Mayor Nan Whaley

Oct 18 2022

Jon Husted Apparently Backs Kanye West After Antisemitic Tirade

Watch the full video HERE

Columbus, OH – Jon Husted has decided to side with Kanye West, apparently. After West went on an antisemitic tirade earlier this month, Husted then retweeted a Fox Business video in defense of West after J.P. Morgan Chase cut ties with him, claiming they did so because of his ‘political viewpoints,’ when in reality the bank had severed ties with West weeks earlier. The video claims that West is being discriminated against because of his political beliefs, when in reality West is being held accountable for spewing a number of antisemitic tropes, which we will not repeat, but can be found HERE.

“Jon Husted is dangerously amplifying antisemitic rhetoric and defending the indefensible. Ohioans deserve leadership that brings people together, not one that excuses hate in search of political points. Husted should take his retweet down, and apologize immediately,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Vivek Ramaswamy, who is featured in the video defending West, served as an advisor to Husted in 2020. Watch his full interview HERE.

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Oct 17 2022

Ohio Republicans Are Coming for Abortion Rights

“If we’re not able to get everything we want to get done in lame duck, we will be right back on Jan. 1.”

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, the Columbus Dispatch just outlined how anti-abortion activists are working behind the scenes to push Republicans to pass a near-total abortion ban during lame duck session. And they’re confident they have Republican support to do so, with Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis telling the Dispatch: “Based upon my conversations with Huffman and Cupp I am convinced that abortion will be addressed during lame duck.”

While Republican leaders are trying to tamp down their anti-abortion agenda ahead of November’s election, it’s clear that they’re telling anti-abortion activists behind the scenes that they’re ready to do their bidding – pushing for a ban on abortion that starts at conception, with no exceptions for rape or incest, once the election is over. These are the same extremists who Mike DeWine promised just months ago that he would “go as far as we can” to rip away reproductive rights.

“Twenty-one Republican legislators recently promised to ban abortion from the point of conception at an Oct. 5 anti-abortion rally at the Ohio Statehouse. And abortion opponents previously expressed optimism that 2022 was their year,” write Anna Staver and Jessie Balmert of the USA Today Network.

“Make no mistake: Ohio Republicans are coming for abortion rights in Ohio and the only way we can stop them is by electing Democrats up and down the ballot,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Read more from the Dispatch here and below:

Twenty-one Republican legislators recently promised to ban abortion from the point of conception at an Oct. 5 anti-abortion rally at the Ohio Statehouse. And abortion opponents previously expressed optimism that 2022 was their year: “We are going to accomplish our goal and our mission to end abortion in 2022,” Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said in June, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

It’s also not clear what lines, if any, Gov. Mike DeWine will draw before signing another abortion ban.

Kellie Copeland, executive director of Pro-Choice Ohio, said abortion rights advocates warned lawmakers that their restrictions would have consequences.

“If they’re saying that after nine years of deliberation, they are going to somehow craft clearer exceptions that will in any way prevent people from being harmed by their policies, they are either lying or revealing how truly incompetent they are when it comes to understanding the complexities of pregnancies,” Copeland said.

“The only way to protect Ohioans facing pregnancy complications, or the myriad of other nuanced and important reasons we may need access to abortion, is to not ban abortion in the first place.”

And Gonidakis says Ohio Right to Life is pushing for that in the final weeks of the legislative session, which are often called “lame duck.”

“Based upon my conversations with Huffman and Cupp I am convinced that abortion will be addressed during lame duck,” said Gonidakis, adding that he backs a comprehensive approach including DeWine’s proposals, improvements to adoption and more resources for children. “Ohio Right to Life will utilize all of its resources to ensure these topics are addressed.”

“If we don’t get it done now,” Huffman said. “We will all be back here anyway.”

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Sep 13 2022

DeWine Debate Watch: Day 16

Columbus, OH — As debate season starts to ramp up in the closing weeks and days of the election cycle, Mike DeWine has continued to duck committing to debates across Ohio with Mayor Nan Whaley, even as the Mayor has already publicly agreed and challenged DeWine to a number of debates. DeWine also dodged a debate with his primary opponents earlier this year, signaling that he is scared to defend his record to Ohioans, especially since he’s debated political opponents in the past. It’s ‘DeWine Debate Watch’ Day 16, reminding Ohioans that DeWine won’t even try to make his case to them as he seeks re-election to the highest statewide executive office.

“Mike DeWine clearly knows his record over the last four years of selling out working families in favor of the wealthy and well-connected is not going to be popular with Ohio voters. If DeWine can’t even muster the political courage to tell Ohioans why they should re-elect him, he doesn’t deserve the job and should be held publicly accountable for his cowardice,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

Ohioans deserve answers from DeWine on a number of key issues, including his promise to ‘go as far as we can’ to rip away reproductive rights, his broken promise to ‘do something’ to combat gun violence in Ohio, his connections to the largest public corruption scandal in state history and his role in the failed redistricting process that produced GOP-gerrymandered maps and cost Ohioans millions of dollars.

Read more from the Cincinnati Enquirer here and below:

The Cincinnati Enquirer: Poll: 84% of Ohioans want governor, U.S. Senate candidates to debate
Jessie Balmert
September 13, 2022

Ohioans overwhelmingly want candidates for the state’s top political posts to face off in one-on-one debates, according to a new USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University poll.
About 84% of likely Ohio voters said candidates for Ohio governor and U.S. Senate should debate each other.
Strong support for debates spanned across age, gender and political party, according to the new poll.
U.S. Senate hopefuls J.D. Vance and Tim Ryan are expected to debate, but they haven’t yet agreed to the same time and place.
In contrast, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has all but said he won’t debate Democratic challenger Nan Whaley, a former Dayton mayor.
“In the ideal world, there would be debates with both candidates appearing on the same stage, answering the same questions, so Ohioans could compare and contrast their ideas,” said Herb Asher, a professor emeritus of political science at Ohio State University.
For DeWine, there could be more risk than reward, Asher said. Whaley would try to hammer DeWine over his signature on Ohio’s six-week abortion ban, the scandal-ridden nuclear bailout in House Bill 6 and the lack of action on gun reform since the Dayton mass shooting in 2019.

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Sep 12 2022

DeWine Debate Watch: Day 15

Columbus, OH — As debate season starts to ramp up in the closing weeks and days of the election cycle, Mike DeWine has continued to duck committing to debates across Ohio with Mayor Nan Whaley, even as the Mayor has already publicly agreed and challenged DeWine to a number of debates. DeWine also dodged a debate with his primary opponents earlier this year, signaling that he is scared to defend his record to Ohioans, especially since he’s debated political opponents in the past. It’s ‘DeWine Debate Watch’ Day 15, reminding Ohioans that DeWine won’t even try to make his case to them as he seeks re-election to the highest statewide executive office.

Read more from the Dayton Daily News here and below:

Dayton Daily News: Checking The Issues: Sharp Differences In Governor Candidates As Race Nears End
Jim Gaines
September 11, 2022

The Ohio Debate Commission has scheduled a gubernatorial debate at 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, at the Akron-Summit County Public Library. [Nan] Whaley has accepted, but [Mike] DeWine has not responded.
Jill Zimon, executive director of the Ohio Debate Commission, said the body has not heard from the DeWine campaign since May. The commission has not yet set a final date for acceptance, or decided what to do if he doesn’t participate, she said.
[Whaley Communications Director Courtney] Rice said Whaley not only agreed to the Ohio Debate Commission event, but has accepted an invitation from the Nexstar TV group and a joint forum at the Columbus Metropolitan Club. Nexstar has five Ohio stations, including WDTN in Dayton.
Rice said Whaley’s campaign is also talking with two other organizations that have not announced debates because they’re waiting for a response from DeWine.
“If Gov. DeWine isn’t willing to defend his record, why is he even running for reelection?” Rice said.

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Sep 09 2022

DeWine Debate Watch: Day 12

Columbus, OH — As debate season starts to ramp up in the closing weeks and days of the election cycle, Mike DeWine has continued to duck committing to debates across Ohio with Mayor Nan Whaley, even as the Mayor has already publicly agreed and challenged DeWine to a number of debates. DeWine also dodged a debate with his primary opponents earlier this year, signaling that he is scared to defend his record to Ohioans, especially since he’s debated political opponents in the past. It’s ‘DeWine Debate Watch’ Day 12, reminding Ohioans that DeWine won’t even try to make his case to them as he seeks re-election to the highest statewide executive office.

Read more from the Cincinnati Enquirer here and below:

Cincinnati Enquirer Opinion: Dan Sewell: Ohio Governor Might Sit Out Debates While Sitting On Poll Lead
Dan Sewell
September 7, 2022

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is sounding like a debate-dodger. The Republican incumbent hasn’t agreed so far to debating his Democratic challenger, former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley. He hasn’t ruled out formal debates, but he keeps talking about alternatives such as newspaper endorsement meetings.
Apparently, people should have taken the opportunity to ask the governor about Ohio infrastructure needs while he was eating a sauerkraut ball or admiring the 4-H Club members’ market lambs.
“I don’t think there’s been any governor that’s ever had more press conferences than me,” DeWine also said. That might be true, and DeWine has usually been accessible to the news media over the years.
But that’s not the point.
Debates are an opportunity for voters to compare and contrast candidates in real time; seeing how they answer each other’s challenges to their records, how quick they are thinking on their feet when hit with unexpected questions that go beyond their talking points, and how clear they are on their visions for the state.
And they can produce defining moments, such as the angry nose-to-nose confrontation this year between former state Treasurer Josh Mandel and businessman Mike Gibbons that made them look decidedly un-senatorial during a Republican primary debate for the Senate nomination.
So why is DeWine, who at 75 has been running in campaigns in Ohio since Whaley, now 46, was a baby, balking at debating? “If Mike DeWine is afraid to debate me and defend his record as governor, why is he even running for-election?” [Nan] Whaley asked in a Sept. 2 tweet.

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