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Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Senators Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno voted to confirm prominent anti-vaxxer and 9/11 conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. This latest in a line of disappointing confirmation votes only continues revealing to Ohioans their senators aren’t working for them.

Despite desperately backtracking on his anti-vaccine views during the hearings, Kennedy holds extreme anti-vaccination views and has shared dangerous lies in lieu of real health and safety information. He’s not just unqualified; he’s dangerous for Ohioans. 

In addition to sharing lies about critical health information, Kennedy has shared conspiracy theories about wi-fi, various diseases, the water supply, and even 9/11. When confronted, he said “it’s hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t” when it came to the September 11th terrorist attacks. When questioned about 9/11, he refused to take sides and then doubled down at his confirmation hearing. Ohioans deserve leaders who will tell the truth to keep them safe. Instead, Husted and Moreno sent them a conspiracy theorist. 

“Kennedy is another example of Donald Trump’s wildly unqualified and dangerous cabinet nominees that Senators Husted and Moreno rubber stamped,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Senator Husted and Senator Moreno either have no interest in representing Ohioans in the Senate or they’re too weak to stand up to Donald Trump. Either way, Ohioans will be less safe because of their decisions today.”

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Columbus, Ohio-  Before he was a U.S. Senator, Jon Husted was better known to statehouse lobbyists as FirstEnergy’s “Golden Boy.” Despite countless attempts to deny his involvement, it’s clear that Husted is deeply implicated in a major statehouse bribery scandal that Ohioans are still paying for. Before he asks for their vote again, Ohioans deserve answers to their questions 

Here are four questions Senator Husted must answer about his involvement in Ohio’s largest pay-to-play scandal in state history:

1. Why did you say you had no role in the legislative process for HB6 when texts from FirstEnergy executives revealed that was not the case?

2. What was the exact role you played while “fighting to the end” to pass HB6?

3. Why are you refusing to say if you knew about FirstEnergy’s $1 million contribution to a dark money group supporting your campaign?

4. Why were you deposed by investors suing FirstEnergy in a civil case in connection with the HB6 scandal? What were the results of that deposition?

Read more about Senator Husted’s work with FirstEnergy and House Bill 6 at StateOfficialTwo.Com

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Columbus, Ohio-  In November 2023, Ohio voters overwhelmingly passed a citizen-led initiative to legalize marijuana in Ohio. Since then, Republicans have been hell bent on ignoring the will of the voters. Last week, they dropped their latest proposal, gutting the law voters passed and instead prioritizing extreme politicians in the legislature.

Ohioans passed a law specifically stating how marijuana would be regulated, taxed, and distributed. Instead of allowing the law the voters passed to work as it was intended, Republican lawmakers instead proposed their own amendments to double the tax on marijuana sold to consumers, restrict home grow, and cap the number of active dispensaries.

Republicans didn’t stop there. They proposed redirecting the extra revenue from their new tax on Ohio consumers towards a general fund, where they decide how to use it. The law voters passed funded substance abuse services and job creation. 

“House Speaker Matt Huffman said that these were ‘very complex’ issues. But it’s clear statehouse Republicans just think they know better than Ohio voters,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “This isn’t the first time Republicans have turned around and ignored the will of the voters. Ohioans have come to expect constant tricks from the statehouse, and they’re sick of it.”

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Columbus, Ohio- As Ohio’s newest Senator Jon Husted settles into office, lobbyists around Capitol Hill are waiting for the chance to gain his support on any number of bills. Ohioans already know that Husted can be easily bought- so we’re sharing a tried and true guide on how to buy his influence. 

Do:

Bribes:  In 2017, FirstEnergy contributed $1 million to a dark money group supporting Husted’s primary campaign for governor. In the memo, they even wrote “Husted campaign.” While Senator Husted still refuses to tell Ohioans if he knew about the money, he’s been called a “good friend of FirstEnergy” and spearheaded HB6 through the legislative process. Bribery has always been the most obvious answer, but if you want to match FirstEnergy, it’s at least $1 million to buy your senator.

Cushy Board Appointments: If you’re looking to get on Husted’s good side more permanently, consider offering him a position on your corporation’s board… with a salary. It’s ok if your organization has business before the state of Ohio or any of Husted’s committees. In 2022, he joined the board of Heartland Bank, which does business with the state of Ohio, while still serving in office. He’s even paid a salary of $21,600 per year. 

Don’t

Call his office phone: Senator Husted’s voicemail box is already full due to the high volume of calls from constituents begging him to stand up and actually represent Ohioans. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to get an answer even though he’s been in office for weeks now. If you’re a lobbyist looking to buy his vote, you’ll have to call his personal cell.

Subpoena him in a civil corruption suit: If you’re looking to buy Senator Husted and you get caught, it’s not a good idea to subpoena him for documents related to the case and then depose him about his role in the same case. It’s clear that Husted was deeply involved in the passage of House Bill 6, despite his denying it at every turn. 

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Columbus, OH — Today, Ohio Secretary of State, Loser Frank LaRose, reluctantly announced that he will run for State Auditor in the 2026 election cycle. After making himself the face of two losing statewide ballot initiatives, coming in third place in the Senate primary, and publicly pining for yet failing to get several appointments, Third-Place Frank has settled on running for his third choice job.

Even if he did show any real interest in the job, it’s not exactly a great fit for a politician with a history of shady voter suppression tactics and using his official position to influence Ohio’s elections. He implemented the  “most restrictive photo ID law in the country” resulting in thousands of Ohioans having their ballots rejected. When asked why the rejection rate was so high, he blamed the voters instead of taking responsibility.

Ohio’s State Auditor is supposed to ensure transparency and checks and balances in the government. LaRose enters the race with a history of trickery and questionable use of his official position that makes him especially wrong for this role. He manipulated ballot language on Ohio’s abortion rights and anti-gerrymandering constitutional amendments and asked local government officials to promote his false information about the anti-gerrymanderying measure. During his senate campaign, Third-Place Frank even moved his official office to the same building as his campaign office, then refused to answer questions from voters about the move.

“Ohio voters have rejected LaRose over and over, but he hasn’t gotten the message they’re sending loud and clear,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “It’s obvious that LaRose doesn’t actually want the job. If he continues his desperate attempt to hang on to power, Ohio voters will hand Loser LaRose yet another loss at the polls.”

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