Category: News

Columbus, Ohio– In a new interview with The New York Times, billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy called affordability a “buzzword” after he previously said the “perceived” rising cost of living was only in Ohioans’ imaginations. 

While costs skyrocket for working families, Vivek Ramaswamy is richer than ever, telling Ohioans costs aren’t really going up, and calling them lazy. He said Medicaid and Medicare were mistakes and workers who are struggling should simply earn more money. One thing is clear: as Vivek Ramaswamy flies private 30,000 feet above Ohio, he has no clue what is happening on the ground.

“Vivek Ramaswamy’s message to Ohio families who are struggling is that costs aren’t actually rising and their concerns are nothing more than a ‘buzzword,’” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “If Ramaswamy ever hopped off his private jet, he’d know working families are struggling. He’d also learn pretty quickly that Ohioans don’t like him and see him for what he is: a con man who would raise their costs while making himself richer.” 

Here’s what Ramaswamy says is just a buzzword:

• Cleveland.com: Ohio consumers’ electric bills likely to jump again as demand outstrips supply of power

• Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio cities rank among the most medically expensive, analysis finds

• WTOL: Toledoans pinch pennies as grocery costs outstrip income growth

• Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio’s economic future is hazy, but a recession might be looming, Fed survey indicates

• Columbus Dispatch: Cost of childcare in Ohio is skyrocketing. What can be done about it?

• NBC4: Ohio ranks among states with worst economies, study says

• Ohio Capital Journal: Cleveland Fed: Businesses report increasing prices, declining activity

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

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO — In case you missed it, Ohioans in Youngstown gathered for the third 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, 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.

See For Yourself:

WMFJ: Ohioans Call Out Jon Husted’s Out of Touch Attacks on Hardworking Families

• WMFJ Anchor: Local and state leaders are speaking out against Ohio U.S. Senator Jon Husted as he runs to retain his seat. The Ohio Democratic Party launched ‘Husted’s Real World Tour,’ claiming that he is deeply out of touch with the everyday struggles with working families as they deal with high gas prices and health care costs. 

• Catherine Cercone Miller, Mayor of Struthers: Families are dealing with rising grocery bills, higher utility costs, increasing rent and house prices, and the overall cost of simply just getting by. These challenges are being felt by seniors on fixed incomes, by working families, and by young people trying to build a future.

Youngstown Vindicator: Dems criticize Husted for statements on ‘navigating real world’

• Local Democrats criticized Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Husted for saying those “living in poverty” are “not very experienced at navigating the real world.”

• State Rep. Lauren McNally of Youngstown, the Democratic candidate for Mahoning County commissioner, said: “Let me be clear: Ohioans don’t need a lecture on how to buy groceries. They need relief from the rising cost of groceries. They don’t need to be told affordability is just a ‘buzzword.’ They are living it every single day.”

• During a March 10 podcast, Husted said he had a conversation with a woman who didn’t know “how money works at a grocery store” because she’s on government assistance.

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

• Husted said in a Jan. 16 interview with a radio station: “Our work ethic is broken. We don’t have the work ethic in this country that we once had.”

• At Friday’s event, McNally said: “This is about people. It’s about our families, our friends, our communities. It’s about recognizing that the problem isn’t that Ohioans don’t understand the real world or have a ‘broken work ethic’ or just need to ‘earn more’ money to make ends meet – all things that Sen. Husted has said – the problem is that the real world has become too expensive for too many people to afford.”

• Husted’s campaign declined Friday to comment.

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Columbus, Ohio- Late last week, reporting revealed how Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign was actively touting an endorsement from one Republican lawmaker under investigation for being a sexual predator and another who spoke extensively about talking to “young girls” about sex. Today, new reporting shows that over the weekend his campaign scrubbed the endorsements of State Representatives Rodney Creech and Gary Click from the website in a desperate attempt to try to obscure his close ties to them.  

Today’s reporting comes after Ramaswamy has drawn backlash for refusing to call for the release of the Epstein files after promising to do so during his failed presidential campaign. 

He also has yet to explain why his super PAC accepted $100,000 from Epstein co-conspirator Glenn Dubin, then failed to return the money despite pledging to do so.

“After backing down from his call to release the Epstein files and breaking his promise to return a six-figure contribution from a known Epstein associate, Vivek Ramaswamy is scrambling to hide his ties to two more notorious accused sexual predators,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “If Ramaswamy can’t stand up to accused sexual predators in his own party, how can we trust him to stand up for Ohioans?”

READ: Ramaswamy quietly removes Gary Click and Rodney Creech from endorsements page

• Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for Ohio governor has quietly removed two state lawmakers from its official endorsements page — including one who was investigated for alleged sexual misconduct with a minor — days after TiffinOhio.net reported that the campaign was actively promoting their support.

• State Reps. Gary Click (R-Vickery) and Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria) no longer appear on the endorsements page at vivekforohio.com. As of April 13, neither name is listed among the dozens of Ohio legislators featured on the page.

• The April 11 snapshot was captured two days after TiffinOhio.net published a report detailing how the Ramaswamy campaign was promoting the endorsement of Creech, who was accused in 2023 of climbing into bed with a minor female relative while erect and wearing only his underwear, according to Bureau of Criminal Investigation documents obtained by the Statehouse News Bureau. 

• Ramaswamy also promoted the endorsement of Click, who made headlines earlier this month after resurfaced video showed Click reminiscing about talking to “young girls” about “how painful” it is for them to engage in sex, during testimony for his anti-trans legislation, House Bill 68.

• The Ramaswamy campaign made no public announcement about removing either name. The campaign did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication of the April 9 article and has not publicly addressed the endorsement removals.

See Also: WVXU: Vivek Ramaswamy goes silent on past demands to release Epstein files, Vivek Ramaswamy Runs from Reporters Amid Questions About His Stance on Release of Epstein Files,Vivek Ramaswamy Breaks Nearly Two Years of Silence to Lie About Epstein Files, REMINDER: Vivek Ramaswamy Super PAC Never Returned $100K from Epstein Associate 

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

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO — Today, Ohioans in Youngstown gathered for the third 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, 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.

“Let me be clear: Ohioans don’t need a lecture on how to buy groceries. They need relief from the rising cost of groceries. They don’t need to be told affordability is just a ‘buzzword.’ They are living it every single day,” said State Representative Lauren McNally. “Politicians in DC like Jon Husted keep voting to make things more expensive. We have a responsibility to do something about it and fight back.”

“Jon Husted’s comments about the ‘real world’ ignore the reality that Ohioans are facing, where wages haven’t kept pace with inflation — making us work harder just to stay afloat. Jon Husted has spent all his time in DC voting to make things more expensive for families like mine,” said Dani Boatwright, a Youngstown resident and working parent. “My 12-year old easily recognizes that almost $4/gallon for gasoline is quite ridiculous & this doesn’t even scratch the surface of our day to day expenses that are seen as basic human needs.”

“Affordability is not a talking point. It is one of the most pressing concerns in our community. Families are dealing with rising grocery bills, higher utility costs, increasing rent and housing prices and the overall cost of simply getting by,” said Mayor of Struthers Catherine Cercone Miller.

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Columbus, Ohio-  After months of flying around Ohio on his private jet, Vivek Ramaswamy finally made a trip to the shores of Lake Erie and discovered the “hidden gem” that is larger than the state of New Jersey. Ramaswamy has clearly been spending too much time in backrooms with fellow Columbus billionaires, and it’s about time he finally discovered Ohio’s coastal counties exist.

Ramaswamy didn’t just discover that Ohio is home to sandy beaches and some of the world’s best roller coasters. He also learned about a $3 billion tourism economy that supports more than 130,000 jobs for Ohioans. 

“It’s no Puerto Rico with the Paul brothers, but Ohio is home to the best beaches in the midwest. Ramaswamy has clearly been spending too much time in backrooms with fellow billionaires calling Medicaid and Medicare a mistake, but it’s about time he finally discovered Ohio’s coastal counties,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Turns out there’s a lot that Ramaswamy missed while on his private jet. Maybe next he’ll take a trip to Dayton and learn about how Ohio was first in flight!” 

What They’re Saying: 

• Calling Lake Erie and its economy “hidden” is quite the tell. 4/8/2026

• Amy’s in Cleveland Heights! Standing room only! Oh. She got you on Lake Erie. Vivek? Not so much. 4/7/2026

• Nothing ‘hidden’ about our billions $$ economy. Home to great cities, great industries and great sport fishing. 11 million get their drinking water from our Great Lake. Spend some time up here. I’ll take you walleye fishing. We can eat a terrific sandwich with @TwinOast beer.  4/8/2026

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Jon Husted at the center of the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history

Ohio families paying $663 more a year on utility bills thanks to Husted’s corruption

COLUMBUS, OHIO — In a major new development, Jon Husted’s FirstEnergy nightmare is far from over, as he will likely be forced to take the stand again to defend his corrupt donors in the new criminal corruption trial set to start September 28, 2026.

Husted helped his donors escape accountability by testifying for the defense and trying to protect the corrupt FirstEnergy executives responsible for the largest corruption scandal in Ohio history. But scrutiny around Husted’s central involvement in the bribery scandal is not ending anytime soon as prosecutors prepare to retry the case.

Throughout the first criminal trial, Husted was mentioned 386 times as testimony made clear that he was at the center of the massive bribery scheme that delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities and contributed to electricity costs for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year. When Husted was forced to answer questions under oath, his testimony only raised more questions about his own role in the scandal.

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

“Jon Husted may have helped his corrupt FirstEnergy donors escape accountability for now, but September 28 is quickly approaching. This retrial will put the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history back in the spotlight, and remind Ohioans that Jon Husted was at the center of the scheme that sold them out to a big utility company and stuck them with skyrocketing energy bills.”

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

Toledo Mayor: “Those aren’t the comments of someone who is in touch with what Americans are going through right now”

TOLEDO, OHIO — Last week, Ohioans in Toledo gathered for the second 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, 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.

See For Yourself: 

WTOL 11: Toledo Democrats criticize Sen. Husted for comments on affordability

• WTOL Anchor: Democratic leaders are calling out Ohio Senator Jon Husted after comments he recently made. Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz and Council President Vanice Williams, along with other Democrats, held a press conference outside of Husted’s office to highlight his comments on people struggling to afford necessities. Husted said that ‘struggling Ohioans are not very experienced at navigating the real world.’

• Councilwoman Vanice Williams: I represent district four of the most poverty stricken districts in this great city. Come visit us, and come see the real world, and not on MTV. 

• WTOL Anchor: We reached out to Senator Husted’s office for comment but have not heard back yet.

13 ABC Toledo: Local Democrats Blast Sen. Husted as ‘Out of Touch’

• 13 ABC Anchor: Local Democrats are calling out Senator Jon Husted tonight, framing him as being out of touch with working Ohioans. They are zeroing in on comments he made in a March podcast when Husted described a young woman who had said she didn’t know how money works at a grocery store because she’d always used SNAP. Husted said ‘people living in poverty are just not very experienced at navigating the real world.’

• Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz: People are worried about the high cost of everything, high cost of a loaf of bread, gallon of milk, gasoline, everything is going up and people are worried. So when Senator Husted said that the problem wasn’t with affordability, the problem was that ‘too many Ohioans don’t know how to navigate the real world,’ that was offensive. I think that’s offensive to hardworking Ohioans. 

Toledo Blade: Local Democrats lean into claims Husted is out of touch with ‘real world’

• Ohio Democrats on Friday brought their “real world” tour chiding U.S. Sen. Jon Husted for recent podcast remarks to Toledo, where local leaders echoed accusations that the Ohio Republican is out of touch with working people’s struggle to make ends meet.

• “You didn’t have to navigate through poverty, so you don’t know what the real world is,” Vanice Williams, president of Toledo City Council, said during a noontime news conference at the party’s Lucas County headquarters downtown.

• Ms. Williams “challenged” Mr. Husted to go with her on a tour of “the real world,” while Tracci Johnson, executive director of the Monroe Street Neighborhood Center, “challenged” him to address exorbitant health-care costs that force lower-income people “to choose between food and medicine.”

• At issue is a remark Senator Husted made March 10 while appearing on a conservative podcast, during which he alluded to a conversation with a “young lady” who professed not knowing “how money works at a grocery store” because she has always used SNAP cards to obtain food.

• “People living in poverty are just not very, um, experienced at navigating the real world, right?” he said. “You literally have to teach people how to budget … the buzzword today, let’s face it, is ‘affordability.’”

• Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz used that precise word addressing the Democrats’ news conference, saying working-class Ohioans are “worried about the high cost of everything — a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, gasoline.”

• And the Senator’s suggestion that the solution is for people to find higher-paying jobs to climb out of their economic holes only dug his own hole deeper, the mayor said. 

• “Those aren’t the comments of someone who is in touch with what Americans are going through right now,” he said.

• Mr. Husted’s media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.

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

TOLEDO, OHIO — Today, Ohioans in Toledo gathered for the second 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, 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.

“Folks who live in the real world are having a hard time paying for gas, paying for groceries, paying for health care, paying for life. That’s the reality of what’s happening in America. Our constituents live in reality, they are not having a hard time navigating reality, they are living in reality, unlike Senator Husted’s donors who hang out on Epstein Island,” said Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz. “Unlike Senator Husted who is at the center of the largest corruption scandal in the history of the state of Ohio, a $61 million FirstEnergy corruption scandal. That’s his reality.”

“I challenge Senator Husted to come to Toledo, come walk with me and let’s go see the real world. I have never met Senator Husted. I represent District 4, one of the most poverty stricken districts in this great city. Come visit us, and come see the real world,” said Toledo City Council President Vanice Williams. “It bothers me when I heard his statements because I am one that navigated through poverty. I own a childcare center where I have parents every day navigating through poverty. I was a high school principal where I saw families navigating through poverty. The real world didn’t come from Upper Arlington, the real world comes from Toledo, Ohio, who lived in Section 8, she’s standing in front of you, I’m the real world.”

“The Affordable Care Act tax credits have been a lifeline for me. They allowed me to take a job without health insurance, knowing I could afford coverage on the marketplace. Now, because Jon Husted refused to act, my health care costs have doubled. If there is anyone that doesn’t understand the real world, it’s Jon Husted,” said Tracci Johnson, a Toledo native.

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Husted’s price hikes to only get worse, with Amazon announcing 3.5% fuel surcharge fee

COLUMBUS, OHIO — As Jon Husted continues to recklessly back the war in Iran, gas and diesel prices are soaring for Ohio families. Ohioans are already struggling with high food and grocery prices, and the surging energy costs are forcing families to cut back even more.

With the war raging on, Husted’s price hikes will only get worse. Amazon has already announced a 3.5% fuel surcharge due to surging energy costs, while FedEx, JetBlue, United, and UPS have also raised prices. Even the Postal Service has announced its first-ever fuel surcharge of 8%.

Jon Husted has voted three times to support the war, even as the Pentagon reportedly seeks more than $200 billion to continue the conflict. Instead of working to lower costs at home, 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.

See for yourself: 

Cleveland 19 News: Ohio gas prices rising as drivers cut back, get creative to stretch dollars

• With gas prices topping four dollars a gallon around the country, Ohio drivers are already cutting back and getting creative to stretch every dollar at the pump. 

• Kelly Thompkins said the rising costs are forcing difficult decisions.

• “We have to debate are we going to have a steak dinner tonight, or are we going to fill up and go to work?” Thompkins said. “And you have to go to work, you know, but these prices are getting ridiculous, because 10 or 20 dollars won’t even get you half a tank.”

• The average price in Ohio is $3.79 a gallon. Diesel drivers are paying even more, with the nationwide diesel average at $5.45.

• Derek Manley and his wife now share their most fuel-efficient car to keep costs down.

• “If she is off I’ll take her car, we try to keep it down to one car, so we’re working it out but it’s still hard with the prices,” Manley said.

News 5 Cleveland: ‘It’s absurd.’ Uber and Lyft drivers get creative amidst surging gas prices

• If you feel like you’re paying more at the pump lately, you’re not alone. According to AAA, gas prices across Ohio are sitting at nearly $4 per gallon for regular unleaded.

• The prices are putting pressure on drivers across Northeast Ohio—especially those who rely on their cars to make a living.

• To stretch their dollars and save on gas, some drivers told News 5’s Mike Holden they are turning their cars off completely while waiting in the queue for rides.

• “I wanna have my heat on in here, but I can’t! You can’t waste the gas, so I’m layered up,” John, a local ride-share driver, said.

• Regardless, he says the state of the economy and rising prices are not helping matters.

• “It’s pretty much killing us. You fill up two or three times a day and it just keeps adding up,” John said.

NBC 4 Columbus: How Columbus is dealing with high gas prices

• As gas prices near $4 per gallon in central Ohio, everyone is figuring out how to fit the extra cost into their budgets, including the City of Columbus.

• The city said the fuel budget for fiscal year 2026 is $5.5 million, with the majority of the budget — $4 million — allocated to the division of police for fuel.

• “I mean, we’re going to have to do everything we can to try to control and contain costs in other places,” Ginther said. “Work smarter, work harder, be more efficient, because fuel prices don’t look like they’re coming down anytime soon.”

News 5 Cleveland: Ohio farmers face steeper prices as diesel and fertilizers soar as a result of the military conflict in Iran

• Farmers around Ohio are half a world away from the military conflict in Iran, but what’s playing out there is having a direct impact on their ability to grow crops here, as they feel the same pain at the pump, if not worse than what drivers are seeing.

• During the spring planting season, Sayre said he’ll burn through about 10,000 gallons. “That 10,000 gallons is an extra $20,000 for us to plant our crops this spring, and we’re a small farm.”

• Diesel is just part of the impact. The other is fertilizer; a lot of the world’s key fertilizer ingredients that end up in Ohio fields originate in the Persian Gulf and flow through the Strait of Hormuz.

• “Fertilizer follows fuel, and it also follows world politics, so when we upset other nations, they get upset, the prices go up,” Sayre said, with some nitrogen products up 40-70%. “So to plant our corn, it’s twice as expensive now to plant corn.”

• Portage County Dairy Farmer Jared Phillip feels it as well, “Between fertilizer and fuel, it’s going to put people in the negative real quick.”

• “We still have the same input costs, and we still have the same feed costs to feed those cattle. Whether the price goes up or down, it is going to be a huge impact with the price of fuel and fertilizer this year.”

• It comes at a time when farmers are struggling to at most to break even on the crops they plant.

• “Nationally, we have 15,000 fewer farms than we did in 2024. When it comes to farm bankruptcies, they increased 46 percent in 2025,” Bales said. “This is just going to be another added difficulty.”

Fox 8 Cleveland: Could gas price increase impact summer travel? AAA weighs in

• Gas prices are soaring. If the price hike persists, it could mean more expensive airline tickets or higher costs for a planned road trip.

• The price at the pump has jumped roughly $1 in the last month, now sitting at or above $4 per gallon on average nationwide — a byproduct of the war in Iran.

• The price of jet fuel is also skyrocketing. Jet fuel has nearly doubled, from $2.50 per gallon to $4.62, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index.

• That could mean more expensive airfare and potentially fewer flights. Airlines like United have already publicly discussed cutting flights during nonpeak times.

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COLUMBUS, OHIO — It has officially been one year since the introduction of reckless tariffs crushing Ohio farmers, small businesses, and families. Instead of standing up for Ohioans, Jon Husted has voted three separate times to block efforts to rein in the tariffs that are driving up costs and closing off markets.

Over the last year, the Husted-backed tariffs have wreaked havoc on Ohio farmers, shutting down key markets and sending input costs soaring. In 2025 alone, Ohio farmers saw a massive 74% loss in sales to China, while farm bankruptcies rose 46% nationwide. But despite the damage, Jon Husted continues to double down, arguing that critics “are wrong” about the tariffs, they “haven’t affected the economy negatively,” and “the policies are working.”

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

“One year later, Jon Husted is still backing the reckless tariffs that are driving up costs and crushing Ohio farmers and small businesses. Now, working families and Ohio farmers are grappling with soaring gas and diesel prices, and they know they won’t get any support from Jon Husted, who thinks they don’t know how to navigate the ‘real world.’ Ohioans deserve better.” 

Jon Husted’s tariffs are driving up costs for Ohio families, farmers, and small businesses:

• Jon Husted voted three separate times this year to block efforts reining in the reckless tariffs driving up costs and closing off markets.

• Husted dismissed the pain that Ohioans are feeling due to the tariffs, saying “you don’t hear from the ones that love it.”

• Husted has backed the war in Iran, helping drive gas prices to nearly $4 a gallon and diesel prices even higher, adding more strain on Ohio farmers and families.

• Husted has doubled down on his support for the reckless tariffs that are raising costs, saying that critics “are wrong,” they “haven’t affected the economy negatively,” and “the policies are working.”

• When asked if tariffs will be beneficial for Ohioans, Husted said he was “optimistic [they] will be.”

• The Husted-backed tariffs are crushing Ohio family farms, threatening many with “risk of foreclosure and forced auction.”

• Because of the Husted-backed tariffs sending costs soaring, some small businesses in Northeast Ohio may need to close. 

• Ohio farmer Chris Gibbs said that farmers are taking major losses because of the Husted-backed tariffs — and it is putting them in a “hell of a mess.”

• The Husted-backed tariffs are costing a Grove City manufacturer millions of dollars in business, potentially threatening hundreds of jobs. When the company reached out to Jon Husted, his only response was that he “passed along” the concern to the administration.

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