“I Should Vote No:” Frank LaRose Once Again Puts His Political Ambition over the Best Interests of Ohioans
October 26, 2021
Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, Frank LaRose once again failed Ohio voters and caved to extreme members of the Republican Party. A new Columbus Dispatch report detailing depositions from lawsuits over the blatantly gerrymandered and unconstitutional maps shows LaRose did not want to vote for the maps in the first place, but will always put his political ambition over the best interests of Ohioans. Text messages from LaRose show he had concerns, but ultimately backed down when political concerns were raised by his staff. It’s the latest example of Frank LaRose playing politics with his job as chief elections officer for the state of Ohio and using his role to further his own political ambitions.
“Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, put it more bluntly in a text message to his chief of staff Merle Madrid: ‘This rationale is asinine. I should vote no.’ Madrid replied: ‘It will be cited in the court against the GOP. Probably not worth it,’ wrote the Columbus Dispatch.
“Frank LaRose has once again failed Ohioans. Text messages exchanged with his staff show he knew full well that the maps he ended up voting for were wrong, but he chose his own political interests over the interests of the Ohioans he is supposed to serve. When politicians show you who they are time and time again, it’s time we start believing them. And Frank LaRose has shown us he’s a political phony, said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.
You can read more from the Dispatch here and below:
- Depositions taken in legal challenges against those maps revealed how differently Republican lawmakers, Democrats and GOP statewide officeholders viewed their goal – to reach a 10-year, bipartisan map – and their path to getting there.
- The seven-member commission approved state House and Senate maps on Sept. 16 in a 5-2 vote along party lines. The maps could give Republicans a 62-37 advantage in the House and a 23-10 advantage in the Senate.
- A much-debated section of voter-approved changes to the Ohio Constitution required mapmakers to attempt to match statewide voting preferences of Ohioans over the past decade.
- Republican candidates in statewide races won about 54% of the vote during those years and Democratic candidates won about 46%. The section is also at the heart of three lawsuits filed against the maps.
- Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, put it more bluntly in a text message to his chief of staff Merle Madrid: “This rationale is asinine. I should vote no.”
- Madrid replied: “It will be cited in the court against the GOP. Probably not worth it.”
- Statewide officeholders held three of the seven seats on the Ohio Redistricting Commission. These members were supposed to act as a check on lawmakers’ self-interests when drawing their own maps.