#OHSEN Slugfest: Final Debate Throws More Gasoline On Primary Fire As Field “Turn[ed] Up [The] Heat”
March 8, 2024
Columbus, OH – With just a week and a half until this “increasingly hostile” Slugfest comes to a head, the #OHSEN field “turn[ed] up [the] heat” in the final primary debate this week and “came out swinging.” New audio also revealed Bernie Moreno supports abortion bans with “no exceptions” and the entire field posted weak fundraising reports while dumping in millions more of their own personal fortunes to try to buy Ohio’s Senate seat.
Here’s a recap of what happened last week in what has already been called one of the “messiest”, “most expensive” and “bruising” primary battles in the country.
#OHSEN FIELD “CAME OUT SWINGING”
This “increasingly hostile” Slugfest was in full view Wednesday night.
As the final primary debate devolved into a messy, nasty fight filled with petty jabs and personal attacks, Moreno, LaRose, and Dolan proved they aren’t fighting for Ohioans or the issues that matter most to them. Here were the highlights:
MORENO’S MIC WAS CUT-OFF – TWICE
After non-stop bickering and nasty attacks, the debate moderator was forced to cut-off Bernie Moreno’s microphone – not once, but TWICE.
Sheree Paolello, WLWT: “Okay, let’s move on. Let’s move on. Okay. Okay. Okay, we’re moving on.”
“ABSOLUTE PRO-LIFE, NO EXCEPTIONS”
New audio reported this week revealed further proof that Bernie Moreno supports banning abortion with “no exceptions.”
Moreno: “Absolute Pro-Life, No Exceptions”
Moreno is already on-the-record saying he is “100% pro-life, no exceptions” – AND he has repeatedly reiterated his support for a national abortion ban that would overrule the will of Ohioans.
MORENO CALLS ABORTION BANS A “TALKING POINT”
And to add insult to injury, Bernie Moreno called abortion bans a “talking point” when asked if he supports a national abortion ban (which he does).
Moreno: “Well, ‘ban’ is a media Democrat talking point…”
Tell that to the 57% of Ohioans who voted for Issue 1 to protect abortion rights…
Ohio women to Bernie Moreno:
#OHSEN FIELD’S PRE-PRIMARY REPORT CARDS: F, F, and another F
Despite their unbelievably lackluster fundraising, the field is still trying to buy Ohio’s Senate seat using their personal wealth, out-of-state billionaire PAC money, and parents’ cash.
Live look at Moreno and Dolan dumping millions more of their personal fortunes into this race:
SLUGFEST COUNTDOWN
11 days left until this Slugfest comes to a head and the infighting just keeps getting worse.
WHAT OHIOANS ARE READING ABOUT THIS SLUGFEST
AP: Republicans running to face Ohio’s Democratic US Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall vie for voters’ trust
NBC News: “The three Republicans competing in Ohio’s March 19 Senate primary met tonight for their final debate — an hourlong clash…”
American Journal: Ohio senate candidate Bernie Morneo: “Absolute pro-life no exceptions.”
Columbus Dispatch: “But the primary has become more heated in recent days as the candidates near the finish line, with no clear frontrunner in sight…Moreno, LaRose and Dolan traded barbs over inconsistencies in each other’s histories.”
Toledo Blade: “The candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat Wednesday accused each other of shifting positions for political expediency, sometimes called each other names, and argued…Despite Ohioans’ adoption in November of a constitutional amendment barring government interference in abortion prior to the point of fetal viability, all three candidates generally voiced support for federal intervention…”
Cleveland.com: Ohio Senate race: Millionaire Republican candidates dip further into personal funds to bankroll campaigns in election’s final weeks
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Sheree Paolello, WLWT, after Bernie Moreno called abortion bans a talking point: “I don’t think it’s a talking point. It certainly is a big issue for so many voters.”
Ohio House of Representatives Minority Leader Allison Russo: “We just listened to an hour long debate where we had three rich guys who essentially offered absolutely no solutions to Ohioans, they spent most of the time calling each other liars.”
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