Do As I Say, Not As I Do: Empty Rhetoric from Mike DeWine and Frank LaRose Shows How Weak They Really Are
February 18, 2022
For Immediate Release:
Friday, February 18, 2022
“When I am governor there will be an expectation that the new district maps honor the voters’ wishes.” – Mike DeWine, October 2018
Columbus, OH — In the wake of the Republican-controlled redistricting commission’s third failure to produce maps that reflect the political realities of our state, Mike DeWine and Frank LaRose are sure to be out there trying to do damage control in the coming days. To be clear, DeWine and LaRose had every opportunity to do their jobs, live up to their own words and work with Democrats to pass fair maps. They crumbled under political pressure and caved to their own party instead.
Amid calls for DeWine and LaRose not to receive the endorsement of their own state party, it’s clear these two politicians are desperate to do anything to save their own political hides, too weak to stand up to the extremists in their own party and do the right thing for Ohioans.
Here’s a small sample of DeWine and LaRose’s past comments on the redistricting process, and how those words ultimately meant nothing when it came to standing up for Ohioans’ best interests.
Mike DeWine’s Words:
October 2018: The Cincinnati Enquirer
“The rules are pretty clear — the voters said that the redistricting process should be done in a bipartisan way and when I am governor there will be an expectation that the new district maps honor the voters’ wishes,”
January 2022: Official Statement
“Throughout this process, I expected that Ohio’s legislative maps would be litigated and that the Ohio Supreme Court would make a decision on their constitutionality. I will work with my fellow Redistricting Commission members on revised maps that are consistent with the Court’s order.”
Frank LaRose’s Words:
October 8, 2021: Official statement
“The Commission should set a goal of developing maps that can provide the public an honest opportunity to provide substantive input. A big lesson learned from our last experience is that we need every minute we can get to sit down together to consider proposed maps and negotiate in the hope of reaching a bipartisan consensus.”
October 29, 2021: Statehouse News Bureau
“I’ve been struggling for weeks to try and get people to come together and have serious conversations about compromise and meeting in the middle.”
Mike DeWine’s and Frank LaRose’s Actions:
September 19, 2021: Cleveland.com
February 17, 2022: David Skolnick, Vindicator
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