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Columbus, OH – Moreno’s record stealing his employees’ wages and shredding the evidence to get out of paying them continues to cloud his candidacy – this time in a new TV ad – further putting the image he’s trying to sell voters “in question.” 

Reminder: Bernie Moreno refused to pay his employees the overtime they’d earned, destroyed evidence, was found liable for wage theft, and has repeatedly lying about it: 

• Business Insider: Trump-backed Ohio Senate candidate shredded documents as he faced a lawsuit accusing him of wage theft

• WCMH: Fact check: Did Senate candidate Bernie Moreno shred documents accusing him of wage theft?

• Mother Jones: A GOP Senate Candidate Blames “Liberal” Judges for His Labor Violations. Just One Problem With That.

• WKYC: No, Bernie Moreno’s claims that Massachusetts courts overturned federal law in wage theft lawsuits and made rulings retroactive are not true: VERIFY

• The Daily Beast: This GOP Senate Hopeful’s Self-Made Story Has a Darker Side

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Columbus, OH – Today, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters released the following statement after Secretary Marcia Fudge announced her resignation as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and her retirement from public life. 

“Secretary Fudge broke down barrier after barrier to move our state and country forward. There’s no doubt that her leadership has made Ohio a stronger, safer and more affordable place for working families to live. And while Secretary Fudge may be retiring from public life, we know her commitment to public service remains strong. Ohio will continue to benefit from her wisdom, her tenacity and her leadership,” said Chair Walters.  

Fudge was the first woman and first Black person elected to serve as Mayor of Warrensville Heights. She served as Congresswoman for Ohio’s 11th District from 2008 until 2021, when she was appointed as HUD Secretary. Fudge also served as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2013 to 2015. 

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Columbus, OH – With just a week and a half until this “increasingly hostile” Slugfest comes to a head, the #OHSEN field “turn[ed] up [the] heat” in the final primary debate this week and  “came out swinging.” New audio also revealed Bernie Moreno supports abortion bans with “no exceptions” and the entire field posted weak fundraising reports while dumping in millions more of their own personal fortunes to try to buy Ohio’s Senate seat. 

Here’s a recap of what happened last week in what has already been called one of the “messiest”, “most expensive” and “bruising” primary battles in the country.

#OHSEN FIELD “CAME OUT SWINGING”

This “increasingly hostile” Slugfest was in full view Wednesday night. 

As the final primary debate devolved into a messy, nasty fight filled with petty jabs and personal attacks, Moreno, LaRose, and Dolan proved they aren’t fighting for Ohioans or the issues that matter most to them. Here were the highlights:

MORENO’S MIC WAS CUT-OFF – TWICE

After non-stop bickering and nasty attacks, the debate moderator was forced to cut-off Bernie Moreno’s microphone – not once, but TWICE. 

Sheree Paolello, WLWT: “Okay, let’s move on. Let’s move on. Okay. Okay. Okay, we’re moving on.”

“ABSOLUTE PRO-LIFE, NO EXCEPTIONS”

New audio reported this week revealed further proof that Bernie Moreno supports banning abortion with “no exceptions.”

Moreno: “Absolute Pro-Life, No Exceptions” 

Moreno is already on-the-record saying he is “100% pro-life, no exceptions” – AND he has repeatedly reiterated his support for a national abortion ban that would overrule the will of Ohioans.

MORENO CALLS ABORTION BANS A “TALKING POINT”

And to add insult to injury, Bernie Moreno called abortion bans a “talking point” when asked if he supports a national abortion ban (which he does).

Moreno: “Well, ‘ban’ is a media Democrat talking point…”

Tell that to the 57% of Ohioans who voted for Issue 1 to protect abortion rights…

Ohio women to Bernie Moreno:

#OHSEN FIELD’S PRE-PRIMARY REPORT CARDS: F, F, and another F

Despite their unbelievably lackluster fundraising, the field is still trying to buy Ohio’s Senate seat using their personal wealth, out-of-state billionaire PAC money, and parents’ cash.  

Live look at Moreno and Dolan dumping millions more of their personal fortunes into this race:

SLUGFEST COUNTDOWN

11 days left until this Slugfest comes to a head and the infighting just keeps getting worse. 

WHAT OHIOANS ARE READING ABOUT THIS SLUGFEST

AP: Republicans running to face Ohio’s Democratic US Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall vie for voters’ trust

NBC News: “The three Republicans competing in Ohio’s March 19 Senate primary met tonight for their final debate — an hourlong clash…”

American Journal: Ohio senate candidate Bernie Morneo: “Absolute pro-life no exceptions.”

Columbus Dispatch: “But the primary has become more heated in recent days as the candidates near the finish line, with no clear frontrunner in sight…Moreno, LaRose and Dolan traded barbs over inconsistencies in each other’s histories.”

Toledo Blade: “The candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat Wednesday accused each other of shifting positions for political expediency, sometimes called each other names, and argued…Despite Ohioans’ adoption in November of a constitutional amendment barring government interference in abortion prior to the point of fetal viability, all three candidates generally voiced support for federal intervention…”

Cleveland.com: Ohio Senate race: Millionaire Republican candidates dip further into personal funds to bankroll campaigns in election’s final weeks

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Sheree Paolello, WLWT, after Bernie Moreno called abortion bans a talking point: “I don’t think it’s a talking point. It certainly is a big issue for so many voters.” 

Ohio House of Representatives Minority Leader Allison Russo: “We just listened to an hour long debate where we had three rich guys who essentially offered absolutely no solutions to Ohioans, they spent most of the time calling each other liars.”

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Cleveland.com: Millionaire Republican Candidates Dip Further Into Personal Funds To Bankroll Campaigns In Election’s Final Weeks

Columbus, OH – The “millionaire Republican candidates” running in the #OHSEN primary are still trying to buy Ohio’s Senate seat and posted abysmal pre-primary fundraising totals yesterday. Moreno, LaRose, and Dolan’s laughably terrible totals – and the new multi-million dollar checks they’re writing themselves – prove again that they’re trying to buy Ohio’s Senate seat using personal wealth, out-of-state billionaire PAC money, and their parents’ cash.  

Here’s a reminder of who is funding the #OHSEN field’s campaigns:

• Bernie Moreno has dumped in $4.2 million of his own cash to try to buy Ohio’s Senate seat, writing himself another $1.2 million check this year after last year’s $3 million check – all after he said it’s “not right” for wealthy people to “write a big fat check” and that he wouldn’t “take [his] personal wealth and buy a Senate seat.”

• Frank LaRose loaned himself a “highly unusual” and “myster[ious]” $250,000 last year. LaRose has been relying on out-of-state billionaire Richard Uihlein to bankroll his flailing campaign – new reports show a Uihlein affiliated PAC donated $1 million to a pro-LaRose PAC this year. Uihlein himself gave  the pro-LaRose PAC $3 million last year. Uihlein also funded LaRose’s failed August amendment to silence Ohioans and benefit special interests. 

• Matt Dolan has put in $9 million of his personal fortune into the race. Buying Ohio’s Senate seat is a family affair, given the PAC supporting his campaign has received $2 million from Dolan’s parents.

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Moreno is “Absolute Pro-Life, No Exceptions”

Columbus, OH – New audio reported today revealed that Bernie Moreno supports banning abortion with “no exceptions.” Moreno has previously said he is “100% pro-life no exceptions” and has repeatedly reiterated his support for a national abortion ban. 

Read more:

American Journal: Ohio senate candidate Bernie Morneo: “Absolute pro-life no exceptions.”

Jesse Valentine 

• In newly unearthed audio, U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno signals that he supports banning abortion without exceptions. That stance could put him at odds with most Ohioans who voted overwhelmingly to protect abortion rights in November 2023.

• Moreno made the comments during a 2022 interview with 55KRC Radio in Cincinnati. The host, Kevin Gordon, asked Moreno if he was pro-life or pro-chioce.

• “Absolute pro-life,” Moreno responded, “no exceptions.”

• This is not the only time Moreno has expressed anti-abortion views. He made a near-identical statement to Breitbart News in October 2021.

• “I’m 100 percent pro-life with no exceptions,” Moreno said.

• Moreno’s position deviates from the 56.6% of Ohioans who voted in favor of Issue 1, a ballot measure that established a right to abortion care in the state constitution. Some Republicans have pushed for a federal abortion ban that would override the state amendment.

• Moreno was asked about the difference at the Jan. 22 Republican primary debate. He said he would respect the will of the voters but also said he would back a federal law banning abortion… 

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