Category: News

COLUMBUS, OH – Ahead of the one year anniversary of President Trump signing Washington Republicans’ budget bill into law, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde issued the following statement on the devastating impact this bill continues to have on Ohio families:

“Donald Trump promised Ohioans that he would lower costs on ‘day one,’ and while he breaks that promise every day, perhaps no example of this is more clear than with his signing of Washington Republicans’ budget bill which ripped healthcare and SNAP food assistance from Ohio families and raised costs for everyone.

“At a time when families are struggling in every corner of our state, Ohioans deserve leaders who will make their lives better, not worse – and Republicans are showing every day that they aren’t those leaders. While Ohio Republicans are left to own the President’s broken promises and their continued championing of a deeply unpopular economic agenda, Ohio Democrats are running on creating a government that delivers for working families. In November, Ohioans of all political backgrounds are going to hold Ohio Republicans in Washington and Columbus accountable for raising costs by electing Ohio Democrats up and down the ballot who will get our state and country back on track.”

Ohioans are continuing to speak out against Republicans in Washington – like Mike Turner, Mike Carey, and Max Miller – for voting to gut the Medicaid and SNAP food assistance that Ohio families rely on. New analysis emphasized recently that under Republicans’ spending bill, Ohio will lose more than 50,000 jobs – the eighth most jobs lost of any state in the country – and more than $5B from the state economy by 2029. This analysis also made clear that while Trump and Washington Republicans are implementing massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food assistance, and costing Ohio billions in federal funding, “Trump’s signature law gave huge tax cuts to the richest Americans.” Additional reporting has emphasized the strain this bill will have on Ohioans’ healthcare specifically, stating that, “recent cuts in funding from Ohio’s Medicaid budget will force more than a half a million Ohioans off the program in the next decade and threaten the closure of 31 hospitals and clinics in Ohio.” 

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COLUMBUS, OH – New reporting is once again detailing the stark reality facing Ohio families as they have paid approximately “$2,175 more for gas, utilities and groceries and thousands of dollars more in health insurance premiums for those on the ACA marketplace since January 2025 due to federal policies enacted during President Donald Trump’s second term.” This new analysis from the Center for American Progress Action Fund is also slamming Republicans in Washington, like Max Miller, Mike Turner and Mike Carey, saying “Congress voted to let the costs fall on their constituents.”

“This report highlights what Ohio families already know: Trump has not only failed to bring down prices for Ohioans, he has made essentials like food, utilities, and healthcare more expensive,” said Ohio Democratic Party Communications Director Marisa Nahem. “While Trump and his friends keep lining their own pockets and pushing for deeply unpopular policies, like their tariffs, reckless war with Iran, and devastating healthcare cuts, Ohioans are fed up – and they’re going to hold Republicans accountable for it in November.” 

While Trump has admitted that he doesn’t think about the financial pain Americans are feeling under his economy, read more about how Trump and Washington Republicans’ economic policies are hurting Ohio families:

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

• Ohio families have paid approximately $2,175 more for gas, utilities and groceries and thousands of dollars more in health insurance premiums for those on the ACA marketplace since January 2025 due to federal policies enacted during President Donald Trump’s second term, according to a report released Wednesday by the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
• The analysis places Ohio 13th among all states for increases in total household costs, with the higher end of the range applying to families who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
• The report attributes the cost increases to four key policy decisions: the war with Iran that drove up gas prices, cuts to clean energy investments, which led to higher utility bills, blanket tariffs that increased prices on imported goods, and the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits.
• Ohio households have spent an additional $270 on gasoline through June 30 since the U.S. began military action against Iran on Feb. 28, according to data from Brown University’s Climate Solutions Lab, cited in the report.
• Ohioans are also paying hundreds more in higher utility costs, with households in the top ten states paying an additional $395 on average through June, the report found. That figure could increase by more than 25% by year’s end.
• The average American household paid approximately $1,574 more through June for goods affected by Trump administration tariffs, according to the report’s analysis of U.S. Customs data and estimates from the Yale Budget Lab.
• For the millions of Americans who purchase health insurance through ACA marketplaces, premiums increased sharply after enhanced premium tax credits expired on Dec. 31, 2025.
• In Ohio, a family of four with two 45-year-old adults and two children earning $66,000 annually now pays approximately $3,688 more for coverage through June, with that figure projected to reach more than $6,000 for the full year.
• By the end of 2026, the report projects Ohio households will have paid $3,300 in additional costs for gas, utilities and tariffs. For families purchasing ACA marketplace coverage, the total reaches $6,325 when increased premiums are included.
• The rising costs borne by Ohio families and Americans nationwide stand in sharp contrast to President Trump’s personal financial fortunes during the same period. 
• Trump’s 2025 financial disclosure forms, released in May 2026, showed his reported income soared to more than $2.2 billion in 2025—nearly four times his reported income the previous year, according to The Washington Post.
   

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COLUMBUS, OH – Today, the Ohio Democratic Party announced that U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) will be joining Democratic leaders up and down the ballot for Ohio Democrats’ annual dinner on August 1. This year’s dinner will be themed, “Ohio on the Rise,” and feature Sherrod Brown and Dr. Amy Acton in addition to state and local leaders from throughout Ohio.

“Ohio Democrats are proud to welcome Sen. Mark Kelly to our Ohio on the Rise Annual Dinner,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde. “From serving our country in uniform to commanding missions in space, Sen. Kelly has dedicated his life to service and leadership. He understands that families are looking for leaders who will lower costs, protect freedoms, and deliver results. We’re honored to have him join us as we continue bringing together Ohioans of all political backgrounds behind our Democratic ticket. Together, we have a clear trajectory toward victory in November.”

“It’s great to be joining Ohio Democrats ahead of such a critical election, and to be supporting strong candidates like Sherrod Brown and leaders up and down the ballot who are laser-focused on lowering costs as many Ohio families – and families throughout the country – are struggling to make ends meet,” said Senator Mark Kelly. “At a time when we’re seeing Washington Republicans and this Administration raising costs at every turn and attacking our freedoms, Ohioans are ready to send a message in November by electing Democratic leaders to help turn Ohio and our country around.”

Additional information will be made available ahead of the Ohio on the Rise dinner in Columbus.

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Columbus, Ohio- In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Vivek Ramaswamy refused to rule out bringing so-called right-to-work laws to Ohio. Instead, Ramaswamy launched into the same meaningless word salad and left Ohioans more convinced than ever he wouldn’t protect their jobs, stand up for Ohio’s workers, or lower costs.

Right-to-work policies weaken organized labor unions and leave workers without the protections they rely on. While costs go up, workers end up getting paid less. Ohioans overwhelmingly rejected right-to-work at the polls, putting Ramaswamy at odds with voters on yet another issue.

“Vivek Ramaswamy’s refusal to rule out policies that would threaten Ohio’s good union jobs proves that, despite his desperate attempts to rebrand, he’s still the same billionaire who called our workers lazy, moved his business to Texas, and was scheduled to keynote a conference about outsourcing American jobs. Voters have already overwhelmingly rejected these policies, but Ramaswamy still wouldn’t. Ohio workers can’t trust Vivek Ramaswamy to protect their jobs or lower costs for their families,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer.

Watch Ramaswamy’s Non-Answer Here: 

Question: Ohio is not a right to work state […] Is that something you would push for or work for to try to get Ohio on board with that movement?

(Non) Answer: Look, I think there’s a composite effect because I’m not one of these people who will, you know, find one sort of solution to shoehorn everything into. Michigan became a right-to-work state, interestingly enough. But you don’t see businesses flocking to Michigan over Ohio because it’s a composite of factors, right? So the way I look at it, what’s important here in terms of moving the needle, and as a business leader, I believe prioritization matters. And I think you got to focus on what you’re going to get done versus what you’re not going to get done.

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FirstEnergy Hiking Rates in Toledo Thanks to Husted’s Corruption

TOLEDO, OHIO — This week, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, State Representative Erika White, and Ohioans getting crushed by rising utility bills called out Jon Husted for his key role in the FirstEnergy bribery scheme, the largest public corruption scandal in Ohio that delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities.

The rally comes as Toledo Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy, announced they are hiking rates for Toledo ratepayers. Jon Husted’s corruption involving the FirstEnergy scandal has contributed to electricity costs for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year.

“Jon Husted was at the center of the largest bribery scheme in the history of the state of Ohio. In particular, the citizens of Ohio and Toledo are going to have to pay more on their Toledo Edison bills because of the corruption that was orchestrated by Jon Husted,” said Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz. “That is an incredible statement if it weren’t so sad and weren’t so heartbreaking — that instead of serving the interests of Ohioans, Jon Husted has mocked them. He has blamed them for their problems when in reality it’s his own actions and policies that have caused Ohioans to be suffering the way they are.” 

“We are here today because Toledo Edison has announced another rate hike that will impact families who are already struggling. Ohio families deserve answers about Jon Husted’s corruption and why that is making them pay more for their energy bills,” said State Representative Erika White. “Jon Husted has a lot to answer for, and Ohioans here in Northwest Ohio deserve accountability, answers and deserve transparency. Your electric bill should not be a reminder for political corruption.”

As a reminder, Jon Husted remains at the center of the massive FirstEnergy scandal, with recent reporting from the Associated Press revealing Husted’s ties to be much deeper than previously known:

• When Husted was forced to testify, his testimony showed discrepancies from public documents and reporting, only raising more questions. 

• New evidence during the corruption trial revealed nine calls between Jon Husted and Mike Dowling in the months preceding a $4.3 million bribe to former Utilities Commission Chair Sam Randazzo. 

• Recent reporting revealed Jon Husted held secret meetings with Dowling and Jones, including with the “mastermind of Ohio’s largest public corruption scheme two days before scandal-ridden bribery legislation was introduced.”

• Neil Clark, a FirstEnergy lobbyist and co-defendant with former House Speaker Larry Householder, referred to Husted as FirstEnergy’s “golden boy.”

• Text messages between Husted, Dowling, and Jones reveal that the trio were in constant communication “before, during and after his campaign.” 

• Indicted FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones said Husted was a “good friend of FirstEnergy” who was “highly engaged” and “fighting to the end” in support of the massive bail out.

• A dinner between Jon Husted and the indicted FirstEnergy executives at the Athletic Club of Columbus was a focal point of the criminal trial.

• Public records show that FirstEnergy — led by Jones and Dowling — funneled $1 million in dark money to a dark money group backing Husted in 2017, part of the same corrupt scheme that led to federal and state indictments.

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Ramaswamy in “fundamental agreement” with Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio, who backs ‘restricting abortion in all cases, but also opposes all forms of contraception’

Columbus, Ohio- New reporting from NBC News revealed Vivek Ramaswamy is closely allying with Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio, a group that opposes all forms of contraception and requires candidates to be in “fundamental agreement” with their policy platform.

READ: Vivek Ramaswamy allies with anti-contraception group in Ohio governor’s race

• As Ohio’s Republican nominee for governor, Vivek Ramaswamy has aligned himself with the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio, a group that not only favors restricting abortion in all cases, but also opposes all forms of contraception.

• The GOP gubernatorial nominee accepted the group’s endorsement earlier this year, which RTLACO says is conditioned on a candidate being “in fundamental agreement” with the group’s policy document.

• The policy document says RTLACO “opposes abortion at any point of gestation,” “opposes abortion for pregnancy resulting from rape or incest” and “cannot support any form of contraception.”

• Linda Theis, RTLACO’s legislative team chair, told NBC News that the group’s leaders “met with Vivek early in the spring last year, a couple of different times.”

• “He assured us that he was totally with us. We met with him a second time, and he made sure that he said to us — he verbalized that he was all about protecting life without compromise, which is our main standard, so that was our big thing,” she added.

• Ramaswamy’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment about whether he agrees with RTLACO’s position on contraception, but his campaign website does tout RTLACO’s endorsement, among others.

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OCJ: Ramaswamy’s campaign shows “troubling” lack of transparency as questions go unanswered for eight weeks

Columbus, Ohio- New reporting from the Ohio Capital Journal reveals how billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign has racked up over half a million dollars in credit card bills, but refuses to say what the expenses were for. Ohio campaign finance law requires campaigns to disclose each individual transaction, but Ramaswamy’s campaign is only disclosing its single credit card bill even after weeks of questions. 

“Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign owes Ohioans answers about the concerning pattern of spending on his finance reports, from his unreported private jet to his refusal to explain his credit card use,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “His campaign had multiple chances to come clean about his spending, but failed at every turn. What kind of scam is Ramaswamy hiding this time?”

READ: Ohio GOP candidate for governor has put $500,000 on the campaign credit card

• Ohio Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for governor has racked up more than half a million dollars in credit card bills without disclosing what the campaign is purchasing. 

• The campaign’s credit card spending has jumped dramatically in recent months. Just since April, Ramaswamy’s campaign has put $280,892 on an American Express card.

• Ohio campaign finance reports require campaigns to disclose each individual transaction — not just how much they spent but who they paid and what they purchased with the money. Ramaswamy’s campaign is only reporting its monthly credit card bill.  

• Even if every penny spent was a legitimate campaign expenditure — which it may well have been — reporting transactions under a single credit card reimbursement obscures how the campaign is spending money. It also leaves room for doubt about whether those transactions are legitimate.

• Although many campaigns use credit cards, Ramaswamy is an outlier in terms of dollar amount and reporting. 

• Ramaswamy has experience reporting itemized credit card transactions. During his 2024 presidential run, Ramaswamy’s campaign finance reports included each individual expenditure separately. In October 2023, for instance, he spent $57,411 on food, lodging and event rentals throughout New Hampshire. He even paid $1,250 to get the Piscataqua Rangers Junior Fife and Drum Corps for a campaign event.

• But in Ohio, Ramaswamy’s campaign has reported only a monthly lump sum reimbursement — effectively building a wall around those transactions. Getting any information about the campaign’s credit card use requires filing public records requests. That takes time, but the campaign calendar isn’t waiting.

• The Ohio Capital Journal’s request for documents related to the Ramaswamy campaign’s pre-primary report has gone unanswered for eight weeks: enough time for the campaign to hit another campaign finance reporting deadline, with yet more $90,000-plus monthly credit card reimbursements.

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Columbus, Ohio- Four years after the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and rolled back one of American women’s most fundamental rights, Vivek Ramaswamy is pushing an extreme anti-abortion agenda that overrules the will of Ohio voters. Ramaswamy said Dobbs was decided correctly; he was “unapologetically pro-life” without any qualification, and described a law banning abortion before most women even know they’re pregnant as “progress.” 

Ohioans overwhelmingly enshrined the right to reproductive freedom in Ohio’s state constitution in 2023. Instead of taking his cues from Ohio families, Vivek Ramaswamy selected a running mate who co-sponsored a heartbeat ban with no exceptions for rape or incest and is responsible for enacting the same extreme abortion restrictions that voters rejected. 

“Ohioans overwhelmingly rejected Vivek Ramaswamy’s extreme, anti-abortion agenda, but that hasn’t stopped him from pushing these dangerous policies,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Once again, Ramaswamy thinks he knows better than Ohioans and would do what he wants while attacking our rights.”

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REPORTING: ‘Husted has supported total abortion bans with zero exceptions for over 20 years’

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Today, on the anniversary of the Dobbs decision that repealed Roe v. Wade and ripped away freedoms from millions of women in Ohio, Jon Husted remains deeply out of touch with Ohioans on reproductive rights. 

Jon Husted has spread dangerous misinformation, recently calling the FDA-approved abortion pill mifepristone “not safe” and is pushing to ban its use. Husted has also long backed abortion bans without exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother.

Ohio Democratic Party Senior Communications Advisor Tony Wen released the following statement:

“Jon Husted supports banning abortion with no exceptions, including for the life of the mother, and has spread dangerous misinformation about FDA-approved medications. Ohioans have made clear that these deeply personal medical decisions belong with women and their doctors — not out of touch extremists like Jon Husted.” 

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COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde issued the following statement on the four-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision and the importance of protecting reproductive freedom in Ohio:

“Ohioans want to be able to make critical, deeply personal medical decisions with their doctors, not with politicians in Columbus or Washington looking over their shoulder. On the four-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, and at a time when we continue to see attacks on abortion access and efforts to interfere in private medical decisions, Ohio Democrats are united in our resolve to protect Ohioans’ reproductive freedom.

“Three years ago, a majority of Ohioans voted to enshrine access to abortion into our state constitution. This November, Ohioans will elect leaders like Justice Jennifer Brunner and Judge Marilyn Zayas who will uphold the law, respect the will of voters, and protect Ohioans’ rights.”

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