Ohio

Ohio referendum jolts marquee Senate race

Published

1 year ago

August 11, 2023

Ohio referendum jolts marquee Senate race

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose put Ohio’s Issue 1, a measure that could have ultimately hindered statewide attempts at protecting abortion access, at the center of his recently announced campaign for Senate.

But now, after voters defeated the Republican-backed ballot measure, LaRose is left searching for a new campaign message.

LaRose said he had “left it all on the field” campaigning in support of the ballot measure over the past eight months, including the past three weeks, when he was also canvassing for his U.S. Senate bid. Then, Ohioans voted “no” on Issue 1.

The referendum’s 14-point loss Tuesday sent Republicans not only scrambling to address a drumbeat of losses after last year’s overruling of Roe v. Wade, but also speculating over the lifespan of LaRose’s nascent Senate campaign.

Ohio Secretary Frank LaRose attends a news conference about the American Confidence in Elections (ACE) Act at the U.S. Capitol, July 12, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images, FILE

“I think the issue for LaRose is, what is the thing that would reinvigorate his campaign? Because Issue 1 was supposed to be the thing,” said David Niven, a political scientist at the University of Cincinnati. “I don’t want to call the crash cart in, but what’s the thing that’s gonna make this a healthy campaign? It’s hard to see what that would be right now.”

LaRose’s Issue 1 campaign work could have been an attempt to win over a voter like Nancy McKeen from Sandusky, who, after LaRose’s stop at Berardi’s Catering in Sandusky, told ABC News she was poised to vote for LaRose’s opponent Bernie Moreno, but was swayed by LaRose’s stump speech defending the ballot measure.

“I’ve made a choice because I think he’s more in tune,” McKeen said after LaRose’s Sandusky stop.

“I liked – I loved everything [LaRose] said. He did a good job,” she said.

The GOP-led Issue 1, which would have raised the threshold for a ballot initiative amending the state constitution from over 50% to 60%, went down by a 57-43 margin.

The Issue 1 vote took on national significance given an Ohio referendum set for later this year over whether to add abortion protections to the state constitution — a vote that would have been subjected to the 60% threshold had Tuesday’s vote succeeded.

The referendum’s thorough thumping was seen across Ohio – from Butler County near Cincinnati, which Trump won by 30 points three years ago but supported the referendum by 0.6 points, to Montgomery County, where Trump lost by 2 points in 2020 but the referendum lost by 14 points Tuesday.

All three of the major GOP Senate candidates– LaRose, businessman Moreno and state Sen. Matt Dolan, all supported Issue 1. But none made it the cornerstone of their bids the way LaRose did – and now the knives are out.

“Frank LaRose is staking his entire political career on Issue 1. He’s our elected Secretary of State, and he has spent the entire summer campaigning for the ‘Yes’ campaign at the cost of doing his job of administering this election,” Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters told ABC News.

“I think the really interesting thing is how Republican politicians are going to use this issue to make political games and support their own ambitions.”

LaRose spun the loss as evidence of his bonafides as a fighter despite the results.

“I’ve said for months now that there’s an assault coming on our constitution, and that hasn’t changed,” he said in a statement. “I’m just getting started in the fight to protect Ohio’s values.”

In a phone interview after the election, LaRose noted that he didn’t regret fighting for a cause he called “worthwhile.”

“Of course, that’s the message that the Democratic Party is trying to drive because, I mean, they know that this race comes down to me vs. Sherrod Brown, and I’m the clear front-runner on the GOP primary side. And, you know, they’re already focused on trying to attack me because they know I’m the one that can be sure. But here’s what’s clear, Ohio, recognize who will go to battle for them and stand up for their values,” LaRose said.

“I don’t think there’s a reasonable person who could say that I didn’t give a full effort to winning the Issue 1 campaign and nobody worked harder than I did. Seventy-six different events throughout the state. Tens of thousands of miles.”

Missteps by LaRose?

Some Republican strategists in the state cautioned against drawing straight lines between a single-issue campaign and a Senate primary or general election that will see actual candidates debate a whole host of policies.

“I don’t think Issue 1 is going to affect, because the Republican base, Republican primary voters, I think they were supportive of Issue 1,” said one Ohio GOP strategist. “Any issues for Frank in the primary aren’t going to be from Issue 1, it’ll be from other things.”

Still, other strategists and critics pointed to what they said were missteps by LaRose that contributed to Tuesday’s results.

While many observers drew a connection between Issue 1 and the abortion referendum later this year, Republicans had made a concerted effort to argue Tuesday’s vote was about protecting the state constitution from what they warned as a wave of special interest spending that could sway such referenda in the future.

However, at a local event in June, LaRose seemed to say the quiet part out loud, telling the crowd Issue 1 was “100% about keeping a radical pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution,” jolting Republicans’ messaging and shifting the debate toward an issue where Democrats have taken the offensive, even in other red states.

LaRose later clarified that his comments were spliced out of context, telling ABC News that abortion is “just one of many reasons” for his support of Issue 1.

“It’s simply about protecting the Constitution from a whole lot of bad ideas,” he said.

Still, the anti-Issue 1 campaign and even his primary opponent Moreno seized on the remarks.

“The one thing I would knock Frank on is that he said it’s ‘100% about abortion,’ which has screwed up the messaging. It’s 100% about protecting the constitution,” Moreno said in a podcast ahead of the vote.

Moreno also kicked off his Senate run amid the Issue 1 campaign, but hung his political future much less on the issue. In Cuyahoga County on the Southern edge of Cleveland on the Monday morning before the Issue 1 vote, the two-time Senate hopeful made a few mentions of Issue 1 while delivering a robust introductory speech on the stump, where he pitched himself as a savvy businessman (like Trump) who was uninterested in political ambition (unlike LaRose).

“Anytime something you say is being used by the other campaign, anytime something you say is viewed as so productive that the other side’s putting it in their campaign ads, it’s really, really emblematic of failure,” Niven said.

Critics also went after LaRose for not investing his own money in the referendum, especially after telling NBC News he had put in “sweat equity” but that Republicans ultimately lost because of a wave of Democratic spending against Issue 1.

LaRose raised $1 million for Leadership for Ohio, an outside group that is now supportive of his Senate campaign. While he could have directly coordinated with the group before he launched his run, LaRose did not send any of that money to back up the referendum.

“He blamed the loss on Republicans getting outspent by Democrat dark-money groups, yet despite raising a million dollars into an organization to assist with his Senate run the past six months, he admitted that he didn’t direct a single dollar towards passing Issue 1, despite being legally allowed too,” said one GOP strategist backing a rival candidate.

LaRose told ABC News that the outside group did not invest money through the group to avoid illegal “coordination,” though he did not explain why the organization didn’t donate money before his Senate campaign’s launch.

Fight for Senate control

The GOP setback Tuesday takes place in the broader context of Republicans’ hopes of taking back the Senate next year with the help of a highly favorable map.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, along with fellow Democratic senators in West Virginia and Montana, is a top GOP target next year. Losing the chance to unseat him would mark a significant blow to flipping the chamber in Republicans’ favor in 2025 — and his opponents are warning that a LaRose nomination could throw off the GOP’s focus in 2024.

“Make no mistake about it, if Frank is the Republican nominee, the entire campaign against him is going to be about abortion. Is that what Republican voters, operatives and donors want?” asked the strategist working for a rival.

The Issue 1 results also could energize Democrats to boost Brown after being burned by a string of losses in the erstwhile swing state.

PHOTO: FILE - US Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, during a rail safety event in Columbus, Ohio, April 12, 2023. — US Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, during a rail safety event in Columbus, Ohio, April 12, 2023.
Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE

“This is really the first proof of life that we’ve seen from Ohio Democrats, Ohio progressives, since Sherrod Brown won in 2018,” he said.

Brown is still undoubtedly headed for a knife fight in a state that jolted to the right during the Trump years. But for now, at least, Democrats are celebrating, in part at LaRose’s expense.

“Tonight was an important victory for our state, the voters of Ohio and the principle of majority rule,” Walters said in a statement. “Ohio Democrats were proud to play our part in stopping this political power grab by out-of-touch politicians at the statehouse – most notably Frank LaRose, who made himself the face of this effort and is now officially Ohio’s biggest loser.”

Source link

Ohio

Have Ohio State and Tennessee played before? A rundown of their history ahead of CFP game

Published

8 hours ago

December 16, 2024

Press Room

Have Ohio State and Tennessee played before? A rundown of their history ahead of CFP game

Ohio State and Tennessee are football blue bloods with long histories of excellence.

But the Buckeyes and Volunteers, who face off Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff, have played only once.

Ohio State record vs. Tennessee

The Buckeyes and Volunteers played in the 1996 Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Ohio State was 11-1 entering the game while Tennessee was 10-1. The teams were both ranked No. 4 nationally heading into the game,

Tennessee won 20-14 in front of 70,797 rain-soaked fans..

Future Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning was the Tennessee quarterback and had a relatively quiet day. He threw for only 182 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown.

Ohio State tied the game on a 32-yard pass from Bobby Hoying to tight end Rickey Dudley in the fourth quarter. But Jeff Hall kicked two short field goals for the final points. Volunteers running back Jay Graham ran for 154 yards – 69 on a second-quarter touchdown – to earn MVP honors.

OSU’s Heisman Trophy-winner Eddie George ran for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Did Tennessee cheat against Ohio State?

Don’t be surprised if Eddie George shows up at the Tennessee-Ohio State game with a measuring stick and asking to see the Vols’ cleats.

That’s because at the end of the 1995 season, George’s senior year at Ohio State, the Buckeyes faced Tennessee on New Year’s Day in the Citrus Bowl on a rain-soaked field. The slippery surface led to 19 Vols players opting to wear soccer shoes with cleats longer than the NCAA allowed.

Did the longer cleats make a difference? Who knows, but the sure-footed Vols stopped Ohio State with just over five minutes left on a fourth-and-inches at midfield, with the Buckeyes trailing 17-14. Tennessee held on for a 20-14 victory.

George, who went on to become the Tennessee Titans’ all-time leading rusher and is now the coach at Tennessee State, laughs today when asked about the cleats and the edge the Vols — who admitted to wearing the illegal shoes — tried to gain in that game. But he doesn’t believe the cleats made a difference.

“I would never use that as an excuse. They beat us fair and square,” said George, who rushed for 1,927 yards that season and won the Heisman Trophy. “It was what it was. We’ve talked about it and laughed about it a few times over the years. (Former Vols receiver) Joey Kent was on our (Oilers/Titans) team and I got a chance to talk with him about it. It’s an ongoing joke.”

On that critical fourth down, George never got the chance to make a difference. The Buckeyes were not an option team, but tried to catch the Vols off guard by running an option to get the ball to George on the outside.

Instead, quarterback Bobby Hoying’s errant pitch bounced off the helmet of fullback Matt Calhoun — George’s lead blocker — and was recovered by defensive back Tori Noel.

“It was really hard for us to get going because of the rain,” George said. “Tennessee did a nice job defensively of limiting our explosive runs and passes. They really shut down our run game in the middle.”

−Mike Organ, Nashville Tennessean

When does Ohio State play Tennessee in CFP?

The Buckeyes (10-2) will face Tennessee (10-2) on Saturday, Dec. 21.

What time Ohio State plays Tennessee in CFP

The Buckeyes and Tennessee will play at 8 p.m. Dec. 21.

Where is Ohio State vs. Tennessee?

Ohio State will face Tennessee at Ohio Stadium.

This will be the first game played in December in the 102-year history of the stadium.

Ohio State vs. Tennessee predictions

From Joey Kaufman of The Dispatch:

Ohio State 30, Tennessee 24

The early feeling here is that the Buckeyes recover from a tough loss to rival Michigan and bounce back for the playoff as they did two years ago with a near upset of Georgia, the eventual national champion, in its backyard. Tennessee is formidable with a fast-paced offensive attack led by Dylan Sampson, the Southeastern Conference’s leading rusher, but it hasn’t been as explosive as Josh Heupel’s more recent teams with a first-year starting quarterback in Nico Iamaleava, a redshirt freshman. Look Jim Knowles’ side of the ball to get enough stops in a tight win for Ohio State.

From Rob Oller of The Dispatch:

Ohio State 24, Tennessee 20

Call me a sucker for a good comeback story, and Ohio State coming back from that mess against Michigan would be quite the rally cap moment. Tennessee’s strength is its defensive front — uh-oh — but I have to believe, er, choose to believe that Ryan Day and Chip Kelly have learned their lesson and will throw the ball to set up the run. The No. 8 Buckeyes’ defense will be just good enough to win the day, sending OSU to a rematch against No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

From Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY:

Ohio State over Tennessee

This is the premier pairing of the opening round and a nice barometer of how playoff games could unfold between the best of the best in the Big Ten and SEC. Given two evenly matched teams with similar traits, two factors will make the difference in Ohio State’s favor: homefield advantage and a more credible offense. Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard has more experience and better skill options. But another big game from Volunteers signal caller Nico Iamaleava could easily shift this game in the opposite direction.

Ohio State CFP predictions

To win the national title, the Buckeyes would need to win four games.

Their quarterfinal vs. Oregon would be at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. The semifinals are the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl on Jan. 9 and 10. The championship game is in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

Here are Dispatch columnist Rob Oller’s predictions for the CFP:

First round:

Ohio State over Tennessee
Texas over Clemson
Penn State over SMU
Notre Dame over Indiana

Quarterfinals:

Texas over Arizona State
Ohio State over Oregon
Penn State over Boise
Georgia over Indiana

Semifinals:

Texas over Ohio State
Georgia over Penn State

Championship:

Texas over Georgia

Ohio State national title odds

Ohio State is the No. 4 betting favorite to win the CFP title, according to Bet MGM.

The Buckeyes are at +500 to win the national championship. Oregon and Texas, at +350, have the best odds, followed by Georgia at +400.

The Ducks, who handed Ohio State one of its two losses this season in a 32-31 thriller on October 12, are the lone remaining undefeated team in the FBS.

Ohio State vs. Tennessee odds

Ohio State is a 7.5-point favorite over Tennessee, by BetMGM.

Ohio State vs. Tennessee over/under

The over-under for the Ohio State-Tennessee game is 47.5, per BetMGM.

Ohio State vs. Tennessee tickets

Tickets for the Ohio State Tennessee game range from $263-$1,228.

Ticket prices for the Ohio State vs. Tennessee game in Columbus start at $285 on VividSeats, $271 on StubHub, $263 on Gametime and $291 on Seat Geek.

To see a full list of ticket prices, visit StubHub, VividSeats, Gametime and Seat Geek.

See Ohio State tickets prices for playoff game

When do Ohio State CFP tickets go on sale to the public?

General public tickets for Ohio State’s game against Tennessee on Dec. 21 sold out in minutes on Thursday morning.

CFP schedule

First round (Dec. 20-21)

No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, Friday, Dec. 20: 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN

No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, Saturday, Dec. 21: 12 p.m. | TNT

No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, Saturday, Dec. 21: 4 p.m. | TNT

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State, Saturday, Dec. 21: 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN

Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)

Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State/No. 11 SMU winner, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31 | ESPN

Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas/No. 12 Clemson winner, 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1 | ESPN

Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State/No. 9 Tennessee winner, 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1 | ESPN

Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame/No. 10 Indiana winner, 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1 | ESPN

Semifinals (Jan. 9-10)

Orange Bowl: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9 | ESPN

Cotton Bowl: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10 | ESPN

CFP National Championship

7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia | ESPN

What do Ohio State fans need to know about Tennessee?

Josh Heupel’s rebuild of Tennessee involved perimeter talent.

During the Volunteers’ breakthrough in 2022, few offenses in the nation were as explosive through the air. The centerpiece was Jalin Hyatt, the Biletnikoff Award winner who stretched the field with his deep speed.

But the ninth-seeded Volunteers’ road to the expanded College Football Playoff, where they visit eight-seeded Ohio State for a first-round matchup on Dec. 21, has looked different.

Their primary playmaker is Dylan Sampson, a running back who was the leading rusher in the Southeastern Conference with 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns this year.

It is the first time in four seasons under Heupel, a former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at Oklahoma, that the Volunteers have averaged more yards rushing (232) than passing (231).

The Volunteers don’t have a receiver with more than 35 receptions. Hyatt caught 67 passes when he edged out Marvin Harrison Jr. for the Biletnikoff Award two years ago.

Sampson has been a workhorse back with 256 carries. Only nine in the Football Bowl Subdivision have totaled more in 2024. His role has helped to take the load off Nico Iamaleava, a redshirt freshman quarterback who has experienced growing pains at times in his first season behind center.

Between Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton, the Volunteers had relied on senior quarterbacks in previous season to push the ball down the field vertically.

With a 5-foot-11 frame that allows him to run low to the ground, Sampson is an elusive back. He has forced 70 missed tackles while rushing, a total that leaves him tied for fifth in the FBS, per Pro Football Focus, and grinds out yards. He has gained 927 after contact.

Tennessee’s formidability in the interior extends to the defensive side of the ball as it has the nation’s eighth-ranked rush defense, allowing just under 100 rushing yards per game.

James Pearce Jr. is a star along the Volunteers’ defensive line, leading them with 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.

“Their front is very good,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said, “on the edge and inside.”

The Volunteers allow only 13.9 points per game, ranking fourth nationally, and have only once allowed an opponent to score more than 30 points, coming in their 31-17 loss at Georgia last month.

They play at fast pace.

Tennessee averages 24 seconds per play, the 21^st-fasted tempo in the FBS, a contrast to the Buckeyes’ competition in the Big Ten. Based on this measurement, Akron, averaging 26 seconds per play, ranking 57th, was the most up-tempo opponent that Ohio State saw during the regular season.

The Volunteers’ 888 plays are the 13^th-most as well.

As the Buckeyes began scouting Tennessee last week ahead of their potential matchup, it was apparent.

“They try to put stress on you with space and tempo,” Day said, “so we have to be prepared to play fast in this game. We’ve kind of started that process of what we’re going to do, getting lined up and making sure that our guys got their cleats in the dirt and go play football.”

−Joey Kaufman

What bowl games are in CFP?

The Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl will host quarterfinal games. The venues for this season’s semifinals are the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl.

CFP game locations

The four on-campus first-round CFP games:

Dec. 20: No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
Dec. 21: No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State | 12 p.m. | TNT/MAX
Dec. 21: No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas | 4 p.m. | TNT/MAX
Dec. 21: No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN

Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts

Source link

Ohio

Ohio State football team misses huge opportunity in the transfer portal

Published

15 hours ago

December 15, 2024

Press Room

Ohio State football team misses huge opportunity in the transfer portal

So far, the Ohio State football team has been very quiet on the transfer portal front. They haven’t received a single commitment from the portal yet. While they have been in talks with some players, nothing has borne fruit yet. Meanwhile, solid players are starting to commit elsewhere.

One of the biggest areas of concern on the current roster is the kicker. Jayden Fielding has had major issues this season. We saw those come to fruition against TTUN when he missed two field goals inside of 40 yards. He’s clearly not someone who they can rely on.

The Ohio State Buckeyes had an opportunity to grab one of the best, if not the best, kickers in the transfer portal. That kicker is Jesus Gomez. He entered the portal from Eastern Michigan. Gomez was never contacted by the Buckeyes and decided to commit elsewhere.

Gomez is someone who not only has power, but he has accuracy too. His long this past season for Eastern Michigan was 57 yards and he also hit 80% of his field goal attempts. Instead of Ohio State landing him, he decided to commit to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

I have no idea why the Buckeyes decided not to pursue him. They can’t reasonably have faith that Fielding is the answer at that spot. Besides the missed field goals against TTUN, he also kicked the ball out of bounds three straight times on a kickoff against Marshall.

Ohio State hasn’t had a reliable kicker in a while. If they don’t get someone else in the portal, they still won’t. It’s one of the easiest flaws to correct on this roster. Yet, nothing has been done to correct it. Ryan Day needs to start making it a priority.

Source link

Ohio

Three women found dead in home in grisly Ohio mystery

Published

22 hours ago

December 15, 2024

Press Room

Three women found dead in home in grisly Ohio mystery

Three women were found dead in an Ohio home over the weekend, and cops have opened a homicide probe into the grisly discovery, authorities say.

Officers reponding to a 911 call made the gruesome find in the Columbus residence Saturday afternoon.

Columbus Police Sgt. James Fuqua said the 911 caller reported their friends had been experiencing some sort of medical distress.

Cops in Columbus, Ohio are investigating a grisly scene in which three women were found dead in a home in the south of the city. NBC4 Columbus

Upon making the grim discovery, cops established a crime scene for further investigation, and medics pronounced the three women dead at 4 p.m., according to 10TV.

A Columbus public-safety dispatcher initially told the outlet that the emergency call came in as a shooting report, but officers later said they were still investigating other causes of death for the victims.

“This time of year — anytime of the year — it’s unfortunate when someone loses their life, but particularly this time of the yea. Fuqua told the outlet. “During the holidays, it’s going to be very difficult for these victim’s families to come to the grips that these family members will no longer be in their lives.”

Police vehicles inside a suburban crime scene cordoned off by yellow tape. — A public safety dispatcher initially told a local news outlet the 911 call prompting the police response was a shooting, but cops later said they were still investigating the apparent victims’ causes of death. NBC4 Columbus

Cops are requesting anyone who might have information about the case to call the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).

Fuqua could not be immediately reached by The Post on Sunday.

The apparent slayings occurred less than a week after a shooting Tuesday in the state’s capital, when a 45-year-old man was found in the yard of a local home suffering from a gunshot wound.

He was treated at a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries a day later.

This story is developing.

Source link