Ohio
Frustrated by Trump and Musk, central Ohio protesters push for senators’ attention
Video: Indivisible Central Ohio protests spending cuts outside VA
Indivisible Central Ohio protested spending cuts to veterans benefits during a rally Tuesday, March 25, 2025, outside the Veterans Affairs center in Columbus.
Over the weekend, more than a thousand people packed the Valley Dale Ballroom in Columbus for a rally hosted by Indivisible Central Ohio at which speakers derided their Republican members of Congress for not opposing cuts and other actions by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Organizers called the Saturday event a “town hall” and set empty chairs on stage for Ohio’s Republican senators, Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, who did not respond to organizers’ invitations to attend. Moreno was at the Tuscarawas County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday.
In protest, the group posed questions they would’ve asked the senators to ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence platform.
“The purpose of the event was to show how desperate people are to protect their country, their democracy and how desperate they are to see our elected representatives, our senators, feel the same kind of concern we do,” said one of the organizers, Clintonville resident Mia Lewis, 63. “We knew that it was a congressional recess and we figured hey, they’re here, part of their job is coming home periodically to talk to their constituents. Let’s invite them to something.”
Indivisible Central Ohio also invited Franklin County’s U.S. representatives, Republican Mike Carey and Democrat Joyce Beatty, who both told organizers they had prior commitments. Beatty provided a statement to be read at the event.
Saturday’s event mirrors so-called town halls held nationwide over the weekend and in recent weeks as many Americans express outrage at Trump’s actions and frustration with their members of Congress. This event was part of a slew of protests in central Ohio, including demonstrations at the Ohio Statehouse; weekly Wednesday demonstrations in front of the John W. Bricker Federal Building, Downtown, where Moreno has an office; and weekly Saturday demonstrations against Musk outside the Tesla dealership at Easton Town Center.
Trump’s net approval rating is nearly even, according to recent polls, with about half of Americans disapproving and half approving. For many who disapprove, they feel compelled to speak out.
The recent level of constituents reaching out to members of Congress and participating in political events is unusually high and shows a lot of concern, said Paul Beck, professor emeritus of political science at Ohio State University.
“It takes a lot to motivate people to get out of their easy chair, particularly on a February or March day when it’s either snowing or cold outside,” Beck said.
Central Ohioans who have tried to reach their Republican lawmakers accuse them of being unresponsive to constituents. They say it’s difficult to get meetings even with staffers or they receive form letter responses that don’t address their concerns.
Indivisible Central Ohio and others have called on their members of Congress to host their own town halls and hear from constituents. Demonstrators have made missing posters to try to shame Moreno, Husted and Carey.
Husted and Carey’s offices say they are meeting with voters and attending public events. An aide for Husted said he is holding events open to Ohioans — in Washington, D.C. A spokesperson for Moreno accused Indivisible Central Ohio protesters of being funded by dark money. Organizers refute that.
Meryl Neiman, 58, a Bexley resident and organizer with Indivisible Central Ohio, said members of Congress should listen to their constituents, whether or not they voted for them.
“That’s your job — not to take abuse — but be willing to stand up and have the spine to explain why you’re doing what you’re doing or not doing,” Neiman said.
Republican leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, has recently encouraged Republican lawmakers to avoid town halls since anti-Trump protesters have started showing up.
Neiman would like to ask Ohio’s senators:
“I’d like to know what line in the sand the president might cross that would cause you to speak up and say something or even consider impeachment,” Neiman said. “For example, if the president openly defies a decision by the Supreme Court, at that point would you stand up and say something?”
In her statement read at Saturday’s event, Beatty said:
“I hear you. We hear you. Democrats hear you. So many of you have called my office, sent letters, emails, posted on social media, and more, pleading with us to act. We see it all, and we’re hard at work to protect your hard-earned freedoms and resources. Personally, like you, I am frustrated and even angry with this Trump/Musk administration.”
Congress members say they are holding events, meeting with voters
Jack Chambers, a spokesperson for Carey, said Carey spent the recess last week meeting with constituents, including at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission’s State of the Region event. He also pointed to meetings Carey had with the family of a World War II Aircraft gunner turning 100, the leadership of the Community Action Center of Fayette County, and the Messer Construction Company.
An aide for Husted told The Dispatch in an email that Husted has been part of 70 meetings with Ohioans and Ohio employers since being appointed senator in January and his staff has taken more than 140 meetings.
The aide wrote, “Sen. Husted is holding events that are public and open to all Ohioans, including one this morning. About 50 people attended his Husted Huddle on March 11.”
Asked where these open events are held, the aide said the huddles are held periodically in Washington.
Some residents have criticized Husted for not opening an office in Ohio yet. His aide said, “We are actively onboarding state staff and opening multiple offices across Ohio over the coming weeks.”
They added, “We’ve overcome technical challenges in the Senate voice mail system so that Ohioans can share their thoughts with the senator.”
Carey and Husted have frequently expressed support for Trump and Trump’s policies.
“Ohioans have made it clear they’re grateful to see Washington finally keeping its promise to stop the wasteful spending that fueled inflation and hurts Ohio families and workers,” the Husted aide said. “So far, we’ve seen this administration take steps to give taxpayers better federal services at lower costs — the opposite of the pattern they’ve seen from Washington for too long. If there are any unintended consequences of the administration’s work to save taxpayer money, we expect the president’s team will continue working to resolve them quickly.”
Moreno says protesters funded by dark money
Moreno’s office accused Indivisible Central Ohio of being funded by dark money in an emailed statement to The Dispatch.
“It’s no surprise that the same liberal billionaires who funded Sherrod Brown’s failing campaign are now propping up dark money groups like Indivisible to lie to Ohioans. Senator Moreno’s top priority is fighting every day for Ohioans of all stripes, no matter what lies radical leftists throw at him,” said Reagan McCarthy, a spokesperson for Moreno.
Moreno has previously accused protesters outside his office of being funded by dark money and on X earlier this month shared a screenshot from a conservative political website, The Washington Free Beacon. The screenshot of a headline said, “Activist with criminal record spearheads weekly Bernie Moreno protests,” referencing Neiman.
Neiman was arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing in 2018 for her involvement in a sit-in inside then-Sen. Rob Portman’s office during Trump’s first term. She was protesting family separation at the border.
“These people don’t have the courage to host a town hall but they take shots at constituents from behind social media,” Neiman said. “They’re constantly talking about our dark money funding, and I’m like, where is it?”
She said while the national Indivisible movement may have big donors, the local group doesn’t.
More protests planned
Mary Mynatt, 73, of Grove City, a leader with Indivisible Central Ohio who founded Progress Grove City, participated in two protests on Tuesday. She and others took a stack of postcards and pink slips written by constituents at the Saturday event to Carey’s office Tuesday afternoon at 140 E. Town St. Afterward, they demonstrated with signs outside Carey’s office.
On Tuesday, Mynatt, a Navy veteran, participated in a demonstration outside the Chalmers P. Wylie Veterans Outpatient Clinic in Columbus to protest Trump’s cuts to veterans’ services.
The momentum against Trump’s administration is only building in central Ohio, organizers say.
“The frustration is high right now in the general population, among all kinds of people, not just Democrats,” Mynatt said. “Republicans, independents, everybody sees what’s happening.”
Meanwhile, counter-protests are starting to pop up in central Ohio. Americans for Prosperity-Ohio announced it is holding its own rally Wednesday afternoon outside Moreno’s downtown Columbus office at the same time as the weekly protest by Ohio Progressive Action Leaders Coalition. Americans for Prosperity is a Virginia-based political action committee supported by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.
In a release from Americans for Prosperity-Ohio, it said the rally comes as protesters flood Moreno’s phone lines with “disruptive tactics,” and that it will stand up for Moreno and “policies that promote prosperity and growth for all Ohioans.”
Government and Politics Reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
Ohio Democrats had a tough time recruiting candidates for the 2026 midterms after years of election losses.
But they’ve still ended up with a primary contest for Ohio Secretary of State that bears the hallmarks of a competitive race, pitting a first-time candidate against one of the state’s more accomplished Democrats.
After launching his campaign early, Cincinnati cancer doctor Hambley has gained traction with state party insiders. He’s done so through a mix of active campaigning and strong fundraising – visiting 78 counties and, according to him, raising nearly $1 million, a figure that includes a nearly $200,000 personal loan. Former Gov. Ted Celeste endorsed Hambley last week, becoming the latest current or former elected Democrat to do so, and the state party opted last month to remain neutral in the race.
“Everyone here knows that we need a change,” Hambley said at a voter forum packed with liberal activists in Columbus earlier this month.
State Rep. Allison Russo, an Upper Arlington Democrat who previously led the Ohio House Democrats, meanwhile, says she’s made up for lost time after entering the race eight months after Hambley.
She’s racked up organized labor endorsements and is touting her experience fighting with Republicans in Columbus.
“We are not at a moment in time for an office of this significance in the statewide ticket where we can afford to have someone who’s on a learning curve,” Russo said in an interview.
The contest has become a test of competing arguments within the party: whether Democrats are better served by a political outsider or an experienced officeholder. Voters will decide in the May 5 primary.
A similar insider-outsider dynamic also exists in the Republican primary between state Treasurer Robert Sprague and Marcell Strbich, a retired U.S. Army intelligence officer, although the Ohio Republican Party has backed Sprague in that race, greatly increasing his chances of winning.
The Ohio Secretary of State is a key battleground for both parties, since it serves as the state’s chief elections officer. The role has become more politicized in recent years as President Donald Trump has sought to impose new restrictions on mail voting, which he claims is susceptible to fraud, even though documented cases of voter fraud are exceedingly rare.
The office’s duties include overseeing election administration, issuing guidance to county boards and writing ballot language for statewide issues, an increasingly important political battleground in Ohio, and serving on the Ohio Redistricting Commission.
The office also manages the state’s campaign finance system and business filings.
Hambley builds grassroots campaign
Hambley launched his campaign in January 2025, just months after Democrats were left decimated and demoralized by the November presidential election. A cancer doctor who works for the University of Cincinnati health system, he attracted little attention outside of Cincinnati. In his campaign launch statement, he cited in part the redistricting reform amendment that voters rejected in the November 2024 election as inspiring him to run.
Hambley was involved with that political fight, running a network of Southwest Ohio health workers who promoted the amendment. He got his first introduction to politics a decade before that, organizing opposition in Cleveland to Trump’s “Muslim ban” ahead of the city’s hosting of the 2016 Republican National Convention.
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As other Democrats deliberated over whether to run, Hambley developed his campaign by working off the list of hundreds of thousands of voters who signed the petitions for the 2024 amendment. He’s also amassed support by holding hundreds of small events around the state – 360, by his count. Hambley’s message includes emphasizing his background growing up on a small farm and the trusted role doctors play in society. He’s campaigned around the state in a Jeep, like another Democratic physician seeking statewide office, Dr. Amy Acton, the party’s presumptive nominee for governor.
“I absolutely believe, with a caregiver background running on care and empathy, especially this year, especially against these opponents, is the right way,” Hambley said during an April 11 voter forum in Columbus.
Russo makes a case for experience
Russo, who also works as a health care researcher, launched her campaign in August after being privately linked to a possible run for lieutenant governor.
She won her current seat in November 2018 in her first run for elected office, and was one of several women candidates to flip previously Republican-held suburban seats. Since then, she’s built relationships with Democrats around the state, in part through an unsuccessful special election campaign in 2021. At a November 2024 election night event that otherwise was extraordinarily bleak for state Democrats, she touted how Democrats flipped two additional Republican-held seats in Franklin County, ending Republicans’ ability to pass referendum-proof legislation.
From the beginning, Russo has emphasized her experience dealing with Republicans in Columbus.
“Having been in the arena, having been in some of the toughest fights in terms of attacks on direct democracy, attacks on voting, attacks on our redistricting process and navigating through a very broken redistricting process, that experience I think is critical,” Russo said in an interview.
Russo’s experience should give her an advantage in fundraising, given the opportunity she’s had to network as a Democratic legislative leader and a former candidate in a 2021 congressional race.
But in a state disclosure filed in January, Hambley said he had $546,000 in cash on hand, more than double what Russo reported at the time. He’s started putting his campaign cash to work – launching TV ads that subtly criticize Russo for accepting corporate political action committee money as a Democratic legislative leader.
“We’re going to be ramping up in the next couple weeks,” he said in an interview.
Russo declined to share her fundraising numbers, saying she’ll do so when she files her disclosure later this month. Even though Hambley got an eight-month head start on the race, Russo said she’s visited 76 counties, just under Hambley’s 78.
She said her advertising plan involves leaning on social media, and likened buying TV ads during a primary election to “lighting money on fire.” She dismissed the idea that the race is competitive, saying her internal polling shows her with a significant lead. She said it also shows there are many undecided voters, but she thinks they’ll gravitate toward the more experienced candidate.
“I think all of this leads me right into the general election. And that is where my eye is focused. It is winning this general election in November,” Russo said.
Few policy differences
The two candidates don’t have much difference on policy. Both say they want to expand voting rights while opposing Donald Trump’s attempts to restrict mail voting. Their main points of difference largely come down to their professional backgrounds.
But Hambley has leaned into two lines of attack, which both reflect Russo’s practical experience in politics.
First, Hambley has attacked Russo over her 2023 vote with Republicans to approve the current state legislative maps. The vote, which followed a lengthy court battle that Republicans ultimately won, locked in maps for the rest of the decade that will favor the GOP to win between three-fifths and two-thirds of Ohio’s House seats, to the disappointment of activists who view the maps as gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.
“Voting for gerrymandered maps is disqualified if you want to be Secretary of State,” Hambley said at the Columbus voter forum.
Second, Hambley has attacked Russo for accepting money from corporate PACs during her tenure as state House minority leader. He also attacked her for getting endorsed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, which Hambley called a “MAGA group” in a social media video.
In response, Russo said she supports campaign-finance reform. But, she said her job as a Democratic legislative leader was to help elect Democrats.
“I want real solutions. Not a bumper-sticker slogan that makes us all feel good,” Russo said.
In an interview, Russo also said some of Hambley’s stances could hurt him in a general election.
Hambley has pledged to campaign in 2027 for a new redistricting reform amendment – which would continue the politicization of the office by current Secretary of State Frank LaRose. In 2024, he endorsed and campaigned for President Donald Trump, after previously arguing that secretaries of state should avoid political campaigning to prevent a perception of bias.
“My primary opponent misunderstands what the job actually is and misunderstands what the role of [secretary of state] should be,” Russo said.
For his part, Hambley has argued Democrats need to confront difficult truths.
“People don’t like us. People don’t like the average Democrat in Ohio,” Hambley said during a March 5 candidate forum in Erie County. “It is a huge problem for us.
By banning ranked choice voting and penalizing communities that consider it, Ohio leaders have limited local control and signaled a lack of trust in voters to shape their own elections.
When Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 63 into law, he didn’t just ban ranked choice voting in Ohio. He sent a clear message: Ohio voters cannot be trusted to make decisions about our own elections.
That should concern everyone, regardless of where you stand on ranked choice voting.
This is not really about a specific voting system. It is about whether communities have the right to explore new ideas, debate them openly, and decide for themselves what works. Senate Bill 63 shuts that door completely. It tells cities and counties across Ohio that even considering a different approach is off-limits.
Worse, it punishes them for trying.
When policy becomes coercion
The law threatens to withhold Local Government Fund dollars from any community that adopts ranked choice voting. That is not guidance. It is coercion. It forces local leaders to choose between representing their voters and protecting their budgets.
In a state that has long valued local control, that should raise serious red flags.
Here in Greater Cincinnati, we pride ourselves on collaboration, innovation, and civic pride. We bring people together across industries, neighborhoods, and perspectives to solve problems and build something stronger. That spirit does not come from the top down. It comes from people who are trusted to show up and participate.
Senate Bill 63 undermines that spirit.
Ranked choice voting is already used in cities and states across the country. Some have embraced it. Others have rejected it. That is exactly how democracy is supposed to work. You try something. You evaluate it. You adjust.
Ohio does not even get that chance.
Who gets to decide our elections?
Instead of trusting voters to decide, state leaders decided for them. Instead of allowing debate, they ended it. Instead of encouraging participation, they shut it down.
If we believe in democracy, we have to believe in the people who make it work.
We have to trust Ohioans to think critically, to weigh options, and to choose how our elections should function. Taking that choice away does not protect democracy. It weakens it.
Gov. DeWine had an opportunity to stand up for that principle. He chose not to.
Now it is up to Ohio voters to decide what kind of voice we want to have moving forward and whether we are willing to accept it being taken away.
Tyler Minton is a Cincinnati resident and Ohio native who works in the meetings and events industry.
ALLIANCE, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Wanda Lou Bailey, born August 8, 1940, in Charleston, West Virginia, passed away peacefully on April 18, 2026, in Louisville, Ohio. She was a beloved member of her community, whose life was marked by dedication to her family, faith, and numerous heartfelt pursuits.
A graduate of Poca High School in West Virginia in 1958, Wanda’s early years paved a foundation of commitment that she carried throughout her life. Her professional journey included roles at Big Lots and Quality Farm and Fleet, but it was her role as a pastor’s wife that truly defined much of her life’s work. Alongside her late husband, Rev. Paul Bailey, whom she married on May 31, 1958, Wanda was deeply involved in spiritual and community service until his passing on March 9, 2021.
Wanda’s warm spirit and spicy attitude extended beyond her family and church. She was known for her skills in puzzles, crafts, quilting-each piece a testament to her caring nature. Her memory bears, lovingly crafted from cherished fabrics, stand as small yet profound symbols of her dedication and love. She also volunteered for many years at Canaan Acres Christian Camp, embracing her role as “Camp Nana” with a heart full of grace and kindness, known by all who knew her there.
Wanda is survived by four devoted children: Paula (David) Monteleone, David (Debra) Bailey, Laura (Pastor Mike) Kimball, and Beth Bailey. She also leaves behind nine grandchildren-Jennifer (Nathaniel) Miller, Carrie (Casey) Callarick, Kimberly (Brandy) Brown, Michael (Heidi) McLaughlin, Gregory Bailey, Rev. Cassandra (Bryan) Wynn, Jeremiah (Jaclyn) Kimball, Courtnie (Jon) Eckelberry, and Joshua (Ruby) Vandeborne. Her legacy further extends through twenty-four great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren, as well as extended family who called her mom and nana, continuing her family lines that meant so much to her. Wanda was also sister to Mary McCalister, Clara Honaker, and Archie Quigley. She was preceded in death by her beloved parents, William and Rebecca (Vansickle) Quigley, and her husband, Rev. Paul Bailey.
The community will gather to honor Wanda’s life and legacy with a viewing on April 25, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Canaan Acres Campground, located at 8020 Nazarene Ave NE, Louisville, Ohio 44641. A funeral service will follow at 4:00 PM the same day at the campground with her son in law Pastor Mike Kimball officiating. Entombment will take place at Highland Hills Cemetery in Follansbee, West Virginia. on Monday, April 27th the time will be announced at a later date.
Wanda Lou Bailey’s life was one of service, creativity, and boundless love-a true beacon to her family and community. She will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered by all who had the privilege to know her. Memorial contributions can be made in Wanda’s memory to “Camp Nana Fund) in care of Caanan Acres Campground, 8020 Nazarene Ave. NE Louisville, Ohio 44641. Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown Funeral Home, Sebring Chapel (330) 938-2526, www.grfuneralhome.com.
Family and friends may view send condolences at Gednetz-Ruzek-Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Service.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Wanda Lou Bailey, please visit our flower store.
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