OHDems

COLUMBUS, OH – When President Donald Trump comes to Ohio tomorrow, he’ll be greeted by a state where families are struggling under the weight of his broken promises to lower costs on “day one.” He’ll also see a state where Republican candidates up and down the ballot are being forced to own his disastrous economic policies that are raising costs, like the reckless war with Iran that is devastating communities and raising gas prices, the tariffs that are hurting Ohio small businesses and raising the price of goods for consumers, and the healthcare cuts that are ripping away Ohioans’ healthcare so Republicans can pay for more tax breaks for billionaires.

“Ohioans are struggling all across our state because Donald Trump and Washington Republicans chose to push tariffs that hurt Ohio small businesses, double down on a reckless war with Iran that is devastating our communities, and rip away healthcare from Ohio families to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and corporate special interests,” said Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director Marisa Nahem. “Ohioans of all political backgrounds are seeing clearly that Trump and Republican candidates up and down the ballot are raising costs at every turn, but instead of focusing on lowering costs, Trump is coming to Ohio to play games. Ohioans deserve better and they’re going to make sure every Ohio Republican knows it in November.”

Nationally, alarm bells are blaring for Ohio Republicans with the Buckeye State getting attention for becoming “one of the GOP’s biggest headaches for the midterms” as “Republicans are struggling up and down the ballot in the Rust Belt state.” Recent Cook Political Report analysis also emphasized that thanks to Donald Trump’s disastrous economic policies, his political problems could have “metastasized and spread to infect Republican candidates on the November ballot in swing states and districts.”

While Trump has made clear that he doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situation, Ohioans are reading all about how his economic policies are devastating Ohio families. Check out some of what Ohioans are reading about Donald Trump and Ohio Republicans’ economic agenda:

Ohio Capital Journal: Regional businesses say Iran war, Trump tariffs are increasing prices, hurting the economy

Statehouse News Bureau: Report: more than half a million Ohioans could lose Medicaid coverage in next decade

Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio will lose 51,000 jobs, $5.3 billion due to Trump cuts by 2029, new analysis finds

Signal Ohio: Electric bills hit new highs across Ohio, state data shows

WOWK: Ohio leaders and residents voice concerns over rising energy costs

Dayton Daily News: Dayton residents decry Medicaid, SNAP cuts

Cleveland.com: Trump policies have cost Ohio households thousands since January 2025, report finds

The Columbus Dispatch: Ohioans under Obamacare to see health costs spike or lose coverage if tax credits expire

Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio ratepayers’ summer electric bills could top $800, report says

Cleveland.com: Gas prices jump 30 cents in Northeast Ohio, top $4 per gallon

Ohio Capital Journal: One year after biggest SNAP cuts ever, 100,000 Ohioans without help, state bracing for costs

###

COLUMBUS, OH – With 13 weeks until Election Day, Ohio Republicans are spending the final stretch looking over their shoulder at the FirstEnergy scandal that looms large over their campaigns. While “one of the most high-profile tasks Ohio’s next attorney general will face is overseeing the second prosecution of ex-FirstEnergy executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling,” Cleveland.com Today in Ohio hosts are emphasizing the reality that “if you care about the FirstEnergy prosecution, the choice between Kulewicz and Faber could determine whether justice is ever actually served.” And in the Treasurer’s race, Republican candidate Jay Edwards faces scrutiny for his record after he voted for House Bill 6, was included in reporting from the FirstEnergy trial, and was even asked at the time to step down from House leadership over his connection to Larry Householder, whom Edwards emphasized he still considered “a friend” even after Householder’s arrest.

“It really will be a final sprint to election day for Ohio Republicans like Keith Faber and Jay Edwards who are spending the last 91 days of this election in a desperate dash to try to outrun the FirstEnergy scandal that has raised energy costs for Ohio families,” said Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director Marisa Nahem. “While decades of Republican control in Columbus have been marked with backroom meetings and sweetheart deals for corporate special interests, Ohioans are ready to hold Republicans accountable for it by electing Ohio Democrats who are making clear that corruption will no longer be tolerated in Columbus.”

As Ohio families are struggling with sky-high costs, including thanks to the FirstEnergy bribery scheme that has contributed to electricity costs increasing by $663 a year, and as Faber gets slammed as “tone deaf” for his “unconscionable” refusal to commit to continuing the FirstEnergy case, read more about how the scandal continues to “loom” over Jay Edwards too.

TiffinOhio: Walsh: Jay Edwards kept FirstEnergy’s money, stood by Larry Householder and now wants to manage Ohio’s billions

• Democrat Seth Walsh’s campaign for Ohio treasurer has opened a social media offensive against Republican nominee Jay Edwards, launching a series on Instagram and TikTok under the name “No Way Jay.”
• State campaign finance records show FirstEnergy’s political action committee gave Edwards’ campaign $5,000 the day before the 2018 general election, and the Athens News reported in October 2020 that the company had also supported him in earlier years at higher levels.
• After the July 2020 arrest of then-Speaker Larry Householder, some Ohio legislators redirected FirstEnergy contributions to charity. Edwards did not.
• “I know that I have done nothing wrong and so I’m not going to go out and feel the need to go do something with money that I know came to me legally,” Edwards said in a 2020 interview with the paper. Asked about the principle of keeping money from a company then under federal investigation, the Athens News reported, Edwards dodged the question and said FirstEnergy was innocent until proven guilty.
• In the same interview, Edwards said he had no advance knowledge of the scheme and that Householder’s arrest came as a shock. He also said he remained on good terms with him.
• “I’ll openly admit I still consider Larry Householder a friend,” Edwards said. “Am I upset by him and some of his actions? Yeah, absolutely, but I think he deserves an untainted day in court and we’ll find out what happens.”
• Edwards voted for House Bill 6, the 2019 nuclear and coal subsidy law that federal prosecutors later described as the product of a $60 million racketeering scheme. He served on Householder’s leadership team as majority whip. In 2021, when the Ohio House voted 75–21 to expel Householder, Edwards was among the Republicans who voted against expulsion. Householder was convicted in 2023 and is serving a 20-year federal sentence.

###

COLUMBUS, OH – On Saturday in Columbus, Ohio Democrats joined more than 1,100 Ohioans for the Ohio Democratic Party’s annual “Ohio on the Rise” dinner. In front of a packed room, Sherrod Brown, Dr. Amy Acton, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde, and Democrats up and down the ballot joined special guest Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) to emphasize the energy surrounding Democrats’ winning message to bring down costs for working families and take on the corruption in Columbus and Washington. Speakers included leaders and candidates from the Ohio Senate and Ohio House, and Ohio Democrats’ full statewide ticket who made clear their resolve to get our state back on track and fight back against Republicans’ devastating economic policies that are raising costs, ripping away healthcare, and hurting our communities.

In case you missed it, check out some of the coverage below:

The Columbus Dispatch: Brown, Acton bet voters want change as Democrats keep Ohio close

• Ohio Democrats are banking on voters wanting a change from President Donald Trump, high living costs and Republican rule in the Buckeye State.
• “No matter how hard you work, your pay is not keeping up, and too often you just can’t get ahead,” said former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is running to unseat Republican Sen. Jon Husted this fall. “Families see more money going out the door and not enough money coming in to pay for utilities and health care and groceries and everything.”
• Acton and Ramaswamy are vying to replace GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, who cannot run again because of term limits. Acton, who was director of the Ohio Department of Health during the COVID pandemic, has kept the gubernatorial race competitive in the polls despite tens of millions in ads spent against her by Ramaswamy and his supporters. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently donated $5 million to a super PAC supporting Ramaswamy, his former co-leader in the Department of Government Efficiency.
• “It hasn’t moved the needle,” Acton said to cheers from Democrats at the Columbus Convention Center. “You cannot buy this state. You can’t buy us.”
• Democrats are hoping to capitalize on President Donald Trump’s low approval rating and anti-Republican sentiment nationwide.
• Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut and husband to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, headlined the Ohio Democrats’ fundraiser as he mulls a 2028 presidential bid.
• Kelly recounted his high-profile fight with Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over advising troops to “refuse illegal orders.”
• Kelly also discussed the struggles young voters, like his daughter, face in purchasing property despite their best efforts to save and invest.
• “They are doing everything right. They are working hard. They’re saving what they can. They are playing by the rules. But all that doesn’t get you nearly as far as it did when I was her age,” Kelly said. “The system is working. It’s just not working for you, and that’s what we need to change this November.”
• Ohio Democrats also touted their slate of statewide candidates: Maple Heights Mayor Annette Blackwell running for state auditor; longtime lawyer John J. Kulewicz running for attorney general; state Rep. Allison Russo running for secretary of state; Cincinnati councilman Seth Walsh running for state treasurer; and Marilyn Zayas and Brunner running for state Supreme Court.
• “Our state is at an inflection point. How I see it: we’re in the ninth inning of a Guard(ian)’s game. We haven’t won yet, but we’re at bat, and the bases are loaded. This is in our hands,” Clyde said. “Together, we’re going to hit a grand slam.”

Signal Ohio: ‘Bases loaded’: Ohio Democrats embrace rare optimism at fundraising gala

• Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde used a baseball metaphor to describe the scenario facing Democrats this November.
• Addressing attendees at the state party’s annual fundraising dinner in Columbus Saturday night, she said the upcoming election is like a Cleveland Guardians player stepping up to the plate in the ninth inning with a chance to be a hero.
• “We haven’t won yet. But we’re at bat and the bases are loaded,” Clyde said, addressing hundreds who filled a ballroom in the Columbus Convention Center. “Let’s hit a grand slam.”
• “There’s so much excitement in this room tonight,” Brown said to cheers from the audience. “I feel the same enthusiasm in our cities. I feel the same enthusiasm in our suburbs. I feel it in farm country, and we see people showing up like never before.” 
• In her own speech Saturday, Acton, the former state health director under outgoing Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, said Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and his allies have spent tens of millions of dollars on attack ads targeting her since March. 
• Acton went on to rip Ramaswamy as a self-interested billionaire, criticizing him for spending tens of millions of his own money on his campaign and referencing the tens of millions a pro-Ramaswamy political action committee has raised from Elon Musk and other billionaires. 
• “All of us in this room, and everyone we know, we’re linking arms. We’re pushing back. And we are going to tell Mr. Ramaswamy in no uncertain terms: You cannot buy this state,” Acton said.
• The headlining speaker on Saturday was Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, who spent the weekend campaigning with Brown. Kelly, a former NASA astronaut and Navy pilot who was reelected in 2024, has expanded his national profile since Trump called for his arrest and execution over a post in which Kelly encouraged military members not to follow “illegal orders” – which the president and his allies viewed as treasonous.
• Kelly appeared with Brown in Cincinnati and Cleveland over the weekend, and told the audience he hopes his “friend” will return to the Senate. 
• “He’s always fought for better health care, for fair wages, and protections for Ohio families with courage and conviction. God knows we need more of that in Washington right now,” Kelly said.

###

COLUMBUS, OH – In just 14 weeks, Ohioans will be heading to the polls on Election Day in Ohio, and Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde spoke with NBC4about Ohio Democrats’ work to connect with Ohioans of all political backgrounds in every corner of the state around our candidates’ focus on lowering costs for Ohio families. While Republicans up and down the ballot have to own Donald Trump and Washington Republicans’ economic policies that are sky-rocketing costs, like their healthcare cuts, reckless war with Iran, and tariffs that are devastating Ohio families, Ohio Democrats are bringing our winning message to every corner of the state in urban, suburban, and rural communities.

In case you missed it, check out Chair Clyde’s conversation with Colleen Marshall about how Ohio Democrats are on offense connecting with voters about our mission to tackle high costs, deliver real relief, and get our state and country back on track.

NBC4: How political parties are reaching Ohio voters before midterm election

• In approximately 100 days, Ohioans will pick a new governor, and both major political parties are doing everything they can to get you to the polls and win your vote.
• Each party needs to inspire enthusiasm because turnout in a midterm election is vital, so they are figuring out how to reach core demographics. Democrats, for example, started a rural caucus to talk to voters in outlying and Appalachian counties about affordability.
• “It’s important for us to reach all types of votes in all 88 counties across Ohio; young voters, veterans, our rural voters,” Ohio Democratic Party Chairperson Kathleen Clyde said. “We’re leaving no rock unturned and making sure that we’re getting out there and talking about that critical message of lowering costs.”
• Each party is trying to decide how to deal with the Trump factor. The president has been very popular in Ohio, and Republicans believe he will continue to help their ticket here, but Democrats said that with the ongoing war in Iran and rising costs, his waning popularity will help them.

###

COLUMBUS, OH – While Democratic candidate for Attorney General John Kulewicz campaigns to bring transparency and accountability to Columbus, Republican candidate Keith Faber is getting slammed as “tone deaf” after disastrously fumbling his “unconscionable” response when asked about the FirstEnergy scandal. After Faber refused to commit to continuing the case into former FirstEnergy executives, despite the case being “one of the most high-profile tasks Ohio’s next attorney general will face,” questions are swirling around Faber’s relationship to FirstEnergy, including, “how much money flowed from FirstEnergy into his campaign accounts?” and “what laws passed on his watch that benefited the company?”

“After decades of Republican control in Columbus stained our state and raised costs for Ohioans, Ohioans deserve answers from Keith Faber about just how deep his relationship is to the FirstEnergy scandal and why he’s refusing to commit to continuing the case for accountability in the largest public bribery scandal in Ohio history,” said Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director Marisa Nahem. “While every day ‘tone deaf’ Keith Faber proves that he can’t be trusted to take on the corruption that has raised costs for Ohio families and run rampant under his party’s decades of control in Columbus, Ohioans are standing with John Kulewicz who is running to bring accountability and transparency to Columbus in November.”

At a time when Ohioans are struggling with sky-high costs, including because of the FirstEnergy bribery scheme that has contributed to electricity costs increasing by $663 a year for Ohioans, read more about the stark contrast between Democratic candidate John Kulewicz and Republican Keith Faber:

Cleveland.com: ‘Shame on Keith Faber:’ The FirstEnergy trial is on the November ballot whether he likes it or not

• “Shame on Keith Faber,” host Chris Quinn said without hesitation. “I was stunned at that response. He’s opening the door to drop the charges, which is unconscionable.”
• Quinn went further, raising a question that Ohio voters deserve an answer to before November: What was Faber’s relationship with FirstEnergy when he served in the Ohio legislature? Quinn said FirstEnergy it owned the Statehouse for years, pumping money into campaigns and shaping legislation. Faber held a leadership role during that era. How much money flowed from FirstEnergy into his campaign accounts? What laws passed on his watch that benefited the company?
• The answers are relevant for an attorney general candidate who refuses to say whether he will seek justice for Ohioans. Will he let the executives off the hook?
• Johnston put it in terms that any tired, worn-out Ohioan can understand: “I get tired of talking about First Energy, too. But we need justice to be served here. And the Faber campaign is absolutely unbelievably, just tone deaf when it comes to this.”
• Faber’s Faber-ing — as Johnston joked it might be called going forward — is a signal for Ohio voters headed into the November election: if you care about the FirstEnergy prosecution, the choice between Kulewicz and Faber could determine whether justice is ever actually served.

WLIO: Democratic AG candidate highlights consumer protection, transparency during Lima stop

• “The main thing that I want people to know is that I care about how the economy of Ohio affects all of us. I want to do everything the Attorney General can do to make the economy of Ohio work better for everybody. And that starts with fighting consumer fraud, wage theft, monopolies, exorbitant utility rates, just making sure that we have somebody there fighting for us to keep life affordable for everybody,” says John Kulewicz, Democratic Candidate for Ohio Attorney General.
• Kulewicz also said the next attorney general should continue pusing for the trial against former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and former Senior Vice President Michael Dowling, who are accused of participating in a $60 million bribery scheme to secure the passage of a more than $1 billion FirstEnergy bailout by the Ohio General Assembly in 2019.
• “The company, First Energy, has pleaded guilty to bribery. The two top executives are on and will be going to trial in January on charges of corruption. As I have made a commitment that as the next Attorney General, I will move forward with that trial. We awaited too long for justice to be rendered in the state of Ohio. My opponent will not make that commitment. He is laying the groundwork, I believe, for a dismissal of the charges once he’s elected. He will not tell us his position until after the election,” adds Kulewicz.

###