Category: News

APRIL FOOLS!

COLUMBUS, OHIO — In a stunning update, Jon Husted has announced that he will finally stand with survivors and cut ties with pedophiles, predators, and some of the most disturbing figures in Ohio politics.

Of course, it is April Fools Day, so this is a joke.

In reality, Jon Husted is embracing all of these creeps more than ever, including proudly touting the endorsement of Ohio State Representative Rodney Creech, who has been accused of sexual misconduct involving a minor relative. And Husted has also taken more than $116,000 from Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Les Wexner before voting against releasing the Epstein files. 

Husted is the only Senator up for re-election to take Wexner’s money, and has taken 10 times as much money from the Epstein co-conspirator as any other sitting Senator. Wexner’s name appears in the released Epstein files more than 4,000 times.

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

“Unfortunately, it’s not a joke that Jon Husted keeps surrounding himself with some of the creepiest and most disturbing figures in Ohio politics, including a Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator and a lawmaker accused of sexual misconduct involving a minor relative. Ohioans deserve answers about why Husted took over $116,000 from an Epstein co-conspirator, voted against releasing the Epstein files, and continues to embrace these deeply disturbing individuals.”

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The post NEW: Jon Husted Announces He Will Cut Ties With Pedophiles and Predators appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

Columbus, Ohio- The Tribune Chronicle editorial board called out Vivek Ramaswamy for his unpopular plan to consolidate Ohio’s colleges and universities and his claims that Ohioans are falling behind after more than a decade of Republican control in the statehouse. 

“Vivek Ramaswamy says Ohioans are falling behind, but completely ignores that his political allies, including his running mate, have had total control of Ohio’s government for well over a decade — using their power to put corporations and the ultrarich first and leaving Ohio families with a massive affordability crisis. Now even Governor DeWine says Ramaswamy’s plan to consolidate Ohio’s iconic colleges and universities is a bad idea,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ohioans are ready for change, not a billionaire who calls us lazy, says Medicaid and Medicare were a mistake, and cooks up toxic new policy proposals from his private jet.”

READ MORE: Is Ramaswamy digging himself a hole in Ohio? 

• Vivek Ramaswamy wants to be Ohio’s governor, but he’s finding that Ohio’s reliably red reputation isn’t giving the Republican much of a bump just yet. In fact, Youngstown native Amy Acton — who once led the Ohio Department of Health under current Gov. Mike DeWine — had a slight edge over Ramaswamy in a recent poll.

• Ramaswamy has jumped on the affordability bandwagon with a commercial featuring his wife Apoorva, who talks of her husband’s plans to ensure that every Ohioan has a fair shot at a better life. But the ad appeared around the same time that Vivek Ramaswamy made comments about how Ohio has too many colleges and universities and could benefit from consolidation.

• Acton and fellow Democrats saw an opportunity after Ramaswamy’s comments and a follow-up op-ed didn’t exactly roll back what he’d said about the state’s colleges and universities.

• On Monday, DeWine made clear where he stands. “I’m not in favor of consolidating our colleges or doing away with any of our 14 public universities,” DeWine said. “It’s important to have them all over the state so frankly, people who can’t afford to live at the college and pay room and board, they can commute. We still have commuters.”

• Even if we give Ramaswamy the benefit of the doubt and presume he was not talking about shutting down some colleges and instead just consolidating leadership positions in an effort to save money, the damage was likely done. Think about how many of us here in the Mahoning Valley either benefited from studies at Youngstown State University or have family and friends who did. Now — if you can imagine it — think of this region without YSU.

• Now think about every part of Ohio and the colleges and universities that enrich thousands of lives across the state and you understand why Ramaswamy has some damage control to do.

• In the commercial, Apoorva Ramaswamy spoke of her husband’s commitment to helping Ohio families, who she said “are working hard, but falling behind.” When you consider how long Ohio has been under virtually exclusive GOP control in Columbus, you wonder if that message is another that won’t land well across the state.

• It seems as though just over a year into his campaign, Vivek Ramaswamy is dealing with two factors he hadn’t planned for — Trump fatigue and some self-inflicted wounds. It’s still early, but Ohio’s presumptive GOP gubernatorial candidate needs to regain his footing.

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The post Tribune Chronicle Editorial Board: Vivek Ramaswamy Digging Himself a Hole in Ohio  appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

Husted testified for the defense in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history, was mentioned 386 times during the trial

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

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Today, Jon Husted’s close allies responsible for the FirstEnergy bribery scheme, former executives Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling, escaped accountability with a hung jury — all thanks to Husted’s help.

Husted took the stand as a witness for the defense and spent his testimony 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 far from over as prosecutors are expected to retry the defendants.

Throughout the 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 took the stand in the largest corruption trial in Ohio history for one reason: to defend his corrupt FirstEnergy allies and help them evade justice. Jon Husted sold Ohioans out to protect the masterminds of the bribery scheme. Because of Husted’s corruption, families across Ohio are paying hundreds of dollars more on their utility 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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The post BREAKING: Jon Husted Helps Corrupt FirstEnergy Executives Evade Justice As Additional Trials Loom appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

Columbus, Ohio- Once again, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine has rejected a Vivek Ramaswamy campaign proposal. This time, DeWine slammed Ramaswamy’s plan to close Ohio colleges and universities.

READ: Gov. DeWine rejects consolidating Ohio universities, as concerns that could happen circulate

• A video posted on social media by the leading Republican candidate for governor on his ideas to deal with college costs has raised fears that he’d want to shut down some Ohio universities that are struggling with financial issues and lower enrollment. But the Republican who Vivek Ramaswamy is hoping to succeed said that’s a scenario he doesn’t want to see.

• Ramaswamy wrote an op-ed that was published to his website and in Ohio’s Gannett newspapers on Friday, in which he restated the position from the video shared on Threads. In that video from March 13, he said Ohio has too many universities and “they need to be consolidated.” That idea has brought a blast of criticism from his likely Democratic opponent Dr. Amy Acton, as well as officials in communities where those universities are located.

• “I’m not in favor of consolidating our colleges or doing away with any of our 14 public universities,” DeWine said to reporters Monday. “It’s important to have them all over the state so frankly, people who can’t afford to live at the college and pay room and board, they can commute. We still have commuters.”

• DeWine said he’d like to see stronger ties between institutions so students can easily move from community colleges to four-year universities. Ramaswamy wrote in his op-ed he’d want universities with lower enrollment to become so-called “specialized centers of excellence” to cut down on, in his words, bloated bureaucracies and administrative duplication.

• Ramaswamy specifically mentions issues at Cleveland State, the University of Akron, Kent State and Central State, which has raised concerns among some that they could be targeted for closure.

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The post Mike DeWine to Vivek Ramaswamy: Shut Up appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

Columbus, Ohio- The Toledo Blade editorial board called out Vivek Ramaswamy for claiming Ohioans are falling behind in a new ad even as his own party has held total control in Columbus for well over a decade. 

“Vivek Ramaswamy is trying to rewrite the history of how he and his allies stuck Ohio families with a massive affordability crisis – just like he’s trying to rewrite his well-documented calls to defund public schools and public safety and shutter Ohio colleges,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ohioans are ready for change, not a billionaire who calls our workers lazy, said Medicaid and Medicare were a mistake, and moved his business to Texas.”

READ MORE: Editorial: Who should we blame? 

• Apoorva Ramaswamy has shocking news in the opening commercial for her husband Vivek’s campaign for governor: “Ohio families are working hard but falling behind.”

• The ad, though, sends a weird message. Republicans have been in 100 percent control of state government since 2011. If Ohioans are falling behind, how is that not laid at the GOP doorstep?

• Given Republican dominance of state politics since 1991 we’d like to hear much more from Mr. Ramaswamy on who to blame for Ohioans “falling behind” as well as his wife’s concerns about safety and great schools. One would think that after 15 years of leadership, the party in power wouldn’t be saying people are “falling behind.”

• Mr. Ramaswamy has backpedaled away from his claim that Ohio has too many universities and that they should be consolidated to help pay for the tax cuts he says will spark economic revival.

• Whether the state universities are consolidated or just remain under-funded, they are highly likely to continue charging higher tuition than the national average, thus adding to the perception the Ramaswamy campaign commercial identifies as “falling behind.”

• It would behoove Mr. Ramaswamy to explain why we’re still falling behind after all that tax-cutting. He should also explain how eliminating $9.8 billion in income tax revenue will keep us from falling further behind.

• Mr. Ramaswamy began his campaign for governor promising to eliminate property taxes. Pressed to explain where he would cut $30 billion from the state budget, Mr. Ramaswamy changed course on his property tax promises.

• Mr. Ramaswamy’s gauzy TV ad is sure to trigger some doubt among Ohio voters who are well aware of who has had veto-proof control of the government during the period in which they are “falling behind.”

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The post Toledo Blade Editorial Board: Vivek Ramaswamy Needs to Explain Why Ohioans Are Falling Behind After Years of Total Republican Control appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

Husted remained at the center of the criminal trial in the largest bribery scandal in Ohio history

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

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Today, Ohioans gathered outside the Athletic Club of Columbus for the first stop of Husted’s Real World Tour, calling out Jon Husted for his key role in the FirstEnergy bribery scheme that delivered a billion dollar bailout to utilities and contributed to electricity costs for Ohioans increasing by $663 a year.

The tour comes after Husted claimed that struggling Ohioans are “not very experienced at navigating the real world.” At a time when Ohio families are struggling with skyrocketing health care, gas, grocery, and utility bills, Husted keeps voting to make everything more expensive. 

A dinner between Jon Husted and the indicted FirstEnergy executives at the Athletic Club was a focal point of the FirstEnergy criminal corruption trial. And when Husted was forced to take the stand in the trial, he deemed the elite social club, which reportedly has a $7,500 initiation fee, “kind of a normal restaurant” — another reminder of how out of touch he is with the real world Ohioans live in.

“Jon Husted has been a long time friend of FirstEnergy and it has cost Ohioans millions. A recent analysis suggests that Ohioans’ electric bills have risen $663 a year since Jon Husted became the Lt. Governor and HB 6 became law,” said Senator Kent Smith, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy Committee. “That should surprise no one because Jon Husted has been working for the utility interests and not protecting the pocketbooks of everyday Ohioans. Ohioans are working harder than ever to make ends meet and they’re being screwed by politicians like Jon Husted who put billionaires and corporations before us.”

“If there’s anyone who is out of touch with the real world, it’s Jon Husted. As a retired nonprofit social services professional for over 40 years here in Ohio, I have witnessed first hand how working Ohioans are finding it harder than ever to make ends meet, especially in recent years. There is nothing more ‘real’ than working hard every day and still having to choose between food and rent,” said Sue Hanson, a retired Ohioan. “And because of Jon Husted’s corruption, our utility bills have skyrocketed. It’s time to hold Husted accountable this November.”

Jon Husted has a long trend of blaming hardworking Ohioans struggling to make ends meet:

• Husted has dismissed concerns from struggling Ohioans, claiming that he has helped lower grocery and gas prices and that affordability problems do not exist.

• Husted revealed he has no solutions to actually lower prices, suggesting that Ohioans should just “earn more” money to make ends meet.

• Husted insulted Ohioans working harder than ever, complaining that their “work ethic is broken.”

• Husted defended his friends and donors, complaining about people saying “rich people [are] selfish” while attempting to justify his record of delivering tax breaks to the rich.

• Husted claimed the affordability crisis only exists in “blue states,” dismissing the pain Ohio families are feeling every day.

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The post Ohioans Kick Off Husted’s Real World Tour by Calling Out His Key Role in FirstEnergy Corruption Scandal appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

Columbus, Ohio- Vivek Ramaswamy is doubling down on his extreme, costly proposal to shut down Ohio colleges and universities in order to fund his tax on working families. Ramaswamy’s insistence on his proposal to shut down colleges and universities comes just after his campaign desperately attempted to rewrite history by telling Ohioans not to believe what they saw on his own campaign social media. 

But Ramaswamy made himself clear. He wants to shut down colleges and universities in Ohio, which would rip educational opportunities away from students, endanger access to health care, and threaten small businesses and entire economies in small towns across Ohio. It’s more of the same from the out of touch billionaire who has called Medicaid and Medicare “mistakes,” moved his business to Texas, and called Ohio workers “lazy.”   

“Ramaswamy’s attempt to lie to Ohioans about a campaign proposal posted on his own social media failed, so instead he’s doubling down on raising costs and taking away opportunities from students across our state,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ohioans want a governor who will lower costs and fight for working families, not a Harvard and Yale graduate who probably wrote this defense of his toxic plan to close Ohio colleges and universities from a cushy seat in the cabin of his private jet.” 

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The post Vivek Ramaswamy Doubles Down on Extreme Proposal to Shut Down Ohio Colleges, Raise Costs for Working Families appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

NBC 4 Columbus: “Price for a gallon of gasoline is approaching $4 per gallon”

COLUMBUS, OHIO — This week, Jon Husted voted for the third time to support the Administration’s war in Iran, once again endorsing an expensive foreign intervention in the Middle East that has claimed 13 American lives, including three Ohioans, and has no end in sight. 

As the Pentagon reportedly seeks more than $200 billion to continue the conflict, Ohioans are getting crushed by soaring gas prices, with the average price of gasoline in Ohio quickly approaching $4 a gallon. Ohio workers and small businesses are already being hit hard by the higher fuel costs, with “no end in sight.” 

But instead of working to lower costs at home, 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.

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

“Jon Husted has now voted three times to support another endless war in the Middle East while hardworking families are getting crushed by soaring gas prices. Instead of fighting to lower costs at home, Jon Husted only cares about backing more foreign conflicts and lecturing Ohio families to work harder.”

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The post VOTE ALERT: As Gas Prices Near $4 a Gallon, Jon Husted Doubles Down on Another Endless Conflict in the Middle East appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

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

COLUMBUS, OHIO — After Jon Husted claimed that struggling Ohioans are “not very experienced at navigating the real world,” the Ohio Democratic Party is launching Husted’s Real World Tour across the state.

The tour will highlight the “real world” difficulties that hardworking Ohioans are facing because Jon Husted continues to put billionaires and corporations before lowering costs. At a time when Ohio families are struggling with skyrocketing health care, gas, grocery, and utility bills, Husted keeps voting to make everything more expensive. 

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

“If there’s anyone who is out of touch with the real world, it’s Jon Husted. Ohioans are working harder than ever to make ends meet, but they’re being screwed by politicians like Husted who put billionaires and corporations before lowering costs. Through Husted’s Real World Tour, Ohioans across the state will make clear just how clueless and out of touch he really is.”

Jon Husted has a long trend of blaming hardworking Ohioans struggling to make ends meet: 

• Husted has dismissed concerns from struggling Ohioans, claiming that he has helped lower grocery and gas prices and that affordability problems do not exist.

• Husted revealed he has no solutions to actually lower prices, suggesting that Ohioans should just “earn more” money to make ends meet.

• Husted insulted Ohioans working harder than ever, complaining that their “work ethic is broken.”

• Husted defended his friends and donors, complaining about people saying “rich people [are] selfish” while attempting to justify his record of delivering tax breaks to the rich.

• Husted claimed the affordability crisis only exists in “blue states,” dismissing the pain Ohio families are feeling every day.

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The post Ohio Democratic Party Launches ‘Husted’s Real World Tour’ Across Ohio appeared first on Ohio Democrats.

Columbus, Ohio-  While working families across Ohio are struggling to make ends meet, new reporting revealed billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy spent nearly $12,000 in campaign funds to stay at a luxury resort in Puerto Rico to speak at a conference on outsourcing jobs. When his speech was canceled, Ramaswamy stuck around anyway to play pickleball with the Paul brothers.

“Vivek Ramaswamy’s donor-funded luxury vacation to Puerto Rico while working families are struggling is unsurprising from a billionaire who calls Ohioans lazy, moved his business to Texas, and thinks the “perceived” rising cost of living is only in our imagination,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Ramaswamy is clearly more interested in fun in the sun with the Paul brothers than bringing costs down for working families.”

READ: Vivek Ramaswamy Used Campaign Funds to Finance Luxury Puerto Rico Trip

• Campaign finance records show that in November 2025, Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign spent $11,898.25 on travel at the Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Dorado, Puerto Rico. This was pulled from Ramaswamy’s filings:

• The resort is described as one of Puerto Rico’s most exclusive luxury destinations, offering high-end accommodations, private dining experiences, and extensive amenities including a golf course and sports facilities. A one-bedroom suite at the resort can cost as much as $5,820 per night.

• In December 2025, Ramaswamy was scheduled to serve as the keynote speaker at the ITServe Alliance’s Synergy annual conference in Puerto Rico. ITServe Alliance is an organization that has advocated for changes to H1B visa policies, including increasing the annual cap on visas and reducing certain restrictions. The group has lobbied Congress on immigration-related issues and has been involved in legal challenges concerning visa requirements.

• According to reports, Ramaswamy withdrew from the conference shortly before it took place following criticism related to the organization’s positions on immigration and H1B visas. The backlash emerged online after his planned appearance became public.

• During the same period, Ramaswamy shared a social media post showing himself playing pickleball at the Dorado Beach resort with Logan Paul and Jake Paul. The resort includes a sports hub with pickleball courts available to guests.

• The sequence of campaign spending, the planned conference appearance, the subsequent withdrawal, and the recreational activities during the trip have drawn attention to the use of campaign funds and the context surrounding the visit to Puerto Rico.

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The post ICYMI: Vivek Ramaswamy Used Nearly $12k in Campaign Funds to Play Pickleball with the Paul Brothers at Luxury Resort appeared first on Ohio Democrats.