Rumblings of the rotunda
Stage presence: Six Republican candidates for the US Senate – Matt Dolan, Josh Mandel, Mike Gibbons, Bernie Moreno, Jane Timken and JD Vance – appeared on stage together for the first time at a candidate forum in suburban Columbus. As Andrew Tobias writes, Dolan stood out as the strange man of the forum, organized at the Baptist Church in Genoa and sponsored by the Center for Christian Virtue, a socially conservative body.
Big money: Thanks to the crowded Republicans field, with several candidates funding their own campaigns, the Ohio Senate race is one of the most expensive elections in the country, writes Tobias. With more than six months to go before the May primary, Republican candidates from Ohio for the US Senate have spent $ 9.5 million. Adding the Democratic candidates, the Ohio Senate candidates raised $ 28.6 million. Both only rank below Georgia nationally.
They swear: Governor Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Auditor Keith Faber, the three Republicans of the State of the Ohio Redistribution Commission, said they had “no involvement” in the drafting new maps of the Ohio House and Senate districts, according to affidavits that were contained in a flurry of legal filings Friday. The documents also document statements by Republican and Democratic legislative leaders on the commission responding to questions from lawyers about how the cards were drawn. Read more here in the story written by Jeremy Pelzer, Robert Higgs, John Caniglia, and Peter Krouse.
Mitigate it: Last year, a staff member at the Ohio Utilities Commission asked an independent auditor to change the wording of a draft report saying that the fact that Ohio AEP taxpayers are subsidizing two power plants charcoal “does not appear to be in the best interest”. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, spokespersons for the PUCO and the AEP say that this line and other words critical of the grants were not included in the final report because they went beyond the scope of the ‘audit, although critics say it proves commission staff are overly friendly with the large utility companies they oversee.
They will vouch for me: Lawyers for Matt Borges, one of the defendants in the House Bill 6 corruption case, have asked a federal judge to order prosecutors to release the statements of co-defendants Juan Cespedes and Jeffrey Longstreth. As John Caniglia reports, Borges’ lawyers say statements from the two, who pleaded guilty for their role in the scandal, will show their client did not know what lawyers called the “big bribe.” Authorities say Borges was a key intermediary in the plot to pass HB6 and stop a referendum attempt to overturn it.
Wynn of change: As president of the Ohio Republican Party, Jane Timken caused the party to bring in nearly $ 13,000 through casino mogul Steve Wynn after reports of sexual misconduct surfaced in 2018. But like Haley BeMiller of the Columbus Dispatch reports, Timken’s campaign in the US Senate accepted – and shows no signs of returning – a combined $ 10,600 donated by Wynn and his wife last June. The Wynns also gave the same amount to another GOP Senate candidate, former treasurer Josh Mandel.
Russo barely surpasses Carey: New campaign finance records from candidates vying to fill the vacant seat in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District show Democratic candidate Allison Russo raised slightly more money than her Republican rival Mike Carey. As BeMiller reports, Russo raised around $ 550,000 from July to mid-October, while Carey said he raised over $ 548,000 during that time.
Breaking News: The state of Ohio printed about 35,000 license plates showing the Wright Brothers’ first plane flying backwards before the error was noticed, according to WBNS-TV. It is still unclear how much the blunder cost the state, although the plan now is to recycle the erroneous plates.
Confirmed Violent Offender Database: The Ohio Supreme Court on Friday ruled 4-3 that violent offenders in Ohio must register with the state under a 2019 law, even if they committed their crimes before entry into force of the law. Under Sierah Law, offenders are required to update their information every year and when they move out, otherwise they will face a fifth degree felony charge. Republican Judge Sharon Kennedy, writing for the majority, held that such requirements “do not prevent a violent offender from doing something – like living near schools or working with children – nor do they physically limit the offender.” . The three Democrats on the ground were dissenting.
Shifting rights: Senators from the Democratic states last week introduced legislation to create a bill of rights for Foster youth in Ohio. Senate Bill 254, introduced by State Sens. Teresa Fedor of Toledo and Tina Maharath of suburban Columbus, states that every child in Ohio foster care has the right to be free from abuse, protect their privacy and receive medical care and mental requirements. treatment, among others. Last year, a task force created by Governor Mike DeWine recommended the creation of a Bill of Rights for Youth in Foster Care.
Fauci Oucchi, part 3: Coronavirus booster shots are now available for Ohioians 65 and older, and people 18 and older who live in assembly places, have underlying health concerns, or work in high risk settings. Laura Hancock writes that eligible Ohioans can mix and match doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.
Full disclosure
Here are five things we learned from the April 8, 2021 financial disclosure form filed by State Representative Jean Schmidt, a Clermont County Republican:
1. 1. In addition to his statutory salary of $ 56,244.30, last year Schmidt received a total of between $ 50,000 and $ 99,998 from his real estate business. She also received between $ 10,000 and $ 24,999 each from Social Security, the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System, and her congressional retirement benefits.
2. 2. In addition to his retirement funds and participation in a real estate business, Schmidt’s investments include an IRA and money market fund with Morgan Stanley, shares in Morgan Stanley and a mutual fund with the investment company. Alger.
3. 3. At one point last year, Schmidt’s campaign owed him at least $ 1,000.
4. 4. She did not report receiving any mileage reimbursements or other travel reimbursements in 2020.
5. 5. Schmidt did not report receiving any gifts worth more than $ 75 (or more than $ 25 from a lobbyist) in the past year, and did not report receiving any food or drink. beverages over $ 100.
Birthdays
Stephanie Baker, Republican Constituent Communications Coordinator of the Ohio Senate
Danielle DeLeon Spiers, Legislative Assistant to State Representative Mary Lightbody
Straight from the source
“You all leave Ohio alone. They wouldn’t know. They weren’t there.
– A tweet of the North Carolina Department of Transportation casting shade over Ohio for unveiling a new license plate showing the Wright Flyer, the world’s first aircraft, flying backwards. Ohio and North Carolina have had a long-standing feud over which state can claim the Wright brothers, who came from Dayton but staged their first successful flight in North Carolina.
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