Ohio
Final Ohio GOP U.S. Senate debate features familiar positions on issues and some personal attacks
The three men vying for votes in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate met for their last debate before March 19, when one of them will win the chance to face incumbent U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) this fall.
The candidates appeared at Miami University in Oxford in a debate produced by WLWT-TV in Cincinnati to make their final arguments to GOP voters, as a recent poll showed as many as a quarter may be undecided.
With all three candidates saying they support the policies of former president Donald Trump, who is now the likely Republican presidential nominee, they began by talking about what makes them different from their opponents – specifically, their conservative pro-Trump credentials.
Businessman Bernie Moreno mentioned six times he’d been endorsed by Trump. He noted his opponents are both elected officials, and suggested they haven’t always fully embraced Trump.
“I’m not currently employed by the state of Ohio and supposed to be doing that job. I’ve sold all my business interests to do this, and I’ve been endorsed by President Trump,” Moreno said at the start of the debate.
“President Trump’s a good man. This idea that I support his policies is but not the personality. It’s a bunch of BS. That’s media talking points,” Moreno said later in the debate.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose has said his opponents have not always been registered Republicans, and repeated that again in this debate.
“They’re both desperate to convince you that they’re conservatives. I think you know better. Ask yourself – who do you trust?” LaRose said, and later in the debate added, “Both of my opponents should be really good at talking to Democrats because both of them are former Democrats.”
Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) said he’s always been clear in his support for Trump’s policies, but not his opponents.
“These guys are reinventing themselves. They don’t want you to know their history. Go back and try to look at their deleted tweets. You can’t. Go back and look at what they wrote in articles. You can’t,” Dolan said. “They don’t want you to know who you are, except for now when they want your vote. I have been consistent.”
There was some discussion about a report Tuesday afternoon that the group No Labels, which will soon decide whether to back a presidential ticket, was planning to endorse and fundraise for LaRose. While No Labels was founded in 2009 as a centrist political organization, it’s a dark money group that doesn’t have to disclose its donors. Democrats have been concerned about reports that it’s received lots of campaign cash from major Republican donors.
LaRose had worked with No Labels in the past. Dolan noted in an earlier debate that the group had advocated for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, which all three candidates say they oppose. In this debate, Moreno said an email announced LaRose would be on a Zoom call with No Labels, which he described as “too liberal for Nikki Haley,” who had declined to consider working with the group.
“This is fake news. My ‘labels’ are ‘well-known conservative Republican’,” LaRose said. “There was no call, there was no meeting.”
The candidates were asked about issues they’ve spoken about before: immigration, inflation, the Israel-Hamas war and abortion. They were also asked about issues they felt could reach across the aisle and work with Democrats on: Dolan said securing and sealing the border, LaRose said reining in government spending, and Moreno said term limits.
All three campaigns emailed multiple fact-checks during the event, and at the end each also claimed their candidate won the debate.
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia isn’t returning to Columbus to mess around. He wants to win and wants to do so immediately to erase the bad taste from the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl loss to the Miami Hurricanes last month.
To do so, Patricia needed a mindset shift. It’s one made famous by ex-Ohio State legend Woody Hayes, whose words still resonate with Buckeye faithful to this day.
“You Win With People.”
“When you go into a new building, man, you better leave all that baggage behind,” Patricia said, via The Silver Bulletin.” “You [had] better leave that behind because they don’t deserve it or they’re not there in that same space.”
Patricia wants his players to remember, whether it’s ex-safety Caleb Downs or a practice squad plsyer thst he wants to remain in their life for as long as he can instead of just being transactional.
“I really have a lot of joy in this and love being around the guys and the relationships,” Patricia said. “I’ve got guys that I coached in the 90s, and I’m still really close with, and guys that don’t call, they just be like, ‘Hey, I need your advice on this,’ or after football, career advice and things like that. So I love being that mentor.”
Patricia does tend to use the growth vs. fixed mindset, channeling the growth mindset as his main source of positive coaching.
“I just try to take it one step at a time,” Patricia said. “I always want to have that growth mindset. I always want to be a curious learner.”
Matt Patricia Finds Inner-Motivation to Lead Buckeyes
Nonetheless, though, one thing is non-negotiable.
“I’m gonna give you everything I got,” Patricia said. “I’m really gonna sacrifice everything I can to make sure I come through for you.”
Regardless of the outcome, that’s Patricia’s constant message.
Everything can be reset, which Patricia realized after a failed stint with the Detroit Lions.
“I wasn’t my best version,” Patricia said. “I think learning that is really important. That’s how you get better as a coach, as a person.”
Now, he says feels much better about himself overall. Especially when it comes to mentoring players where he knows they will be successful with the next level like Downs.
“I think just in general with Caleb [Downs], just the amount of experience he has playing football is probably the most important thing,” Patricia said. “And his professionalism, and how he prepares, is probably the best example that I can point to for all the players.”
With Patricia at peace, the Buckeyes defense can move forward as well.
It remains to be seen whether everything pays off. Come August, we will find out.
Ohio State is set to bring in Arthur Smith as its next offensive coordinator, replacing Brian Hartline, who was recently named the head coach at South Florida.
Here are three thoughts on Smith’s imminent hire:
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day values NFL experience
The hire follows a familiar pattern, as Smith is the latest coordinator to bring an NFL background to Ohio State.
Six of the eight offensive and defensive play-callers hired by Day over his tenure have spent previous years in the NFL.
Smith’s career arc most closely mirrors Matt Patricia, the Buckeyes’ current defensive coordinator. Both were rising stars during the 2010s and landed head-coaching jobs at the peak of their ascents before washing out and returning to roles as coordinators.
After Smith was fired by the Atlanta Falcons at the end of 2023, he spent two seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator, helping them to twice reach the playoffs.
The approach worked well with Patricia, who elevated the Ohio State defense with NFL-style concepts that ranged from multiple fronts to coverage disguises as he replaced Jim Knowles last offseason. The Buckeyes finished 2025 with the best defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision, allowing the fewest points per game since Alabama 2011.
It figured to be worth repeating on the other side of the ball, especially after Day had relied on a first-time play-caller last year in Hartline, who had been the Buckeyes’ wide receivers coach before the promotion.
The experience of the 43-year-old Smith also allows Day to continue in a CEO-style role after remaining the primary play-caller for the offense in his first five seasons at the helm of the program. Day began delegating play-calling in 2024, though he briefly returned to the role for the College Football Playoff in December.
Arthur Smith adds a complementary strength
Smith’s best year as an offensive coordinator was with the Tennessee Titans in 2020.
The Titans were one of the highest-scoring offenses in league with an average of 30.7 points per game that ranked fourth out of 32 teams. They leaned on star running back Derrick Henry, who became only the eighth running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.
The Titans also finished drives during Smith’s two years as coordinator, ranking first in 2019 and second in 2020 for their red-zone touchdown percentage. They reached the end zone on three out of every four trips inside opponents’ 20-yard line.
If the success translates to Ohio State, it would pair well with the vertical passing that has long been the defining strength of Day’s offenses.
There were only five FBS quarterbacks in 2025 who completed more deep balls, as defined by Pro Football Focus as passes traveling at least 20 yards, than redshirt freshman Julian Sayin.
But the Buckeyes experienced a drop-off with both their running game, which went from 5 yards per carry in 2024 to 4.6 yards in 2025, and red-zone efficiency, where their touchdown percentage of 75.81% fell to 66.67%.
Smith should help in both areas, potential improvement that would enhance an offense that remains stacked with talent due to the return of Sayin and star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
The absence of Chip Kelly, the former offensive coordinator who elevated the Buckeyes’ running game during their national championship season, was noticeable last fall.
The hope for the Buckeyes is that Smith can help them to rediscover the balance.
Scheme is the priority at Ohio State
Two assistants will replace Hartline.
Day made the first hire earlier in January with Cortez Hankton as receivers coach before finding Smith.
The addition of Smith will leave Ohio State with a staff of 11 primary on-field assistant coaches, one more than in recent seasons.
The expansion is the result of the NCAA’s removal of limit on staff sizes, a rule change introduced in 2024 allowing schools to hire an unlimited number of assistants to coach during practices and games.
The only restriction that remains in effect involves recruiting. FBS teams can send only 10 assistants off campus to recruit in addition to their head coach.
The current setup suggests Smith would not be out recruiting. It would be a rare arrangement for a coordinator, but not unprecedented, as Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has other assistants on the road in place of offensive coordinator Chad Morris and defensive coordinator Tom Allen.
As Ohio State moves in a similar direction, it would leave Smith largely focused on game planning and play-calling for their offense without having to travel for recruiting.
Smith would also be Day’s first offensive coordinator without being assigned to a position group.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
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Lifestyle
The Columbus City Council is encouraging state regulators to protect Columbus residents from rising electricity bills.
The council passed a ceremonial resolution 9-0 on Jan. 26 asking the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to block American Electric Power Ohio’s request to raise its distribution rates in 2026 for its 1.5 million Ohio customers.
Columbus City Councilmember Christopher Wyche, chair of the council’s Public Utilities & Sustainability committee, told The Dispatch ahead of the meeting that he was bringing the resolution forward because affordability is quickly becoming the number one issue for residents. He said council is concerned because PUCO has recently approved multiple AEP Ohio rate increases.
“It is clear that we are facing not only a rising cost of living crisis, but also an urgent energy affordability crisis that will have serious impacts on Ohio residents,” Wyche said at the meeting.
This symbolic vote comes ahead of state regulators meeting this week to hear evidence in AEP Ohio’s case. The electricity distributor proposed a settlement in the case on Jan. 7 that it says will save customers money. But the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, a state agency that advocates for consumers, says the proposal is riddled with “accounting gimmicks” to disguise a rate hike.
Customers’ electric bills will actually increase by about $30 more per month after tax credits and additional charges, or riders, are factored in, according to the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel.
AEP Ohio disputes the OCC’s assertions, saying its proposal will save customers $1.22 per month. But the electricity provider’s proposed rate decrease is only possible due to a credit it owes customers anyways, according to information the company sent to The Dispatch. Due to Accumulated Deferred Income Taxes, AEP Ohio owes customers $82 million. The credit is temporary and will run out in 18 months.
Wyche said the invited AEP Ohio representatives to speak at the City Council meeting but the utility declined. Speaking of its proposal, an AEP Ohio spokesperson previously told The Dispatch in an email:
“This is a good thing for AEP Ohio customers – it means all parties took concerns about affordability seriously. This settlement also allows AEP Ohio to invest in delivering reliable electricity safely, as well as make local infrastructure investments in local communities that drive economic development.”
Wyche told The Dispatch that increased strain on local electricity infrastructure is being driven by large users like data centers, adding that he’d like to see the burden placed on those businesses rather than residential customers. He said the state should require data centers to be built more sustainably so residents don’t foot the bill.
In the resolution, City Council urges PUCO to conduct a study on the impact of data centers on residential customers’ rates.
“A growing region needs to invest in its infrastructure, but longtime residents and working families shouldn’t shoulder that cost,” said Columbus City Council President Shannon G. Hardin in a statement released after the vote. “Runaway utility bills are pushing families to the brink, just to keep the lights on.”
The council’s action follows advocacy from the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund and Columbus Stand Up. Columbus Stand Up has collected more than 2,500 signatures on its petition opposing rate hikes.
“AEP operates as an exploitive monopoly and without firm intervention, it will continue to extract resources from households, schools and public institutions across the state,” Columbus Stand Up co-founder Kwesi Low said at the meeting.
Because of the severe winter weather, the scheduled start of the PUCO evidentiary hearing was continued to Jan. 28, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. in Hearing Room 11-A at the offices of the commission, 180 E. Broad St., 11th Floor, Columbus. PUCO expects to make a decision in AEP Ohio’s case later this winter or spring, according to a spokesperson for PUCO.
Columbus Stand Up also moved its “Lights Out on AEP Rally” from Jan. 27 to Jan. 28 at noon at PUCO headquarters.
The city council meeting on Jan. 26 was held virtually due to winter storm Fern’s lingering impact. The budget hearing scheduled for Jan. 27 will also be held virtually due to the weather.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
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