LaRose’s Hollow Claims about Fighting for Election Integrity and Telling the Truth to Both Sides Ring Hollow as He Once Again Tries to Placate Trump Republicans

Columbus, OH — In case you missed it (for over a year now), Joe Biden is in fact the president and the election was not “rigged.” Just don’t ask Frank LaRose to answer any of those questions and expect to get a straight response. At the Hamilton County Board of Elections yesterday, LaRose once again showed he’s a coward by attempting to duck questions on the 2020 election in Ohio. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that LaRose couldn’t even give a straight answer on who won the 2020 election and spent most of the time praising Trump, scared of alienating his Republican base that’s already skeptical of him.

“But when asked by The Enquirer whether he believed Trump won or lost the 2020 election nationally, LaRose didn’t give a simple answer,” writes the Enquirer.

“Frank LaRose talked a big game about calling out election lies when they happen, but his political calculus has clearly changed as he’s sounding more like Josh Mandel every day.  By refusing to tell voters the truth clearly and directly and by failing once again to stand up to his own party, Larose made it clear his own political ambitions will always come first,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.

You can read more from the Enquirer here and below:

  • As the sound of papers being shuffled filled the large room, LaRose stood before a placard stating “Security, transparency, integrity” and told the press Ohio’s elections are safe and secure.
  • But when asked by The Enquirer whether he believed Trump won or lost the 2020 election nationally, LaRose didn’t give a simple answer.
  • “I can speak for Ohio,” LaRose said Tuesday. “I can tell you President Trump won a decisive victory in Ohio, in fact, a record-setting victory. Nobody has ever gotten 3 million votes in our state history.”
  • LaRose, a Republican first elected to secretary of state in 2018, didn’t directly criticize Trump.
  • LaRose faces a primary challenge in 2022 from former state legislator John Adams, a Trump loyalist who has touted debunked claims that cast doubt on President Joe Biden’s win.
  • LaRose voiced concerns about “last-minute changes” being made by courts to the election process in some states, though he didn’t cite specific examples. He did dismiss false conspiracy theories about bamboo ballots from China and “secret algorithms.”
  • After a two-minute explanation, LaRose recognized President Joe Biden’s victory. “Under the rules in place, President Biden won,” LaRose said.
  • Does Trump bear responsibility for undermining people’s faith in elections?
  • LaRose didn’t call Trump out by name. Instead, he called out Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams for not conceding the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election. Abrams was the only politician he criticized by name.