Cleveland.com: Chair Walters Op-Ed: Count out Ohio Democrats at Your Peril
November 21, 2022
Columbus, OH — This weekend, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters penned an op-ed for Cleveland.com discussing the progress Ohio Democrats made last election, the work left to do and the party’s laser-focus on Sherrod Brown’s reelection in 2024. While many pundits and so-called experts are ready to count Ohio Democrats out, Chair Walters warn they do so at their own peril.
“We elected Democrats in partisan, competitive congressional races for the first time since 2012. We flipped the State Board of Education. And we increased Democratic performance in every single county in the state. We saw that, when Ohio Democrats talk about the issues that matter most to working families and show voters we’re on their side, we can win in Ohio. We’re so proud of the progress we made, and it’s progress we are ready to build upon,” wrote Walters.
Read more below and the full op-ed from Walters here:
- On election night, Ohio was the dam that stopped the red wave from crashing into Congress.
- Ohio made the congressional red wave that so many predicted look more like a ripple.
- We elected Democrats in partisan, competitive congressional races for the first time since 2012. We flipped the State Board of Education. And we increased Democratic performance in every single county in the state.
- We saw that, when Ohio Democrats talk about the issues that matter most to working families and show voters we’re on their side, we can win in Ohio.
- There will be plenty of time over the coming days, weeks and months to dissect what happened and why. I know my team and I here at the Ohio Democratic Party will be having lots of conversations with outside partners, digging into the data and working to chart our path forward.
- The truth is, we were facing unprecedented obstacles here in Ohio. From illegal, GOP-gerrymandered maps; to millions of dollars in outside spending from national Republicans compared to very little spending from national Democrats; to a party of long-term incumbents who showed a willingness to embrace lies and extremism to get across the finish line, we had a lot to overcome.
- We’re not done fighting for fair maps. We’re not done fighting for a woman’s right to choose. We’re not done fighting for voting rights. We’re not done fighting for the dignity of work.
- And we’re all so ready to fight for Sen. Sherrod Brown and his critical re-election campaign in 2024.
- Sherrod has proven time and again that he knows how to win Ohio because voters know he’s on their side. Republicans who run against him do so at their own peril. Just ask Mike DeWine, Jim Renacci, and Josh Mandel – three Republicans who have never lost a general election race in Ohio, except to Sherrod.
- Our work is far from over. Count us out at your peril.
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