LaRose Runs For Cover, Tries To Pull Primary Opponents Closer to State Issue 1

July 31, 2023

Ohioans to Vote on LaRose’s Amendment – Which Would Benefit Special Interests and Silence Ohioans – Next Week

In anticipation of voters rejecting his amendment to benefit special interests and silence Ohioans next week, Frank LaRose is running for cover and trying to pull his primary opponents closer to State Issue 1.

LaRose, who has made himself the face of State Issue 1, has been criticized for major missteps that have both hurt himself and the Yes on 1 campaign – including by saying the quiet part out loud that State Issue 1 is “100%” about abortion.

“LaRose is scrambling after making himself the face of State Issue 1, but the writing is on the wall: LaRose’s missteps have hurt himself and State Issue 1 while suffocating his Senate campaign launch,” said ODP Spokesperson Reeves Oyster. “If State Issue 1 fails, LaRose will be crowned Ohio’s biggest loser.”

Read / watch more about Frank LaRose’s close ties to State Issue 1:

The State of Ohio: Frank LaRose tied to State Issue 1; “I think that will really strongly be used against him in campaigns.”
July 28, 2023

Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau: “So, speaking of partisanship, do you think Republicans who have been at the front of this issue will pay a political price for it if it fails? I’m thinking of Secretary of State Frank LaRose who’s now running for the U.S. Senate. Do you think it will help or hurt him, what do you think, Natalie?”
Natalie Fahmy, WCMH: “You know, I think it will depend ultimately what ends up happening in November because whether or not Issue 1 fails, I think there are going to be some Republicans who are ok with it and some who aren’t ok with it. But I think November, I think that’s definitely a more partisan issue and I think if that fails it’s going to be: ‘Well, because the Secretary of State couldn’t get Issue 1 to pass and that’s why this abortion amendment passed and is now enshrined in our constitution’ and I think that will really strongly be used against him in campaigns.”
Jeremy Pelzer, Cleveland.com: “…If Issue 1 ends up failing, you’re going to see a lot of finger pointing among Republicans…”

Cleveland.com: Secretary of State Frank LaRose has gone out on a limb to support Issue 1. What will that mean for his U.S. Senate race?: Analysis
Andrew Tobias
July 20, 2023

And while it’s too simple to say that [LaRose’s] political fortunes will rise or fall with State Issue 1, his close ties to the measure will offer plenty of chances for him to catch attacks from across the political spectrum.
Many key Ohio Republicans back State Issue 1, which would make it harder to pass future constitutional amendments, including a potential abortion-rights amendment in November. There’s a compelling argument to be made though that LaRose is the issue’s most prominent face.
During an interview with cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer this week, LaRose, who has described himself as pro-life, said he’s not worried about whether he’s tied himself too closely to State Issue 1 and the broader abortion issue. He’s continued to make pro-Issue 1 advocacy a top priority, working the county GOP circuit and even putting a “Yes on 1″ sign into the video announcing his U.S. Senate candidacy.
It’s easy to see how LaRose putting his stamp on Issue 1 could materialize in the Republican primary. If it fails, he opens himself up to being painted as the face of the losing effort. That’s beginning to look likely, after a Suffolk University / USA Today Network poll came out Wednesday night showing the measure losing 59% to 26% among voters who say they plan to vote in 2023 and 2024 elections.

Cleveland.com: “Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s Senate primary race will be preceded by his tough race to get Issue 1 passed in a special August election.”

MSNBC: Ohio Republicans’ plan to trick voters may backfire spectacularly
Paul Waldman
July 25, 2023

If the measure succeeds, it would be a dramatic blow to the Republican agenda on one of the most important issues dividing the parties.
In other words, if Issue 1 succeeds, it would be dramatically harder to get an initiative on the ballot and dramatically harder for it to win. And though Republicans have claimed they only want to advance “good government,” among friends they’re more forthright. As Secretary of State Frank LaRose (who is also running for the Senate) said at a Republican gathering recently, the measure “is 100% about keeping a radical, pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution.”

WBNS: “Secretary of State Frank LaRose, for example, included a clip of his jog past a ‘Vote Yes’ sign in his yard in yesterday’s Senate campaign announcement.”

Statehouse News Bureau: LaRose enters race for the U.S. Senate while being at the forefront of a controversial ballot issue
Jo Ingles, Karen Kasler
July 17, 2023

LaRose’s entry into the race has come later than some had anticipated and it is happening now, while he is at the forefront of the campaign in support of Issue 1 – the proposed constitutional change that Ohio voters will decide next month that would make it harder for future citizen-led constitutional amendments to pass or even get onto the ballot. That vote comes just months ahead of a possible November ballot issue to enshrine abortion rights into Ohio’s constitution.
LaRose has told crowds the issue is “100%” about blocking the abortion amendment, but has also said it would protect the constitution from a variety of “special interests” in the future. Unions, Democrats, groups supporting various issues and some Republicans have opposed Issue 1, saying it would do the opposite because special interests would be the only ones who would be able to mount a constitutional change if Issue 1 passes.

Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose joins U.S. Senate race
Nick Evans
July 18, 2023

Over the next four months, LaRose will have to balance Senate fundraising and campaigning with running two elections. One of those contests — an Aug. 8 election on Issue 1 that seeks to make it harder for voters to amend the state constitution — is only on the calendar at Republicans’ insistence. LaRose is one of the proposal’s chief advocates and after initially speaking against August elections when lawmakers eliminated them last year, LaRose supported bringing back this August election to consider Issue 1.
Far from sitting on the sidelines for Issue 1, LaRose has been a driving force in the push to amend Ohio’s constitution so that future amendments are harder to pass.

The Vindicator: The ups and downs of LaRose’s Senate bid
David Skolnick
July 21, 2023

Finally, LaRose is one of the primary backers of state Issue 1, which would make it much harder for constitutional amendments to pass if voters approve it Aug. 8. LaRose is so connected to the issue that his Senate cause could be impacted if it is defeated.
LaRose is so connected to the issue that his Senate cause could be impacted if it is defeated.