Frank LaRose is Ohio’s Biggest Loser
August 9, 2023
The Messenger: “The biggest loser in the fight over this issue is Secretary of State Frank LaRose”
Ohioans rejected Frank LaRose’s amendment yesterday and LaRose’s close ties to State Issue 1 continue to backfire on him, suffocating his Senate campaign before it even started.
Here’s what Ohioans are reading and watching about Frank LaRose’s “significant loss:”
WVXU: Commentary: Ohio’s GOP just learned voters are not as gullible as they think
Howard Wilkinson
August 8, 2023
- Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, who wanted this more than anything to try to squelch the reproductive rights amendment on the November ballot, and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the cheerleader-in-chief for Issue 1, are the ones chiefly responsible for this GOP disaster.
- LaRose and Huffman bit off more than they could chew.
- LaRose, the most enthusiastic supporter of Issue 1 among Ohio Republican elected officials, made the job of hiding the abortion rights connection that much harder when he was caught on video at a Seneca County Republican Party event saying that Issue 1 was “100%” about keeping abortion rights groups’ hands off the Ohio constitution.
- LaRose wasted a lot of time trying to explain what he meant, but no one seemed to be listening and that short video clip became the centerpiece of the “No on 1” TV ad campaign.
WSYX: Proposed constitutional change Issue 1 rejected by Ohio voters
August 8, 2023
- Ohioans rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to increase the threshold for future changes.
- Earlier in the day, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose was set to vote and hold media availability but suddenly canceled.
Washington Post: 4 takeaways from rejection of Issue 1 in the Ohio special election
Aaron Blake
August 8, 2023
- At the top of the list of the biggest losers Tuesday was Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R), who made himself the face of the initiative and is now running for Senate to unseat Sen. Sherrod Brown (D). LaRose appeared to want to burnish his conservative bona fides — and perhaps GOP voters will give him credit for trying — but a primary opponent has already been attacking him for alleged strategic failures.
The Messenger: Ohio Voters Reject GOP Initiative Seen As Proxy Vote on Abortion
Matt Holt, Dan Merica
August 8, 2023
- The biggest loser in the fight over this issue is Secretary of State Frank LaRose.
- LaRose, a Republican, made himself the face of the “yes” campaign, crisscrossing the state to urge voters to back the issue and centering is newly launched Senate campaign on the issue.
- “This is 100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution. The left wants to jam it in there this coming November,” LaRose said in June.
- That comment from LaRose proved to be a rallying cry for Democrats and those who were opposed to Issue 1. Last week, LaRose issued an ultimatum to his GOP primary opponents to spend $1 million in support of the effort, which was quickly criticized by Bernie Moreno, a former car dealership owner who dropped out of the 2022 Senate primary and is endorsed by Vance.
- “The implosion of Issue 1 could be extremely detrimental to LaRose’s fundraising,” said a Republican strategist working in Senate races. “He made himself the face of this issue and then it went down in brutal fashion.”
Huffington Post: Ohio Voters Take First Crucial Step To Protect Abortion Rights Ahead Of November Vote
Alanna Vagianos
August 8, 2023
- Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, an outspoken anti-choice leader, was one of several Republicans who attempted to hide the real intent of Issue 1. He told the Washington Examiner last month that Issue 1 has “never been exclusively about abortion.” But as feminist writer Jessica Valenti pointed out, LaRose said earlier in the summer that Issue 1 “is 100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution.
WBNS: “Last night’s rejection of Issue 1 not only was a blow to the Republican-controlled Statehouse, it was also a blow to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose who campaigned heavily in favor of Issue 1.
MSNBC: Frank LaRose “has been leading the charge” for State Issue 1, “his office will get blamed” for any problems, LaRose “tied inextricably” to issue, “a loss for his Senate campaign right out of the gate.”
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