Money will be key to LaRose’s Senate bid

May 1, 2023

If Secretary of State Frank LaRose believes he can raise the money needed to financially compete, he said he will run for the U.S. Senate in 2024. LaRose told me he will decide by summer, but he talked as if he will run. He said: “It’s not a question of desire. It’s not a question of whether my heart’s in it. It’s a question of practicality and building the kind of support necessary to do it. Would I love to serve in the U.S. Senate? I absolutely would.” Two other Republicans declared their candidacy to challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, in next ...

U.S. Senate race is bringing in big bucks

April 24, 2023

The election for U.S. Senate is next year, and it’s already shaping up as an expensive race. Incumbent Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, raised $3.5 million from donors during the first three months of the year, according to his latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. It’s the most raised from donors by an Ohio candidate in the first quarter of the year before an election. It’s also about three times as much as Democrat Tim Ryan raised in the first quarter of 2021 — $1.2 million — the year before the 2022 election for Senate. That was before Ryan officially announced his ...

Count on a large Senate race field

April 17, 2023

By DAVID SKOLNICK Cleveland-area businessman Bernie Moreno will be the next Republican to declare his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Sherrod Brown, but he won’t be the last. Moreno filed a statement of candidacy this week with the Federal Election Commission and will almost certainly make a public announcement Tuesday at a craft brewery in the Cincinnati area that he will run for the job in 2024. Moreno has repeatedly praised former President Donald Trump, who will play a key role in the Republican primary and the general election in Ohio, and taken ...

Few will see election law changes on May 2

April 10, 2023

There are a number of changes being implemented starting with this primary election on May 2. But because turnout will be low this year, most people won’t see the changes until the 2024 presidential election. The change getting the most attention is a requirement that those voting early in-person or at polling locations on the day of the election now have to show a specific type of photo identification. Those voters need one of the following: a driver’s license, a state ID card, a passport, a passport card or a military ID. No longer permissible are bank statements, pay stubs, ...

W.Va. is gaining new business at torrid clip

April 7, 2023

Great jobs, abundant opportunities, and new industries are finding a welcoming home in West Virginia. On a regional, national, and international scale, our state is winning new business at a torrid clip. West Virginia is beating states many times our size and delivering incredible victories for our citizens. The Justice administration has ushered in what I believe is the most thrilling and exciting time in the history of West Virginia Economic Development. The citizens of our state are enjoying unprecedented success. We have so much for which to be thankful and many reasons to ...

A special election in August unlikely

April 3, 2023

By DAVID SKOLNICK There is a movement among a number of Republicans in the General Assembly to put a state constitutional amendment on a special Aug. 8 ballot to require future amendments to get at least 60 percent of the vote, rather than a simply majority, to win approval. While the bill is moving quickly in the state Senate and likely will pass there, passage appears less certain in the Ohio House as Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, doesn’t favor putting that measure on a special August ballot. But he hasn’t ruled it out. The Legislature in December voted to eliminate ...