The Ohio Scoop

Raymond,

The Ohio Scoop is back and better than ever after a brief hiatus. This is your weekly campaign fix, filled with the most up-to-date information about Ohio Democrats and everything happening on the campaign trail here in Ohio. We’re here so you can get your political scoop, all in one place.

If you’re new to the list, welcome. You were added because you are one of Ohio Democrats’ best supporters. For those of you who are returning, welcome back.

We need to fill you in on everything that has happened since November, so let’s jump right in.

New Year, New Us!
While the Ohio Scoop took a much needed rest post-November, Ohio Democrats have not slowed down. Our staff has been hard at work protecting Ohioans’ rights against the attacks of certain Republicans (looking at you Frank LaRose). In case you missed it, here are a few things the Republicans in Ohio have been up to since November 8th.

• After Democrats swept the Ohio State Board of Education, lawmakers introduced SB 178, which would strip the Board of their decision-making powers and put it into the hands of the Governor’s office. Once again, Republicans are trying to rig the rules in their favor. Fortunately, the bill did not make it to the Governor in 2022, and it has yet to be reintroduced in the 135th General Assembly.
• As if gerrymandering Ohio past the point of recognizability wasn’t enough, Republicans introduced one of the worst anti-voter bills in the country. The bill would limit voter registration, early voting measures, and what can be used for identification at the polls. The GOP pushed the bill through the legislature late in the night during lame duck. It now awaits the Governor’s signature or veto. He has until January 10th to sign the bill, and we’ve been calling on DeWine to veto this bill since it passed the legislature
• Frank LaRose and his cronies in the statehouse attempted to make it harder for Ohioans to pass citizen-led ballot initiatives. Ohio Democrats mobilized immediately and organized a large phone bank apparatus to call the offices of the culprits. Thousands of calls were made and the voicemail boxes of numerous Republican state legislators were full within a matter of hours. Thankfully, because of the efforts of all of you, the measure didn’t come up for a vote.

Although the 135th General Assembly just started (more on that later), we are anticipating the Republicans to come back strong and we have to be ready to fight back. Donate to our fight here.

Speaker of the House Vote…Yes. Both of Them
On Tuesday, January 3rd, Rep Jason Stephens was elected Ohio House speaker for the 135th General Assembly. This came as a shock to Republicans, specifically Representative Derek Merrin, who thought his victory was secure following the November 16th internal vote in the Republican caucus. The look on Rep. Merrin’s face says it all.
Meanwhile, in DC, the United States House Speaker Vote is even wilder. Do we really need to say more? As we’re getting ready to hit send, Representative Kevin McCarthy lost his 13th vote to be Speaker of the House. I’m sure you’re all tuning in to watch this historical event unfold. While the Republicans fail to unify, House Democrats have remained a strong unit supporting Representative Hakeem Jeffries (NY).

Let’s just hope we dodged the bullet of Jim Jordan becoming 3rd in line to the presidency.

The Boys are Back in Town at Brent Spence Bridge

President Joe Biden visited the Brent Spence Bridge this week after he, Sherrod Brown, and Ohio Democrats secured $1.6 billion in federal funding for the bridge project.

And thanks to Sherrod Brown’s work, the Brent Spence Bridge will be rebuilt with American workers and American-made materials. Once again, Democrats are delivering for working Ohioans.

Senator Brown joined Morning Joe earlier this week to discuss the Bridge Investment Act and how important it is to work across the aisle to pass legislation for the good of the country.

New Year, Same Republican Corruption

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and three former lawmakers said they are being subpoenaed to testify in the federal House Bill 6 corruption case against former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges.

Householder and Borges took over $61 million in bribes through dark money groups and then used $1.3 billion from Ohio taxpayers to bail out nuclear power plants in Indiana.

The corruption among Mike DeWine and his Republican cronies continues into a new year. Is anyone surprised?
The Ohio Democratic Party recently named Mikayla Lee as the party’s new Executive Director. Mikayla comes on board after serving as the Ohio coordinated campaign’s Operations Director last year. This week, we asked Mikayla her favorite Ohio ice cream and here is what she said…

“I would choose a trio of Gooey Butter Cake, Brown Butter Almond Brittle and Salty Caramel in a waffle bowl from Jeni’s – no matter the weather.”

Welcome [back], to the team Mikayla!

ICYMI

‘We can get things done’: Biden praises bipartisanship and Brent Spence Bridge project

Kaptur, longtime Ohio Democrat: Congress overlooks heartland | AP News

Akron native Emilia Sykes casts first votes as 13th Congressional District representative

Sen. Nickie Antonio makes history as Ohio Senate’s first openly LGBTQ minority leader | The Statehouse News Bureau
It’s a new year and Ohio Democrats are gearing up to re-elect Senator Sherrod Brown in 2024. Please consider contributing as much as you can to help Ohio Democrats turn out as many of our voters as we can.

If you’re unsure about how much more you can contribute, simply reply to this email. We’d be happy to help.

As always, thank you for standing with us. I am immensely grateful for your partnership.

Onward,

Emily Feltz
Finance Director, Ohio Democrats