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Vivek Ramaswamy’s Running Mate Stalled Ban on Child Marriage 

“The bill stalled because Senate President Rob McColley gave in to that sentiment”

Columbus, Ohio- Reporting from WKRC Local 12 revealed Vivek Ramaswamy’s running mate, Senate President Rob McColley, held up a vote on a ban on child marriage in Ohio. 

Republican State Senator Bill Blessing, a member of McColley’s own party, said the bill stalled because McColley “gave in” to arguments against the bill. Previously, McColley told the Columbus Dispatch that banning child marriage required “further exploration.”

McColley obstructing a ban on child marriage is the latest in a disturbing pattern from Ramaswamy and members of his team. During Ramaswamy’s presidential campaign, he claimed to be the “first and most vocal proponent of releasing all Epstein related documents” and said he would release the client list “without exception.” Ramaswamy also proudly touted endorsements from two state lawmakers accused of sexual misconduct and then scrambled to scrub his campaign website after the fact. One of the endorsements was added back to Ramaswamy’s website within hours of removal.  

“No wonder Ohio families don’t trust Vivek Ramaswamy; his running mate and current President of the Ohio Senate is busy stalling a ban on child marriage and saying this is an issue that requires ‘further exploration,’ while Ramaswamy himself accepts endorsements from politicians accused of being sexual predators and refuses to return a $100,000 donation from an Epstein associate,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Vivek Ramaswamy won’t keep Ohio’s children safe.”

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HUSTED TRIAL TRACKER: As New Trial Looms, Jon Husted’s Central Role In The Largest Bribery Scandal in Ohio History Comes Under Even More Scrutiny

Ohio families paying $663 more a year on utility bills thanks to Husted’s corruption

COLUMBUS, OHIO — In case you missed it, Jon Husted’s corrupt donors were reindicted with new criminal charges in the FirstEnergy bribery scheme — the largest public corruption scandal in Ohio history. The widened scope of the reindictment will call Jon Husted’s central role in the bribery scandal into further question.

As a reminder, Jon Husted remains at the center of the massive scandal, with recent reporting from the Associated Press revealing Husted’s ties to be much deeper than previously known:

  • When Husted was forced to testify, his testimony showed discrepancies from public documents and reporting, only raising more questions. 
  • Husted’s FirstEnergy nightmare isn’t going away anytime soon, with the new trial set to begin September 18, 2026.
  • The massive FirstEnergy bribery scheme that Jon Husted championed delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities and contributed to electricity costs for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year. 

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement:

“Ohioans are calling on Jon Husted to come clean about his central role in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history that’s costing families thousands of dollars more on their utility bills. It seems every week more details come to light about Jon Husted’s deep ties to this massive corruption scheme. Ohioans deserve accountability and answers about how deep his involvement goes.”

READ MORE: 

Cleveland.com: New charges against ex-FirstEnergy executives could reshape second corruption trial

  • New criminal charges filed this week against two former FirstEnergy executives could dramatically change how prosecutors present one of Ohio’s largest public corruption scandals in an expected second trial.
  • Former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and the utility giant’s former top lobbyist, Michael Dowling, still face accusations that they bribed Sam Randazzo just before he became chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
  • But a new indictment unsealed Thursday broadens the case, accusing the pair of participating in a wider scheme that also involved former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and the passage of the scandal-ridden House Bill 6, which gave FirstEnergy a $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout of two failing nuclear plants.
  • The indictment says Jones and Dowling learned during a late-2018 dinner with incoming Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted that Randazzo was being considered to lead the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

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Mike Turner On Votes For Reckless War With Iran That Is Sky-Rocketing Ohioans’ Gas Prices: No Comment

COLUMBUS, OH – Republican Congressman Mike Turner has a simple message for Ohioans as he continues to vote for the reckless war with Iran that is raising Ohioans’ gas prices: “No comment.” While Turner doubles down on his support for the war with Iran, and gas prices in Ohio have reached $5.00 a gallon in recent weeks, Kristina Knickerbocker and Ohioans in Ohio’s 10th congressional district are calling him out for it.

“It’s simple why Mike Turner is refusing to comment on his support for the reckless war with Iran that is sky-rocketing Ohioans’ gas prices – he can’t defend his out-of-touch votes,” said Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director Marisa Nahem. “While Turner clearly doesn’t think he’s accountable to Ohio families and doesn’t seem to care that with every vote he is further raising Ohioans’ costs, Ohioans are rallying behind Kristina Knickerbocker who will oppose this reckless war with Iran and actually lower costs for families in Ohio’s 10th congressional district.”

Read more about how Ohioans are slamming Mike Turner for his votes to raise costs – and how Turner can’t even be bothered to comment.

Journal-News: Congressional candidate rebukes Turner’s vote on war powers resolution

  • “Mike Turner continues to vote for this war, which means it’s a vote for the Miami people to work harder, to suffer more and to not get their basic needs met,” Knickerbocker said.
  • Adam Miller, former state representative and current chair of the Ohio Democratic Party Veterans Caucus, joined Knickerbocker’s criticism of Turner’s vote in his opening remarks.
  • Miller described Turner’s actions in Congress as a sign of “gross negligence” and said that “Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon today because of Mike Turner’s failure.”
  • Knickerbocker claims that Miami Valley residents face the impact of military actions in Iran through the rising cost of living.
  • “It is time we have a representative in office that understands the cost we are facing every single day, from rising gas costs to childcare that is completely unaffordable,” Knickerbocker said.
  • Turner’s office declined to comment.

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NEW: Ramaswamy Kept Paying Security Firm Following Personal Bodyguard’s Arrest with Enough Fentanyl to Kill 132,000 Ohioans

Columbus, Ohio- New reporting from TiffinOhio.net uncovered how Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign continued paying his security firm even after his personal bodyguard was arrested with enough fentanyl to kill 132,000 Ohioans.

READ: Ramaswamy kept paying security firm after bodyguard arrested with enough fentanyl to kill 132,000 Ohioans

  • Campaign finance records filed with the Ohio Secretary of State show Vivek Ramaswamy’s gubernatorial campaign paid $14,000 to its contracted security firm in the weeks after the firm’s employee — Ramaswamy’s personal family bodyguard — was arrested on federal fentanyl trafficking charges. The final payment came four days after the campaign publicly announced it was dropping the firm.
  • According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. Applied to the 264 grams recovered at Salsburey’s home, that ratio yields an estimated potential death toll of approximately 132,000 — a figure the DEA itself uses as a benchmark for seized quantities of the drug.
  • Despite the arrest, the Ramaswamy campaign continued paying ARK Protection Group. According to Ohio Secretary of State campaign finance records, the campaign paid ARK $12,000 on Jan. 8, 2026 — 9 days after the arrest and the same day the story became widely reported. The campaign had paid ARK a total of approximately $61,971 since April 2025 prior to that payment.

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ICYMI: Akron Beacon Journal: Maple Heights mayor seeks Ohio seat, focuses on helping cities in crisis

COLUMBUS, OH – Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell is running for Auditor with experience pulling a city out of a fiscal emergency, uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse and addressing those issues to get Maple Heights back on track to grow communities. Blackwell also touts her commitment to working across the aisle, as the Akron Beacon Journal notes she has “done numerous times as mayor.”

In case you missed it, read more on Annette Blackwell’s message to Ohioans about how she “would focus on problem-solving, advising and relationship building,” including to catch corruption, mismanagement, and fraud early if elected Auditor:

Akron Beacon Journal: Maple Heights mayor seeks Ohio seat, focuses on helping cities in crisis

  • When Blackwell became mayor of Maple Heights 10 years ago, the city was struggling with finances.
  • The city entered fiscal emergency in 2015, before she became mayor, when it failed to make payments on three loans for sewer projects, Ideastream reported. Four years later, the city was released from the emergency.
  • Blackwell said this was one year early. It took a lot of effort to turn things around, but that effort came with little help from the auditor’s office.
  • Blackwell recalled having a “war room” in her home full of papers and documents. There, she found many problems. The city was paying for health care for retired or dead employees and overpaying for a reduced law department, for example.
  • If elected as the auditor, Blackwell said she would focus on problem-solving, advising and relationship building. The latter, she said, could help prevent corruption and mismanagement before it spirals. It also means catching fraud.
  • She said her time working with the auditor’s office as mayor and her time as a consultant separate her from LaRose. She’s also willing to work across the aisle with Republicans, which she has done numerous times as mayor.
  • “I don’t mind being the first person to cross the aisle, because we do our best work together,” she said.

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