(C) Ohio Capital Journal
This story was originally published by Ohio Capital Journal and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Ohio’s 2024 U.S. Senate race shaping up as filing deadline looms [1]
['Nick Evans', 'More From Author', '- December']
Date: 2023-12-18
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown officially filed paperwork on Friday to seek reelection. Two of his Republican rivals, entrepreneur Bernie Moreno and Secretary of State Frank LaRose, have already done so. State Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, has until Dec. 20 to turn in his petitions.
At a press conference Friday, Brown laid out his theory of the race. He argued voters will make their decision based on contrasts, and “who’s side” they believe the candidate is on.
Despite positive economic indicators, the economic mood remains negative — not great news for candidates down ticket of a president seeking reelection. Brown empathized with families still struggling with inflation and placed the blame squarely on corporate greed.
The Senator also went on the offensive, drawing one of those contrasts between himself and his rivals when it comes to abortion policy.
“I fought for Issue 1 so that women can have reproductive rights. My three opponents all still call for a national abortion ban,” Brown said. “Which side are you on? You’re on the side of I want women to make these decisions. I don’t want politicians up the street making these decisions.”
Theory of the race
It’s not difficult to sense the headwinds Brown will be facing. President Biden’s job approval figures have dipped below 40%. Despite low unemployment, consistent job growth and softening inflation, voters’ sentiment about the economy is bad.
On the other hand, Brown has carved out a unique political brand for himself that has proven successful even as Ohio voters have shifted to the right. He emphasizes wages and pensions, as well as health care access and better coverage. The Intel deal could dramatically increase central Ohio’s corporate landscape, but to Brown it’s a boon for organized labor.
Instead of dividing the world into right and left, Brown talks about ‘special interests’ and ‘little guys,’ presenting himself as defending the latter.
“When people go to the grocery store, they’re paying higher prices because of executive bonuses, and because of stock buybacks,” Brown argued.
“When a CEO makes 300 times what a worker makes something’s wrong,” he added. “And that’s a big part of this, and you start talking about the economy, it’s always about ‘who’s side are you on?’ and voters in Ohio know who’s side I’m on.”
Republican race
While Brown focuses on the contrast between himself and his eventual opponent, Republicans have a primary fight to settle first.
Moreno submitted his petitions weeks ago and took the opportunity to swipe at LaRose. In a cover letter, Moreno’s campaign manager David DiStefano demanded LaRose recuse himself from verifying signatures because of “his obvious conflict of interest.”
“It is critical that Mr. LaRose recuse himself from this process so Ohio voters have confidence he has not, once again, used his official office for political gain by unfairly denying his political opponents access to the ballot or seeking retribution,” he wrote.
The campaign’s concerns are an allusion to a HuffPost story quoting someone close to the LaRose campaign suggesting Donald Trump would be smart to endorse the secretary because he’ll be overseeing the general election contest.
LaRose himself submitted candidacy petitions last week. He made a bid to stay above the GOP fray, describing it as filing to “retire Sherrod Brown.”
“We’re facing an invasion on our southern border, radical ideology pouring into our state and an economy failing Ohio families,” he argued. “We need a battle-tested conservative with the experience, work ethic, consistent record, and sense of service to make a difference.”
LaRose added he’s fighting for “the very soul of our nation.”
Follow OCJ Reporter Nick Evans on Twitter.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/12/18/ohios-2024-u-s-senate-race-shaping-up-as-filing-deadline-looms/
Published and (C) by Ohio Capital Journal
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/ohiocapitaljournal/
