrew Tobias

October 13, 2021

Ohio’s Republican leading U.S. Senate candidates largely have been in lockstep with former President Donald Trump. But they’ve been less eager to join Trump when it comes to one major fight affecting the GOP.

In recent weeks, both former state treasurer Josh Mandel and former Ohio Republican Party chairman Jane Timken have sidestepped questions on whether they think Mitch McConnell should remain leader of U.S. Senate Republicans, a job he’s held since 2007. In doing so, they avoided siding with Trump, who has called for McConnell’s ouster repeatedly months after the powerful Senate Republican leader declined to back the former president’s false claims about the 2020 election.

“I don’t understand your question — is there someone running against him? I’m not going to entertain hypothetical situations that don’t even exist in reality,” Mandel told the Wall Street Journal last month, taking a similar tack as he did when he ran for Senate in 2018. Mandel’s campaign declined to comment further this week.

Timken evaded the question in an Oct. 1 podcast interview with Steve Bannon, a far-right former Trump campaign manager who has called for McConnell’s ouster for years.

[…]

Meanwhile, another leading Republican Senate candidate, JD Vance, has said he supports replacing McConnell, siding with Trump.

In a Sept. 17 podcast interview, Vance said that while he has “no idea” who would run to replace McConnell or how the process works, he said Republicans need widespread leadership change in Washington, D.C.

“I think McConnell has shown at times that he’s a little out of touch with the base … I think that it’s time that we moved beyond the very old leadership class that’s dominated the Republican Party for a long time. We’ve got to do it. We’ve got to bring some new blood in. We’ve got to get people the base is really excited about,” Vance said.

A fourth candidate, Mike Gibbons, called for McConnell to be replaced in 2018, criticizing Mandel for not joining him, when Gibbons unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate that year.

This year, he is taking a more neutral approach, according to a statement from his campaign.

“I was the first candidate for Senate to oppose the bipartisan infrastructure bill, but I believe Sen. McConnell understands that the Senate is the last line of defense against far-left Democrats and their radical agenda,” said Gibbons, a Cleveland investment banker. “I have not made a decision on who I will support for Majority Leader as we don’t know what the landscape will look like in January 2022, but we cannot discount Sen. McConnell’s important role right now in defending our Constitution and our country.”

State Sen. Matt Dolan, the only GOP candidate who’s not running an explicitly pro-Trump campaign, similarly sidestepped the issue in a statement: “Political squabbles make for good headlines in Washington, but it doesn’t bring one job to Ohio or defend our state’s interest that remain under threat from the Biden Administration and the Democratic agenda in Congress.”

One more Republican candidate, Bernie Moreno, hasn’t publicly commented. Messages have been left with his campaign.

The candidates are all running to replace Republican Sen. Rob Portman, a close McConnell ally who is retiring in 2022. The Republican field hasn’t been shy about supporting Trump in another proxy fight with McConnell – in August, all but Dolan opposed an infrastructure bill negotiated by Portman that McConnell supported but which Trump loudly opposed.

Tom Sutton, a political scientist at Baldwin Wallace University, said he was surprised particularly that Mandel would be circumspect when given an opportunity to align himself with Trump. But he said the candidates might be reluctant to cross McConnell when it may not help their campaign while exposing them to future retribution if they were to win the race.

Democrats hold a razor-thin one-seat majority in the Senate; Republicans are considered likely to retake the chamber next year, which would restore McConnell to his former position of power, Sutton said.

“Part of it, quite frankly, is McConnell has been a leader for a long time, and he knows how to manipulate the levers of power at the party and the Senate,” Sutton said. “And if you’re aiming to be the next senator from Ohio, he’s going to hang on to that power, and you’re going to have to work him.”

Meanwhile, Sutton said Vance might be trying to distance himself from his past prolific criticism of Trump from before he became a political candidate. And, he said candidates might view McConnell as having completed his work, given that he helped Trump confirm three judges to the U.S. Supreme Court, cementing a solid conservative majority.

“Some might say… that’s a mission accomplished, and so do we still need him?” Sutton said.

Michael Beyer, a spokesman for the Ohio Democratic Party, said: “As Republican Senate candidates make their next self-interested political calculation in this nasty primary, they face a tough choice: do they go all-out to pursue Trump’s endorsement, or do they court Mitch McConnell and his wealthy special interest donors?”

After working closely with Trump during his presidency, McConnell repudiated Trump earlier this year after the former president falsely claimed he lost the November election due to widespread fraud. The claim has been rejected by his own justice and homeland security departments, some top Republicans and dozens of state and federal courts. McConnell and his aides blamed Trump for losing two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia, and with it, control of the Senate, saying his election fraud claims dampened turnout in Republican areas of the state, according to Politico.

McConnell even denounced Trump in a February speech on the U.S. Senate floor, saying there was “no question” was “practically and morally responsible” for provoking the Jan. 6 riot by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol while lawmakers worked to certify the results of the election.

“The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president,” McConnell said. “Having that belief was a foreseeable consequence of the growing crescendo of false statements, conspiracy theories and reckless hyperbole which the defeated president kept shouting into the largest megaphone on planet Earth.”

Trump, meanwhile, has said Republicans need to find a replacement for McConnell. He most recently bashed McConnell at an election-style rally in Iowa last Saturday, criticizing him and other Republican senators for voting with Democrats to temporarily raise the national debt ceiling.

“Mitch McConnell didn’t have the courage to challenge the election. He’s only a leader because he raises a lot of money and gives it to senators,” Trump said.

In response to a request for comment for this story, a McConnell spokesman said: “If we have anything to share we’ll be sure to let you know.”

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