Category: News

ICYMI from ASSOCIATED PRESS: Republicans plan big spending to keep Ohio’s Senate seat. A bribery scandal adds to their challenges

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Today, on National Honesty Day, will Jon Husted finally tell the truth about his role in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history? 

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

• Previous reporting has already uncovered phone calls, text messages, and secret meetings between Husted and the indicted FirstEnergy executives, and Husted was forced to testify for the defense in a state criminal trial.

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

• This political headache isn’t going away for Husted anytime soon, as the United States Supreme Court upheld the conviction of one of Jon Husted’s top allies just this week.

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

“On National Honesty Day, Ohioans are calling on Jon Husted to come clean about his central role in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history that’s costing families thousands of dollars more on their utility bills. It seems every week more details come to light about Jon Husted’s deep ties to this massive corruption scheme. Ohioans deserve accountability and answers about how deep his involvement goes.”

As a reminder, Jon Husted played a central role “running the show” in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history alongside Dowling and Jones:

• New evidence during the 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. 

• New 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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Husted: “People living in poverty are just not very, they’re not very experienced at navigating the real world”

CINCINNATI, OHIO — Today, Ohioans in Cincinnati gathered for the final stop of Husted’s Real World Tour, calling out Jon Husted for his out of touch attacks on hardworking families.

Ohioans are already struggling with high grocery and utility prices due to Jon Husted’s corruption, and the skyrocketing cost of gas is forcing families to cut back even more. Instead of working to lower costs, Jon Husted has insulted struggling Ohioans as “not very experienced at navigating the real world” and dismissed the mounting affordability crisis by telling Ohioans to fix their “work ethic” and to simply “earn more” money to make ends meet.

“For people in this district in Cincinnati, they go to work. They work as hard as they can. Jon Husted would say they just don’t understand the real world. That’s what he said about Ohioans who are struggling to get by — that maybe if they had a different work ethic, they would be able to get ahead,” said Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (District 24 — Cincinnati). “Jon Husted does not understand what most Ohioans are going through. Jon Husted was involved in one of the largest bribery scandals in Ohio’s history. He believes that taxpayer dollars, your dollars, should go to bail out billion dollar corporations to make life easier for millionaires and billionaires.”

“I always try to take the high road. But I was absolutely stunned when Jon Husted said people living in poverty are ‘just not very experienced at navigating the real world.’ He said if you can’t afford groceries, just ‘earn more.’ He even said working families have a ‘broken’ work ethic. What an insult to our hardworking Ohio families. Jon Husted — working people understand how the world works,” said Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney.

“The increase in utilities are my main concern. In the past we were able to manage pretty well. However, this winter was pretty brutal for us, as I am sure it was for many of you, and the increase in cost has really put a strain on our finances,” said Jackie Robbins, a Cincinnati native and retired Ohioan. “This brings me to Mr. Husted who seems to have gone out of his way to make life harder for working families in Ohio by leading the charge to give utility companies a billion dollar taxpayer bailout that contributed to our electric bills skyrocketing by more than $600 annually. And believe me I have felt the pain of this increase.”

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“I can’t say it’s the best state.”

Columbus, Ohio- In newly unearthed footage, candidate for Ohio governor Vivek Ramaswamy said that Ohio wasn’t “the best state” in another comment revealing his dim view of Ohioans. Ramaswamy previously called Ohio workers “lazy” and said affordability is just a “buzzword” as Ohioans see gas prices surge close to $5 per gallon. 

WATCH THE CLIP BELOW:

“One thing all Ohioans can agree on is that Ohio is the best state. We are proud of our state’s natural beauty, unique communities, and of course, our winning college football teams. Ramaswamy does not understand Ohio. His decision to run a campaign for governor that focuses on how Ohio isn’t the best state and our workers are lazy highlights how everything he says is a scam designed to raise our costs and line the pockets of billionaires like himself,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer.

The post Vivek Ramaswamy on Ohio: “NOT THE BEST STATE” appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

COLUMBUS, OH – Businesses and community leaders in Northeast Ohio are sounding the alarm on the devastating impacts of President Trump’s reckless war with Iran and his policies like tariffs that are hurting our economy and making life harder for working families and small businesses. Additionally, in this new survey, nonprofit community organizations emphasized that “people in the bottom half of the income distribution are feeling most of the pain,” with some groups also “report[ing] a deteriorating jobs outlook for their clients.”

“President Trump promised on the campaign trail that he would ‘lower costs on day one’ and instead he’s doing the complete opposite, with his reckless war with Iran causing gas prices to skyrocket to over $4.00 a gallon on average in Ohio and his tariffs raising the price of goods and making it difficult for Ohio small businesses to keep their doors open,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde. “Ohio businesses and community leaders are making clear that the President’s actions are hurting our communities, and they’re going to make it clear in November too when they elect Democratic leaders up and down the ballot who will stand up against these devastating choices by Republican politicians in Washington and instead work to lower costs at the gas pump, the grocery store, the pharmacy, and in nearly every part of Ohioans’ daily life.”

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

President Donald Trump’s undeclared war with Iran and his sweeping tariffs are increasing costs and dampening the economic outlook, some business and community leaders have told the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

The war will enter its third month on Friday without a clear rationale or goal. A fragile cease-fire is in place, but Iran continues to restrict access to the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for global energy, fertilizer and mineral flows.

Gas prices in Ohio have surged by more than one-third since Trump launched the war, and some fertilizers have spiked as much as 50% nationally as planting season is underway. Meanwhile, as of January, Trump’s tariffs are estimated to have increased consumer costs by 1.5%, according to the Yale Budget Lab.

Those factors — combined with uncertainty over what will happen next — have created problems in multiple sectors of the economy, according to the Cleveland Fed’s latest Beige Book. 

The Cleveland Fed represents the Federal Reserve System’s Fourth District — a region that covers all of Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia. Eight times a year, it conducts interviews and online questionnaires with businesses, community organizations, economists, and other sources. 

The latest Beige Book said that businesses were feeling the pinch from higher prices.

[…]

“Contacts across sectors highlighted escalating energy costs related to the conflict in the Middle East, with some describing fuel costs as ‘skyrocketing’ and others noting that this would further exacerbate already-high freight costs. Materials costs continued to rise, particularly for metals like copper, steel, and aluminum, with manufacturers citing tariffs as drivers. Two agricultural contacts reported fertilizer cost spikes, and one attributed this to the Strait of Hormuz closure.”

[…]

And many producers worried about consumers’ ability to buy their products.

“Consumer spending declined modestly in recent weeks, driven by extreme weather events and high fuel prices,” the Beige Book said. 

“Grocery store and automotive contacts noted that higher fuel prices strained customers’ wallets, and one higher-end grocer reported customers making fewer trips and purchases. Contacts expected flat consumer spending in the coming months, with many noting that the evolving conflict in the Middle East and associated increase in fuel costs could hurt their demand.”

People in the bottom half of the income distribution are feeling most of the pain. The Beige Book reported on a semiannual survey of nonprofit community organizations.

It said “most respondents reported a decline in their clients’ financial well-being over the past six months due to elevated prices. One respondent said more people sought foreclosure prevention services amid rising property taxes and insurance, while a homeless shelter operator observed longer stays due to the lack of affordable housing.”

The groups also reported a deteriorating jobs outlook for their clients.

“Some respondents who assist jobseekers noticed fewer entry-level positions available,” the report said. “By contrast, others noted more openings for low-paying jobs — manual labor, part-time or temporary jobs, and gig work — that typically lack health-care benefits or a reliable income.”

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Columbus, Ohio- Yesterday, in a rare move for a university president, Kent State University’s President joined a growing group of Ohioans slamming Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan to close colleges and universities across Ohio. 

“Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan to shut down colleges and universities, including Kent State, is so dangerous for our state that even university presidents are speaking out,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ramaswamy’s only experience with the communities he wants to destroy is from the window of his private jet while he plots to rip away opportunities, jobs, and healthcare from countless Ohioans.” 

Read the full piece about how Ramaswamy’s plan would harm Kent State here: 

• The public university system in Ohio wasn’t assembled carelessly. It was built by elected leaders responding to real public demand. Republican Gov. James Rhodes came to office in 1963 on a campaign promise to place a public university within 30 miles of every Ohio citizen. […] This was not a waste. This was Ohio investing in itself.

• The universities didn’t drift into this moment. Even though public investment was quietly withdrawn over decades, our institutions have continued to deliver ever-improving results.

• There is also a community argument that deserves to be made. What happens to Salem without its Kent State campus? To Ashtabula, to Geauga, to Tuscarawas County and all the other communities in which Kent State maintains a vital presence?

• The campuses Gov. Rhodes envisioned aren’t redundancies. They are lifelines – for the students, for local employers, for the civic identities of communities that have built themselves, in part, around the presence of a university in their midst. To abandon our regional campuses would be to abandon our state’s small-town heartbeat.

• As Ohio’s fourth-longest-serving public university president, I offer these words not to protect turf, but because the conversation Ohio deserves is grounded in facts. Indeed, my colleagues at the other public universities have equally powerful, distinctive stories of success to share, and together, Ohio’s public universities advance the future of all Ohioans.

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The post Kent State University President Slams Vivek Ramaswamy’s Plan to Shut Down Ohio Colleges & Universities  appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

Columbus, Ohio- There’s only one week to go until the Ohio primary. Here’s five things voters need to know about billionaire scam artist Vivek Ramaswamy.

“After more than a year of getting to know Vivek Ramaswamy, Ohioans are heading to the polls for the first time, and the more they have gotten to know Ramaswamy, the less they’ve liked him,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Working families won’t vote for a billionaire scam artist who called affordable healthcare a ‘mistake,’ doesn’t care about rising costs, and would rather call them lazy than get to work to bring down costs.”

1. Ramaswamy called Medicaid and Medicare, programs that more than three million Ohioans rely on to afford healthcare, “mistakes.” Over 25% of Ohioans use Medicaid to afford care, while nearly 20% use Medicare. Without these programs, rural hospitals across Ohio would be in even greater danger of closure – forcing families to travel even farther for the care they need.

2. Ramaswamy doesn’t believe costs are going up (and doesn’t care). He said the “perceived” rising cost of living was only in Ohioans’ imaginations and called affordability a “buzzword.” Meanwhile, he spent $780,000 on private jet travel last year and used campaign funds to play pickleball with the Paul Brothers in Puerto Rico while working Ohio families struggle to keep up with sky-high costs.

3. He called Ohioans “lazy” and “mediocre” in an unhinged and revealing social media rant. Ramaswamy also moved his business to Texas just months before announcing his run for governor and was forced to drop out of a keynote speech at a conference advocating for outsourcing American jobs after facing online criticism from members of his own party.

4. Ohioans see straight through Ramaswamy’s lies, including in his own party. Republican Governor Mike DeWine denounced his latest campaign ad as false and when asked if Ramaswamy would rather be a national political celebrity or governor, answered “both.” In late 2025, Ramaswamy took home an award for worst use of social media for a policy proposal so bad his biggest supporters thought it was AI.

5. Ramaswamy doubled down on an unpopular proposal to close colleges and universities that would devastate communities across the state. He specifically singled out Kent State, Cleveland State, and Central State, public universities that serve tens of thousands of students and support jobs and small businesses in communities across Ohio.

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The post One Week from Primary Day, Here’s What Ohioans Need to Know About Vivek Ramaswamy appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

COLUMBUS, OH – Yesterday, Brent Larkin addressed the Ramaswamy campaign’s latest smear, in which they falsely claimed in an ad that Dr. Acton was responsible for delaying the 2020 primary election. 

READ: Turning facts into lies? Welcome to Campaign 2026 in Ohio: Brent Larkin

• As proven during his failed run for president in 2024, voters don’t much like Ramaswamy. He comes across as smart, but arrogant.

• Trump’s declining popularity, skyrocketing fuel and grocery prices, and Ramaswamy’s unlikability explain why a concerned Ramaswamy campaign has already spent $10 million in television ads. Notably, the ads do not feature Ramaswamy talking to the camera.

• This election is close. If it stays that way, if Ramaswamy’s attempt to buy the election with his own money doesn’t work, then his truth-shattering will accelerate. In one of its most recent television spots, the Ramaswamy campaign says Acton “called off” the 2020 primary election because of COVID-19.

• It’s a lie. And DeWine responded to the lie by again stating that the decision to delay the primary, not call it off, was his — not Acton’s.

• …Again, on numerous occasions, and both before and after Ramaswamy began airing his attack ad on Acton, DeWine has said he gave the order for Acton to postpone the March 17 election.

• If Ramaswamy is willing to obliterate (MAGA’s favorite verb) the truth about how and why all this happened during the most serious public health crisis in more than 100 years, maybe he shouldn’t be trusted to run this state.

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The post ICYMI: Brent Larkin: Ramaswamy Campaign Ad Is “A Lie” appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

COLUMBUS, OH – While local election officials are making clear the importance of drop boxes in ensuring that Ohioans are able to cast their ballot in Ohio’s safe and secure elections, Republican candidates for Secretary of State are doubling down on their vow to eliminate drop boxes and make it even harder to vote. Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague even released a new ad vowing to “ditch the drop boxes” that so many Ohioans rely on to vote.

“Drop boxes are a safe and secure part of Ohio’s elections and they’re a critical way for Ohioans to be able to drop off their ballot and exercise their right to vote,” said Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde. “Ohioans deserve a Secretary of State who will ensure that in Ohio’s elections, every eligible voter is able to cast their ballot free from barriers – not partisan politicians like the Republican candidates for Secretary of State who spread election conspiracies, tout repeatedly disproven misinformation, and are willing to go against the recommendations of local election officials to disenfranchise voters.”

This follows Republican candidates for Secretary of State recently trumpeting false claims of widespread voter fraud and refusing to admit the results of the 2020 presidential election.

While Republican candidates for Secretary of State vow to eliminate drop boxes, read more from Cleveland.com about what local election officials are saying about the importance of drop boxes:

• “I know (the drop box) works out for some people who work during the day. If they need to come when our office is closed, they have the ability to drive right up and insert it into the drop box.” –Dante Lewis, director of the Lake County Board of Elections.
• “I’m a big advocate for drop boxes. I think we should have more drop boxes than less.” –Tony Perlatti, Director, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

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The post GOP Secretary of State Candidates Vow to Eliminate Drop Boxes, Going Against Local Election Officials appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

U.S. Supreme Court upholds the conviction of top Jon Husted ally

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Today, the United States Supreme Court upheld the conviction of one of Jon Husted’s top allies in the FirstEnergy corruption scheme — the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history — proving this political headache isn’t going away for Husted anytime soon.

As a reminder, Jon Husted remains at the center of the massive scandal, with new reporting from the Associated Press revealing Husted’s ties to be much deeper than previously known. Previous reporting has already uncovered phone calls, text messages, and secret meetings between Husted and the indicted FirstEnergy executives, and Husted was forced to testify for the defense in a state criminal trial. 

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

“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is another reminder that Jon Husted remains at the center of the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history, and it’s costing Ohioans thousands of dollars more on their utility bills. As more details come to light about Jon Husted’s deep ties to the corruption scheme, Ohioans deserve accountability and answers about how deep his involvement goes.” 

READ MORE: 

Associated Press: Republicans plan big spending to keep Ohio’s Senate seat. A bribery scandal adds to their challenges

• As he seeks to retain his U.S. Senate seat this fall, Ohio Republican Jon Husted has been unable to escape the shadow of a $60 million bribery scandal that has roiled state politics for more than five years.

• Husted was recently called to testify as a defense witness in the related criminal trial of two former energy executives, testimony he might have to reprise after a hung jury led to a mistrial in the case in March. 

• A judge in Akron scheduled the retrial to begin Sept. 28, meaning Husted could be back on the witness stand a week before early voting begins for the November elections.

• Husted calendars that came to light during the recent trial involving executives for the utility, Akron-based FirstEnergy, showed a number of additional meetings or phone calls that he had with former CEO Chuck Jones, with the state’s former top utility regulator, who has since died, and with then-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.

• The interactions noted in Husted’s calendars were around the time the bailout bill was being developed and passed. Evidence presented in various cases showed Jones and Dowling discussing a push by Husted for additional subsidies in the legislation.

• A longtime Ohio lobbyist told federal agents that FirstEnergy and FirstEnergy Solutions, the subsidiary that owned the nuclear power plants helped by the bailout, funneled dark money to nonprofits that benefited Husted and Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican.

• According to the notes from his Department of Justice interview obtained by The Associated Press and not previously reported, lobbyist Neil Clark identified one of the groups as Freedom Frontier. That was the very group that received a $1 million contribution in 2017 marked internally by FirstEnergy as “Husted campaign.”

• Internal FirstEnergy communications from 2017 and 2018, which is evidence in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation, include discussions involving Jones, Dowling and others about attending Husted events as far back as 2016. They also reflect Dowling’s concerns about dark money contributions becoming public.

• Jones and Dowling also discussed strategies to contribute under alternate names. In July 2018, for instance, as the two were planning a DeWine-Husted fundraiser in Naples, Florida, they discussed contributing under one name while covering event costs under another — so there would be “no cost billed to (the) campaign.”

• Husted declined a request for further comment about the details that have emerged as the various cases surrounding the bribery scandal play out.

As a reminder, Jon Husted played a central role “running the show” in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history alongside Dowling and Jones:

• New evidence during the 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. 

• New 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.” 

• Convicted 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 convicted 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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Costs keep rising because of the Husted-backed war in Iran, but Husted says it’s ‘good news for the global economy’

COLUMBUS, OHIO — This week, Jon Husted voted against multiple bipartisan proposals that would have lowered the skyrocketing cost of groceries, health care, and utility bills for Ohio families. Husted also voted against a bipartisan proposal to protect families from rising prices driven by reckless tariffs and another endless war in the Middle East.

Ohio families are already getting crushed with skyrocketing gas, utility, grocery, and health care costs. Instead of doing anything to lower costs, Husted keeps insulting struggling Ohioans as “not very experienced at navigating the real world” and consistently dismisses the mounting affordability crisis by telling Ohioans to fix their “work ethic” and to simply “earn more” money to make ends meet.

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

“Ohioans are sick and tired of Jon Husted voting to make their lives more expensive. Instead of fighting to lower costs for families at home, Husted keeps supporting to send more money overseas while lecturing Ohioans to work harder. Jon Husted couldn’t be more out of touch with what families in this state are going through, and they will send him packing in November.” 

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