Will Frank LaRose Stand Behind His Fellow Secretary of State Candidates?
September 8, 2022
Columbus, OH — Frank LaRose loves to talk out of both sides of his mouth when it comes to election security, claiming Ohio elections are secure but also winking and nodding at MAGA Republicans who believe the lies they’ve been told about election stealing. It’s been a tough line for LaRose to walk, having told Cleveland.com “I think it’s irresponsible when Republicans say an election was stolen and don’t have evidence,” after Trump lost in 2020.
Now, however, LaRose is now in a leadership role for a committee dedicated to supporting Republican Secretary of State candidates, which includes numerous election deniers. So the question for LaRose is, does he support his fellow Republican Secretary of State candidates and their election lies, or will he actually stand up for election integrity and use his leadership on the committee to condemn his fellow Republicans?
Here’s a sample of the lies the Republicans in his organization are spewing:
Arizona Secretary of State Nominee Mark Finchem falsely claimed Trump Won Arizona:
- NBC News: Finchem falsely claimed Donald Trump won Arizona in 2020 and then turned around and introduced resolutions to overturn the certification of election results in three Arizona counties.
- New York Times: The paper called Finchem “instrumental;” in arranging fake Arizona electors after the 2020 election in order to decertify state results. These actions are now under investigation by the Department of Justice
Nevada Secretary of State Nominee Jim Marchant insists votes have not been counted for decades:
- New York Times: Marchant was selected as an “alternate” on the state’s electors and pledged to refuse to certify the election of President Joe Biden. He also admitted he would decertify Dominion Voting Machines and demand all paper ballots be counted by hand.
- Associated Press: Marchant rallied supporters throughout his primary by telling them their vote “hasn’t counted for decades.”
Michigan Secretary of State Nominee Kristina Karamo claimed Trump would be President by 2022 while spreading Q’Anon conspiracies:
- MLive Grand Rapids: Karamo posted on Twitter that Donald Trump would be President again by 2022. She later claimed her account was hacked and the Tweet was deleted.
- CNN: Karamo baselessly claimed widespread voter fraud in Michigan in 2020 that stole a Trump victory after also claiming she saw fraud firsthand.
- The same report from CNN indicates Karamo spoke at a QAnon conference in Las Vegas in 2021.
“Frank LaRose holds a leadership position at a committee that exists to support Republican Secretary of State candidates, which this year includes numerous election deniers. Will he use his leadership position to condemn their lies, or will he continue to only look out for his own political aspirations instead? If LaRose can’t even call out his fellow Republicans when they lie about elections being stolen, he has no business leading our state’s elections process,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.
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