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Tweet thread by NBC News’ Henry Gomez can be found HERE

Columbus, OH — Today, Big Tech’s favorite candidate J.D. Vance came out with a campaign strategy that’s never been tried in Ohio: fighting for Michigan first. The tech blunder occurred as Vance was using old web templates from a former state rep candidate, the kind of mistake that apparently even $10 million from Big Tech Billionaire Peter Theil can’t fix.

The pro-Michigan flub follows Vance’s long-winded rant against help for working Ohioans who are struggling to pay for child care, unable to understand why they too can’t turn to their billionaire Big Tech donors, as he always has. Calling universal day care ‘class war against normal people,’ Vance continues to show just how out of touch he really is with the needs of working Ohioans.

“So far, J.D. Vance is marketing himself as the Pro-Michigan, Big Tech and Anti-Child Care candidate. It may be a good strategy among Peter Theil and Big Tech billionaires, but it’s not a good way to win votes in Ohio,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

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Columbus, OH — Today, the Ohio Democratic Party hosted a virtual press conference as Ohioans speak out against anti-protest legislation being pushed through the legislature by Ohio Republicans. GOP politicians have introduced a number of bills that would chip away at one of Ohioans’ most fundamental rights: the right to free speech.

“When I was on the campaign trail, I definitely did not think Ohio would try to make it a crime to protest — something as American as apple pie — but that is exactly what is happening right now at the Statehouse,” said State Representative Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland).

“The right of assembly and free speech is guaranteed in our Constitution. In the history of America — all social justice issues have found their beginnings in the streets and today we see protests playing a critical role in the fight for racial justice. But right now, statehouse Republicans are playing politics with Ohioans’ right to protest,” said State Representative David Leland (D-Columbus).

“These regressive measures will only create more low-level felons. This is a solution looking for a problem. Citizens should always have the right to respectfully question and challenge actions that are excessive and abusive. Lawmakers must cease and desist attempts to strip away rights that are protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution,” said Cincinnati NAACP President Joe Mallory.

Legislation proposed by Ohio Republicans would:

• Create new crimes and penalties for Ohioans who are protesting, using broad language to define what constitutes a crime.
• Make Ohio organizations financially responsible for ‘providing support’ to a protest in which any damage occurs, even if that damage is temporary or independent of the organized protest.
• Add unnecessary burdens onto Ohioans and Ohio organizations who want to exercise their right to free speech.

Organizations across Ohio from all political backgrounds have spoken out against these efforts, especially in light of ongoing protests in the fight for racial justice.

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In Case You Missed It, the Toledo Blade reported today that thanks to the American Rescue Plan, more jobs are coming to northwest Ohio. Forty jobs are coming to Bryan, Ohio as Spangler Candy Company moves production of Bit-O-Honey to the Buckeye state. Spangler President Bill Martin directly attributed the new jobs to the American Rescue Plan and the multiemployer pension fix that was included in the package, a provision that was led by Ohio Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Yet, GOP Senate candidates in Ohio continue to oppose the measure. Josh Mandel has attacked the pension provision of the American Rescue Plan specifically, while Jane Timken has publicly stated she would have voted against the measure and has said about the bill, “we have to stand up and fight against this.”

“Today’s news out of Bryan is just another example of how out of touch candidates like Josh Mandel and Jane Timken are with the needs of Ohio workers. As they attack the American Rescue Plan to score political points, the package continues creating jobs for our state and putting more money in the pockets of Ohioans,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Read more HERE and below:

• Spangler Candy Co., which acquired classic candy Bit-O-Honey last November from Pearson’s Candy Co. of St. Paul, said it will move production of the roasted almond and honey treat to its facility in Bryan in the first half of 2022, creating 40 jobs.
• “With the many challenges we have all faced in the past year, we are excited for this opportunity to add more jobs to Bryan and provide a boost to our local economy,” he added.
• Meanwhile, the company said that unionized production, maintenance, warehouse, and sanitation workers at Spangler have ratified a new contract that runs through February, 2025, and includes the West Campus facility. Workers at Spangler have been represented by Teamsters Local 20 since 1959.
• Mr. Martin said the ability to move Bit-O-Honey production to Bryan was aided by a solution to the multiemployer pension plan crisis. The government’s American Rescue Plan Act, approved by Congress in March, resolved the problem.
• “The multi-employer pension crisis has been a roadblock to any expansion at Spangler for several years,” Mr. Martin said. “The Bit-O-Honey move will help our employees, our company, and our community in a big way.”

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Columbus, OH — Last week, statehouse Republicans formally introduced regressive, anti-voter legislation that would take Ohio backward in the fight for voting rights in our state. The legislation builds on bills passed in Georgia and Florida that place more burdens on voters and includes confusing language that could discourage Ohioans from voting.

All of this represents a solution in search of a problem, as even Republicans Jon Husted and Frank LaRose have admitted that voter fraud is ‘exceedingly rare,’ making it clear that the introduction of this legislation is purely political.

Read more about this harmful bill below:

Ohio Capital Journal: Commentary: Voting Is Already Safe And Secure. Ohio’s New Bill Makes Voting More Difficult.

“GOP lawmakers, who acknowledge that Ohio has had ‘good clean elections without controversy,’ insist election bills are routine affairs to make the voting process more secure. Bull. This is not about building on past successes. This is about pulling back, eliminating early, in-person voting the Monday before Election Day, removing a week that Ohioans used to apply for a mail ballot, requiring two forms of ID, instead of one, for online absentee ballot requests. These are hoops to jump through that discourage voting, not encourage it. That’s how you suppress voter engagement.

“2020 was a testament to the endurance of free and fair elections run by the book. We don’t need to restore confidence in the voting process. We need to vigorously protect it from politicians consumed with keeping power who are willing to disenfranchise Ohio voters, based on a lie, to that end.”

Cincinnati.com: Ohio GOP lawmakers propose election changes, limiting drop boxes and allowing online ballot requests

“The proposal would also limit drop boxes for mail-in ballots to 10 days before Election Day instead of the entire early voting period. Each county board of elections could have three receptacles on their premises.

“Boards could have one drop box for the entire early voting period during a pandemic or emergency.

“Some Ohio counties, including Hamilton and Cuyahoga, have used drop boxes for years. Ohio lawmakers approved the use of drop boxes during the COVID-19 pandemic when Ohio’s primary shifted to mail ballots rather than in-person voting. Several judges ruled that Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose was allowed to set rules on how drop boxes were used, but he deferred to lawmakers.”

Dayton Daily News: Ohio Republicans to introduce debated 12-point voting legislation: What it would do

“The measure would also tighten voter ID requirements, limit drop boxes to election board premises and erase early voting the day before an election, steps which some Democrats oppose. State Rep. Willis Blackshear Jr., D-Dayton, said he opposes doing away with early in-person voting on the Monday before elections following a weekend in which campaigns typically make a final blitz.

‘“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” said Blackshear, who worked at the Montgomery County Board of Elections before voters sent him to the Statehouse.

“While any day before an election can be chaotic, Blackshear said early voting wrapped up at 2 p.m.

‘“I felt like we were able to manage it,” he said. “I don’t see why we need to take that out all of a sudden. It’s worked very well for us these last years.”’

Huffington Post: Ohio Becomes The Latest State To Introduce A Major Voter Suppression Bill

“The Ohio House bill would limit the number of drop boxes to just one location per county, and that location can have up to three drop boxes. It would also allow drop boxes to be used only in the 10 days leading up to Election Day, a huge decrease from last year when Ohio voters had 30 days to return their ballot via drop box. 

“Those boxes would also only be allowed outside of the county Board of Elections offices, hindering voters who don’t live near the offices and don’t have easy access to transportation. Such voters would have to find other ways to return their ballots.

“In addition to the drop box changes, the bill would impose new restrictions on voter registrations and absentee voting, including limiting what kind of mail-in ballots can be “cured” ― the process of fixing small mistakes made by voters on their ballots so that the votes can count. HB 294 would also move the absentee ballot request deadline up seven days and eliminate in-person absentee voting on the Monday before Election Day.”

American Independent: Ohio is the latest state to try to restrict early voting

“Like many of the pieces of legislation that have either passed state legislatures or are moving toward passage, H.B. 294 targets absentee ballots as well as early in-person voting, two voting methods Trump railed against and has demanded Republicans limit in future elections. The Ohio House bill would slash the number of absentee ballot drop boxes in the state to just one per county and cut the number of days voters have to drop ballots off from 30 down to just 10. The bill would also eliminate the Monday before Election Day as an early in-person voting day.”  

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Columbus, OH — When Mike DeWine was asked last week about two votes by Ohio Republicans to censure Republican Congressman Anthony Gonzalez and to call for his resignation, DeWine responded only: “I have no comment about it. I’ve already expressed what I thought. I’m not going to say it anymore.”

Earlier this year, DeWine offered a full defense of Gonzalez, saying: “He was voting his conscience. He made that call. That was his decision. I think he’s been a good member of Congress. He should not resign.”

DeWine’s shift is a move of political desperation as he faces internal attacks and the prospect of a messy primary. DeWine, lacking the courage and the power to stand up to members of his own party, now finds himself in a weak position and scrambling to find a base of supporters.

“Ohioans expect their leaders to have the moral courage to stand up for what’s right, even when it’s the tough thing to do. Instead, Mike DeWine is on the retreat, putting his own political interests above all else. To Ohio voters looking for strong leadership, DeWine’s ‘no comment’ speaks volumes,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Expect to see a more dramatic shift from DeWine over the coming weeks and months, as Republicans continue to reject his agenda and speak out publicly against him. And his rightward shift will make him no friends with Democrats and Independents, leaving DeWine in a tenuous position as he looks ahead to the 2022 election.

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