Here’s the latest news today out oh Ohio courtesy of Emerson College’s latest poll:
A new Emerson College Polling/WJW-TV Fox 8 Cleveland survey of Ohio voters finds Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown leading potential Republican opponents in the 2024 U.S. Senate election. In a hypothetical U.S. Senate matchup between Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown and Republican Matt Dolan, Brown leads 41% to 38%, with 22% undecided or supporting someone else. Between Brown and Republican Frank LaRose, Brown holds 41% while LaRose holds 36%; 24% are undecided or supporting someone else. Between Brown and Republican Bernie Moreno, Brown receives 42%, Moreno 32%, while 26% are undecided or supporting someone else.
Since last month’s Ohio poll, Republican candidates’ support has generally stayed consistent: Dolan maintained 38%, LaRose’s support decreased three points, and Moreno decreased one point, while Brown’s support in a matchup against Dolan increased five points since October, by four points against LaRose, and by seven against Moreno.
President Joe Biden holds a 32% job approval rating, while 58% disapprove of the job he is doing in office. Governor Mike DeWine’s approval is at 41%, while 37% disapprove of the job the Governor is doing.
FYI:
Speaking of LaRose:
Under U.S. Senate rules, candidates must file financial disclosure reports within 30 days of becoming a candidate. LaRose announced his candidacy July 17, and filed for a financial disclosure extension August 9. That extension gave him until November 14 to file his report.
Despite that 90-day reprieve, LaRose has yet to file. The Ohio Capital Journal reached out to his campaign to see if the report has been filed but not yet posted or if the campaign has requested a further extension. The campaign did not respond.
Candidates failing to file isn’t exactly unheard of. During last year’s congressional races, several U.S. House candidates missed deadlines. Late filing carries a $200 penalty and failing to file or filing a false report carries a civil penalty of up to $50,000.
LaRose’s failure to file thus far is particularly notable given a $250,000 personal loan he made to his campaign in September. While his Republican opponents have loaned their campaigns significantly more money, LaRose’s previous disclosures from his time as a state lawmaker don’t suggest he’d have that much cash readily available.
Ohio Republicans may have gifted Brown and Ohio Democrats:
The party’s U.S. Senate majority relies on Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) pulling out another improbable victory. Their chances for a U.S. House majority will rise or fall on whether three battleground incumbents can defend their seats. And for the first time in decades, the state will not be a presidential election battleground, leaving Ohio Democrats on their own.
The party’s U.S. Senate majority relies on Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) pulling out another improbable victory. Their chances for a U.S. House majority will rise or fall on whether three battleground incumbents can defend their seats. And for the first time in decades, the state will not be a presidential election battleground, leaving Ohio Democrats on their own.
In last week’s elections, 56 percent of Ohioans voted to approve a ballot referendum called Issue One, which enshrined a right to an abortion in the state’s constitution and effectively overturned the state’s GOP-backed “heartbeat bill” banning abortions after six weeks.
Despite the fact that the state GOP establishment campaigned heavily against Issue One, the right to an abortion won majority support from voters in 18 counties that went for Donald Trump in 2020.
Unchastened by the result, anti-abortion Ohio Republicans are vowing to continue the fight against abortion rights. In particular, a hard-right squad of state lawmakers is scheming to block the implementation of Issue One, and subvert the will of the electorate, through the legislature.
Their moves ensure that abortion—and the state GOP’s resoundingly unpopular stance against it—will become perhaps the defining theme of the 2024 elections in Ohio.
And Ohio Democrats aren’t wasting time on this:
Today, the Ohio Democratic Party announced it has launched a new digital ad highlighting Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan’s support of dangerous abortion bans – including bans without exceptions for rape or incest – and a national ban. Less than a week after Ohio voters resoundingly voted to overturn the current abortion ban in Ohio and protect reproductive rights, these ads will remind Ohioans that the entire primary field would overrule their voices by passing a federal ban.
“Ohioans know how out-of-step Bernie Moreno, Frank LaRose, and Matt Dolan are with the widely held belief that these are personal decisions between women and their doctors and that they would overrule Ohioans by supporting a national abortion ban,” said ODP spokesperson Reeves Oyster.
Health and Democracy are on the ballot next year and we need to get ready to flip Ohio Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown’s (D. OH) re-election campaign and his fellow Ohio Democrats campaigns:
Sherrod Brown
Emilia Sykes
Greg Landsman
Marcy Kaptur
Shontel Brown
