Fox 8 News Cleveland sponsored a debate on Monday between the three candidates vying to face Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown in November.
Brown, a long-time Biden ally and liberal stalwart in the Senate, has inexplicably managed to hoodwink Ohioans into believing he's a moderate. As such, he's been sitting in the Senate for 17 years, representing a state that has become more conservative over the years and is solidly red — except for the senior senator.
Brown has held elected office since the fall of Saigon in 1975, when a loaf of bread cost 33 cents and "All in the Family" was the number 1 show in America. It's past time for him to exit the Senate. Former Congressman Jim Renaci came within striking distance of Brown in 2018 but ultimately failed to take him down.
On Monday three men with very different backgrounds made the case for why they should be the one to take on Brown in November.
First up, current Ohio Sec. of State Frank LaRose. After graduating from Copley High School in a middle-class suburb of Akron, LaRose enlisted in the United States Army with the 101st Airborne, ultimately serving as a U.S. Special Forces Green Beret, spending time in Iraq, Kosovo, and at our Southern border. He spent two terms in the Ohio Senate and now serves as secretary of state.
Next, Bernie Moreno. I would grab some bio details from his campaign website, but apparently you can't look at it without making a donation. He's touted as a business owner who made a fortune from his luxury car dealerships. He virtually came out of nowhere, with no political experience, to become the Trump-endorsed candidate for Senate. If former President Trump endorses a policy, so will Moreno. His talking points and even his mannerisms mimic Trump.
Finally, we have moderate Ohio Sen. Matt Dolan. His reported $41 million net worth isn't close to Moreno's $105 million, but he's not exactly starving. He ran for Senate last time around but lost to now-Sen. J.D. Vance, finishing third. But he's perhaps most famous for being a part owner of the Cleveland Indians Guardians — you know, the team that changed its name to something politically correct under Dolan family leadership.
The candidates first sparred over immigration, with Dolan favoring continued amnesty for individuals brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents and Moreno saying he would immediately deport the 16.8 million illegals here now (he doesn't say how). LaRose, who wants to deploy three military divisions to the U.S.-Mexico border to "stop the bleeding," rejected citizenship for illegals but stopped short of saying he would deport 4% of the U.S. population. All three discussed the Fentanyl crisis, but Dolan claimed that the real problem is China and not the border with Mexico.
LaRose said he's open to drone attacks on the cartels, drawing accusations of "dangerous rhetoric" from Moreno, who added, "We're going to work with Mexico to make certain that they understand it's in their best interest to have us help them wipe out the drug cartels" (because that's been working so well) and said he wants to avoid the "ugly Americans" charge from Mexicans.
LaRose shot back, "Let me be clear to families all over Ohio that have lost loved ones to fentanyl. I am willing to use lethal force to protect your families."
Dolan reminded Moreno that he had vowed to eradicate the cartels "from the face of the earth." "We'd be tough with the Mexican government," said Dolan. "These political statements that you [Moreno] say, and when you realize they don't hit, you backtrack."
All three candidates agreed that Joe Biden's economy is terrible and Ohioans are suffering as a result.
During this segment of the debate, Moreno randomly accused LaRose of having money stashed away. This apparently referred to his campaign accounts, which seems like a bizarre line of attack because all three candidates are racing to see who can raise the most money. LaRose simply said "false" when Moreno made the accusation.
When asked to give a rebuttal, LaRose said, "You can look at our financial reports. I'm not in the same league as these guys are. Lauren [his wife] and I are raising our three children in a small middle-class house in Columbus, and we live the way that Ohioans live, and we appreciate what it takes to try to raise a family within this economy that's hurting families."
On abortion, Moreno said he would work towards consensus around not having federal funding and "getting to a point where we can have a 15-week floor where there's common-sense restrictions after 15 weeks." He wants to make it "less expensive to raise kids" and will ensure that women have access "to healthcare, birth control, and contraception." Dolan wants a late-term abortion ban and "the three exceptions."
Asked by the moderators about his support for a federal ban on abortion, LaRose said, "I don't use the word 'ban.'"
I'm quoting the next part of his answer in full because it's an excellent way for Republicans to frame the issue in the future.
I've been very clear and consistent when it comes to this. Ohioans know that I fight for the sanctity of life. That's not something that's going to change. We also have to be really thoughtful and compassionate about this issue. We have to understand that any woman who's facing an unplanned pregnancy is, by definition, facing a crisis in her life. And so it's not enough to be pro-birth; we have to truly be pro-life and that means supportive services for those mothers that make the courageous decision to maybe be a single mother, raise a child, to maybe bring a child into the world to give that child up. for adoption. We need to make sure that there are supports available for them.
On the Second Amendment, Dolan alone supports so-called red-flag laws. "If you own a gun illegally and use it, or if you're showing suicidal or homicidal tendencies, don't you think it's time that we step up and prevent this violent crime?" he asked.
When it was his turn to respond, LaRose said, "There's only one of us up here who has a consistent record of fighting to protect our Second Amendment values. That means we don't disarm law-abiding people. We don't disarm Americans. In order to try to make the community safer, we need to support our gun rights. The Second Amendment's very clear when it says shall not be infringed."
On aid to Ukraine, Dolan wants to continue it, while LaRose and Moreno want to stop it.
LaRose: "Not another penny will go to Ukraine until we've secured the southern border."
Moreno: "We have to stop funneling funding endless wars."
On the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, both LaRose and Moreno said those who committed vandalism or assaulted Capitol Police should be punished but that J6 prisoners who did nothing more than wander through the building should be immediately released. Dolan said it was a "bad day" and called for more public service or something.
Turning to the subject of hormone blockers for minors and biological males participating in women's sports:
Dolan touted his vote on an Ohio law that would ban both and vowed to vote this week to overturn Gov. Mike DeWine's veto of the bill.
LaRose: "Anyone who would subject a minor child, a precious child, to a gender transition, that's child abuse. And my girls? They could beat the boys on the basketball court, but they shouldn't have to. The only way for women's sports to be safe and fair is for girls to compete against girls and boys to compete against boys."
Moreno: "The reality is there's a federal role. It's called Title Nine... And I do agree that in terms of mutilating children and giving them experimental hormones, those things are regulated by the FDA and we should ban those kinds of drugs for children."
Impressions
All three — even the squishy moderate Dolan — would be a huge improvement over Sherrod Brown. The polls have LaRose leading, but not by a huge margin. From RealClearPolitics:
Dolan leads his Republican adversaries in fundraising, with receipts of $8.7 million and $6.7 million on hand, according to the FEC.
Moreno has raised $6.4 million and has $5 million on hand.
LaRose comes in a distant third with just over $1 million raised and $868 thousand on hand.
Dolan and Moreno both can self-fund their campaigns if money runs out. All the candidates are going to need way more than they currently have to compete with Brown, who has raised a whopping $21 million and has $11 million cash on hand.
Hard truths
Dolan is going nowhere fast. Once the campaign ads begin that show his association with the Cleveland "Guardians," it will be game over for him. He's by far the least energetic candidate, and he's not a fan of Trump, which will doom him in the primary.
Moreno knows all the right things to say. Whether he can convince Ohio voters that he can actually solve the problems plaguing Ohio and the rest of the U.S. is an open question. Having Trump's endorsement gives him a huge advantage, but I'm not sure he'd be able to compete against the battle-tested Brown.
While J.D. Vance was able to win a Senate seat in Ohio with no prior political experience, that was to replace Republican Rob Portman, who was retiring. Vance also had a backstory of poverty and a difficult childhood, which, despite his elite educational credentials, made him relatable to blue-collar Americans. Brown would attack Moreno relentlessly for being an out-of-touch elitist, and Ohioans would probably believe him.
LaRose has won every race he's run in by a wide margin. That counts for something. As secretary of state, he ran a drama-free election, with no widespread voter fraud and results reported immediately (and the Left despises him for it). That should also count for something, as should his stellar military service. He also has a solid conservative voting record from his time in the Ohio Senate.
And as my headline suggests, he's better prepared to relate to average Americans and swipe at Brown over the Biden economy. While he was my state senator, LaRose lived in a modest home and didn't wear flashy suits. He also showed up every month to speak one-on-one with constituents who came to see him. That's the kind of thing Sherrod Brown is known for, and it's why Ohioans keep voting for him. More than the other two candidates, I think LaRose is best positioned to take out Brown if — and this is a big if — he can best Moreno and Dolan.
The Ohio primary will be held on March 19.
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