MEMO: LaRose Launch Kicks Off #OHSEN Primary Slugfest
July 18, 2023
Frank LaRose not only launched his widely panned campaign yesterday – he also kicked off the Ohio Senate “slugfest” Republicans were hoping to avoid. The attacks between LaRose, Trump-approved Bernie Moreno and Matt Dolan began immediately and signal what to expect over the next few months: the politicians in this race are in for an expensive, contentious, bruising fight that will leave whichever politician emerges from this primary damaged with Ohioans as they head into the general.
THE BRUISING SLUGFEST AHEAD
For months, Republicans fretted about having a “messy primary where we kill each other” and warned against another costly, damaging “slugfest.” Now, that’s exactly what they’ve got. Within hours of LaRose’s kickoff, Moreno went on the attack, dubbing LaRose “a true career politician:”
LaRose hit back and also took a swipe at Dolan:
With Dolan’s campaign then entering the fray:
Here’s a look at what Ohioans are reading this morning:
- Columbus Dispatch: LaRose announcement sets up messy GOP primary
- Cleveland.com: “If LaRose is signaling plans to paint his primary opponents as rich and out-of-town, Moreno issued a statement on Monday calling LaRose a career politician.”
- The Messenger: Another competitive and expensive GOP primary is brewing in the Buckeye State
- NBC: “an already fractious primary field”
- Axios: Republican Frank LaRose joins crowded Ohio Senate primary
- Politico: Ohio’s messy GOP Senate primary gets a third candidate
- Statehouse News Bureau: LaRose enters race for the U.S. Senate while being at the forefront of a controversial ballot issue
NO “SLAM DUNK” CANDIDATES: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MORENO, LAROSE & DOLAN
With no “slam dunk” options, even Republicans admit they have an uphill battle ahead. Here’s a quick overview of their candidates:
Bernie Moreno is one of two millionaires in the race and entered with accolades from Donald Trump – who again praised Moreno just days before LaRose launched his campaign. Moreno has also been endorsed by J.D. Vance, who has a close relationship with Trump.
Last week, Moreno bragged about being an “American First political outsider” while campaigning from the Bahamas. Moreno has also said he is “unequivocally pro-life” and does not support exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the mother.
Frank LaRose is at the center of an August special election and has made a series of missteps – including sending incorrect ballot language out to county Boards of Elections days before the deadline to mail absentee ballots, potentially costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. He’s facing legal questions and ethics concerns along with reports that his Super PAC is being run by the same operatives behind the largest corruption scandal in state history. As LaRose asks for a promotion, Ohioans are left wondering: what is Frank LaRose really doing for us?
Notably, LaRose was caught downplaying the value of a Trump endorsement and has not endorsed the former president’s campaign.
Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians, has been consistently attacked by the conservative base for “capitulat[ing] to the woke mob” and has already been forced to lend his campaign $4 million because he has no grassroots support. Dolan’s opponents have criticized him for trying to buy a Senate seat and being “Democrat-light.”
“WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A VERY BRUTAL PRIMARY IN THE STATE OF OHIO, JUST LIKE WE DID IN 2022.”
With two wealthy candidates in the race, this primary could be even costlier and more damaging than what Ohioans saw unfold in 2022. As candidates are forced to take the infighting to the airwaves while neglecting the most important issues facing Ohioans, this primary will leave whoever emerges bruised, battered, and unpopular.
THE BOTTOM LINE
A long, brutal, and expensive primary is taking shape in Ohio and no matter who emerges, they will have spent months focused on infighting – instead of fighting for Ohioans – leaving them bruised and badly damaged entering the general election.