Ohio Secretary of State and candidate for U.S. Senate Frank LaRose put it all on the line for Issue 1, He made himself “the face” of Issue 1 and put in “sweat equity” to support it. When the writing was on the wall, LaRose tried “to spread the blame in the event of a defeat” by saying his primary opponents didn’t do enough to help the “Yes on Issue 1” campaign (as a reminder, Bernie Moreno donated his own money to support the initiative and Matt Dolan voted for Issue 1 in the Ohio legislature).
LaRose faced “scrutiny — on the right and the left — for emphasizing the abortion angle” on last night’s vote. At a closed-door event, LaRose said Issue 1 was “100%” about abortion. As one Ohio GOP Senate operative put it, “If the issue fails, LaRose will have spent the vital early days of his campaign as the face of a losing effort and he will be open to criticism from the already skeptical conservative base.”
“Frank LaRose went all in on Issue 1 all for it to epically backfire in his face. He’s managed to put himself on an island, pissing off general election voters and his own base,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Sarah Abel. “Was it worth it, Frank?”
Published: Aug 9, 2023