The Ohio Senate Race

By Rich Kozlovich

Most of my readers know I was an exterminator for 40 years and owned my own company for 30, and I was heavily involved in my industry's affairs serving on the boards of four industry trade associations, and the governmental affairs committee for many years.  That kind of activity over a long period of time created friendships that are long lasting as pro bono trade association work brings out the character in people.  

One of those friends was a man named Mike who bought a small company with three people around 30 years ago and turned it into a successful pest control company with 25 people.  He just sold it and I asked him if he was considering running for politics.  His answer was an emphatic NO!  

Mike is involved politically, and being that involved with politicians you will meet some extraordinary people, but mostly not.  I find the more involved with politicians one becomes, the less one desires to be one.  

At any rate, the Ohio Senate race is heating up, and I asked Mike last year who he liked.  He unhesitatingly said:  Bernie Moreno.  But then said he doesn't think he has a chance, and at that time, I had to agree.  Boy-o-Boy, Yogi Berra was right.  "It ain't over till it's over"!  Whoever the Republicans pick, they're going to be running against Sherrod Brown, so let's explore this.

Discover the Networks, for those who aren't aware of it, is an amazing source and here's what they have to say about Sherrod Brown:

1. Supports the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Hamas-affiliated enemy of Israel.  Brown has been an opponent of Israel’s embargo of Gaza, which the Jewish state put into effect in 2007 to prevent the Gaza-based terror group Hamas from from acquiring weapons of war from Iran and other allies abroad. In June 2011 he wrote that CAIR had made many valuable contributions to society, and that he himself wished to help Americans “build understanding about Islam.
2. Praised the corrupt, pro-socialist community organization ACORN, the pro-socialist raised notoriously corrupt community organization ACORN as a “terrific” and “articulate” group.
3. Praised the anti-capitalist Occupy Wall Street movement.
4. Supported Obamacare.  
5. As a member of the House of Representatives he immediately became part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which is in practical terms a front for the far left and the Communist Party. 
6. Brown’s Ohio Secretary of State office awarded a certificate of recognition to Rick Nagin, chairman of the state’s Communist Party USA chapter, for having registered more than 2,000 voters during his failed campaign for Cleveland City Council. In 2003, Brown served on the advisory committee of the Progressive Majority.
7. When Brown ran for the Senate in 2006, his campaign was supported by the Ohio Democratic Socialists of America, the Peace Action PAC, and the Progressive Democrats of America. Other groups that have backed Brown over the years include the 21st Century Democrats, the Council for a Livable World, the J Street PAC, and the League of Conservation Voters. 

Is there any leftist insanity of which he doesn't approve?  Well, none that I can see.  How anti-capitalist and deluded is Brown? He claims grocery price inflation isn't due to the stupid tax and spend policies of the Biden administration and Congress.  Noooo, it's the fault of capitalists due to bonuses and buybacks.  Is there anything about Brown that's appealing?  

Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose are running against Moreno for the Republican nomination, and I don't know who, or if, anyone has endorsed LaRose, but Matt Dolan was endorsed by East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway.  That was just in November.  

Dolan doesn't seem to be concerned about endorsements, and since he's not getting many anyway, or any that count, that view is meaningless.  He feels since he has the most cash (that's debatable) he doesn't need a lift by anyone.  He also claims both Moreno and LaRose are running hoping for a Trump endorsement.  And that's bad why?  And why exactly is that an argument for him? It also seems a bit arrogant since he lost against JD Vance who did have Trump's endorsement.  

He also claims he can outperform Trump in Cuyahoga County, so that makes him viable.  Cuyahoga county?  Really?  That Cleveland county is so deep it the Democrat party pool they're drowning.  And he thinks that's an argument "for" him versus an argument "against" him?  And since he says he's a "doer" he can beat Sherrod Brown.  Remarkable!   Well, maybe he could beat Sherrod Brown, maybe not, but can he beat Bernie Moreno? 

I'm not really seeing much about LaRose, and what little I know about him isn't a ringing endorsement for him.  Both Dolan and LaRose are "full blown amnesty supporters", which should disqualify both of them as candidates for any political office by every conservative value or standard.  The fact is Frank LaRose is now and has been a full blown Never Trumper, even calling Trump a racist.  And now, according to Dolan, he wants Trump's endorsement?   Imagine that.

“Frank LaRose isn’t just a casual anti-Trumper, he’s well known in Ohio political circles for having a burning hatred of Trump — which is why he refused to endorse him in either 2016 or 2020 and repeatedly criticized him during his time in office,” an Ohio Republican operative told Breitbart News. “Now that he’s running for Senate he’s pretending to be a pro-Trump conservative, but the real Frank LaRose is an anti-Trump, John Kasich-style RINO.”

Wow!  Being linked and compared to Kasich!  Now that's a stinging indictment if there ever was one. That should disqualify him as a candidate for any elected office by every conservative voter in Ohio.  I'm predicting LaRose will drop out soon and endorse Dolan, or who knows, given his strange views, he may even endorse Brown.  That brings me to Moreno.  

In October an Emerson College poll had Dolan ahead of Brown by two points, LaRose was one point ahead, and Moreno trailed Brown by two points.   That same Emerson poll in November declared Brown was now ahead of all his opponents.   I've not believed in polls for thirty years, even when they agree with me.  But let's say all that's true, lets take a look at two of Yogi Berra's Yogi-isms. 

• "It ain't over till it's over". 
• "When you come to a fork in road take it."

What's all that mean?  He's saying you don't give up just because the going is getting a little tough, and when it comes time to make a decision, make it, and then live with it.  Well Bernie Moreno didn't quit, and he made his decision. He's running a $2 million ad campaign.

What's he stand for? 

1. Put America first.
2. Finish the wall and secure our southern border.
3. Wipe the Mexican drug cartels off the face the earth.
4. He's clearly outraged about about all these phony indictments against Trump saying:
5. Any GOP candidate for office who is too weak to fight back against Dems weaponizing the Justice System against President Trump doesn't deserve your vote. Here are 5 simple policy responses that all Republicans should get behind: 
• 1. Begin impeachment proceedings immediately against President Joe Biden. 
• 2. Begin impeachment proceedings immediately against Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Chris Wray. 
• 3. Use the power of the purse to defund the witch hunts against former President Trump. 
• 4 Commit to placing a hold on all of Biden's Judicial nominees to stop him from stacking the courts with more radicals. 
• 5. Publicly support Sen.'s plan to block all of Biden's DOJ nominees.

Tell me, what's there to dislike?  Apparently a lot of his views are liked by Donald Trump. In December former President Donald Trump endorsed Bernie Moreno for the Senate Race, saying:'

“Bernie Moreno, a highly respected businessman from the GREAT State of Ohio, is exactly the type of MAGA fighter that we need in the United States Senate,”.........“Bernie will always stand up to the Fascist “nut jobs” and the spineless RINOS in order to fight the corrupt Deep State that is destroying our Country. Remember, we need a successful political outsider like Bernie to defeat Liberal career politician, Sherrod Brown, who has so poorly represented Ohio, and pretends that he’s all for the Policies of your Favorite President, Donald J. Trump, but then gets to the Senate and votes 100% for the horrendous Policies of Crooked Joe Biden, the worst President in the History of our Country.”

And yesterday, January 8, 2024, along with endorsements already from Trump, Marco Rubio and Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Jim Jordan lent his support for Moreno saying he's a “true America First conservative” and “political outsider.”   Before this is all over, I'm expecting to see endorsements literally rain on his campaign, along with far more money than Dolan will raise, other than his own.

Both Dolan and Moreno are multimillionaires, and both have invested millions of their own money in their campaigns, but at some point, the hand writing will be on the wall.  As far as I can tell, outside of the money they've personally invested in their campaigns, Moreno is raising a lot of money, and Dolan isn't.