Happy New Year!  Election 2020 is on.  The most important question in 2020 is whether donald trump gets another four years to inflict harm on our people, our democracy, and our planet.  You hear it every four years: no Republican wins the White House unless he wins Ohio.  We cannot let trump win Ohio in 2020.

Winning Ohio’s electoral votes for our Democratic candidate is not just a job for Democrats in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Youngstown, Toledo, and Akron.  Hillary Clinton did not lose the urban counties in Ohio in 2016.  Mrs. Clinton lost Ohio in 2016 because she lost Ohio’s rural and suburban counties.  Whether trump “wins” Clermont County is not as important as getting more votes for our candidate in Clermont County to add to their votes in the cities.

There are two other very important statewide races in Ohio in 2020.  Ohio will be electing two people to serve six-year terms on the Ohio Supreme Court.  While the U.S. Supreme Court has the last word on the meaning of the U.S. Constitution and federal law, the Ohio Supreme Court has the last word on all issues of Ohio law from our state constitution to your township zoning ordinance.  These are the laws which impact us most directly.

For years, all seven justices on the Ohio Supreme Court were Republicans and the Court put the interests of big business ahead of the interests of Ohioans who had been injured or defrauded.  The Court rubber stamped many of the Republican General Assembly’s violations of our state constitution.  The Court gave up trying to enforce its own ruling that Ohio’s system for funding our public schools violates the Ohio Constitution.

In 2018, we elected Democrats Melody Stewart and Michael Donnelly to the Ohio Supreme Court.  Justice Donnelly even won Clermont County.  However, the Republicans still have a 5-2 majority.  This year in 2020, Democrats Judge Jennifer Brunner and Judge John O’Donnell are running for the Ohio Supreme Court.  We need to elect these two highly qualified judges to the Supreme Court to restore balance and fairness to Ohio law and our state’s judicial system.  Most importantly it will be the seven justices on the Ohio Supreme Court after the 2020 election who will rule on the legality of the new Congressional, Ohio Senate, and Ohio House districts which must be drawn after the 2020 census.  We can only end gerrymandering in Ohio if we have a Democratic majority on the Ohio Supreme Court.

Judicial races are different from other races.  Candidates’ names do not appear on the November ballot followed by a D or an R so it is imperative that we get our Democrat candidates’ names publicized and get our voters out to vote.

Judicial candidates are not allowed, themselves, to solicit campaign contributions.  This means that it is critical that our Democratic voters know the names of our Supreme Court candidates and that takes a lot of money and a lot of volunteers to run a statewide campaign.  You can donate to Judge Brunner and volunteer to help her online at www.judgebrunner.com.  You can donate to Judge O’Donnell online at www.odonnellforjustice.com.  There will be a fundraiser for Judge Brunner tonight, January 14, from 6: 30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Loveland Historical Society, 201 N. Riverside Drive, Loveland 45140.

It is also important to remember that 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by November 3, 2020 are allowed to vote in the March 17 primary election.  However, they need to register to vote by February 18, 2020.  National polling shows that trump is not popular among young voters.  We need these young people to vote.  Please spread the word and please make sure that everyone you know who will be 18 by November 3 registers and then votes in the March 17 primary.

You can register to vote online at I Will Vote