JULIE CARR SMYTH
Sun, October 20, 2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, scion of one of the state's best-known Republican families, threw his support Sunday behind Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in his hotly contested reelection race against GOP nominee Bernie Moreno.
Taft, 82, made known his intention to vote for Brown over Moreno, a Donald Trump-backed Cleveland businessman, in a letter to the editor of the Dayton Daily News.
The grandson of “Mr. Republican” Robert A. Taft Sr. and great-grandson of William Howard Taft, the only person in American history to have been president and chief justice of the United States, praised Brown in the letter without mentioning Moreno.
Taft cited, among the reasons for his decision, Brown’s collaboration with U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, on behalf of the Dayton area, including Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; Brown's 25 years of experience in public office; and Brown's committee assignments as a result of his senior status in the Senate.
“Although not in agreement with Senator Brown on every policy issue, I believe Ohioans very much need a highly effective, experienced advocate in the U.S. Senate — someone who is squarely focused on both Ohio's and America's needs,” Taft wrote.
It remained unclear how Taft’s backing might play at the ballot box given Ohio’s hard shift to the right in recent elections. The endorsement comes as Brown works to attract independent and Republican crossover voters in the record-setting $400 million-plus contest.
Moreno’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Trump supporters now hold sway within the state GOP and the former president's endorsements have eclipsed those of mainstream Ohio Republicans in recent elections.
Trump's backing elevated Moreno to victory in a crowded primary field this spring, despite both GOP Gov. Mike DeWine and recently retired Republican Sen. Rob Portman endorsing a rival candidate, for example, and boosted first-time politician JD Vance to a Senate victory over the objections of a cadre of state Republican leaders.
The endorsement is particularly noteworthy, though, given that Bob Taft is the only politician in Brown's long political career to ever defeat him in an election. Taft beat Brown in his 1990 bid for reelection as secretary of state.
Brown slams Moreno for abortion comments during Powell campaign stop
Natalie Fahmy
Fri, October 18, 2024
POWELL, Ohio (WCMH) — Candidates in Ohio’s race for U.S. Senate are full speed ahead on the campaign trail as Election Day draws closer.
The race is between incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is hoping to clinch his fourth term, against Republican businessman Bernie Moreno, who is looking to hold elected office for the first time.
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On Friday, Brown was in Powell to tell voters why he deserves their vote. His event centered around women’s reproductive rights.
“These decisions should not be made by politicians,” Brown said. “These decisions, intensely, intensely personal decisions, should be they made by women and their doctors, period. It’s not a partisan issue. Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen Republicans and Democrats speaking out for women.”
During the event, Brown slammed Moreno for comments he made last month about women being single-issue voters on abortion.
“Bernie Moreno has made it clear he thinks he knows better than Ohioans,” Brown said.
Brown said women “understand the stakes of this election,” and that Moreno is pro-life with no exceptions.
In a statement, spokesperson for Moreno’s campaign Reagan McCarthy said, “Bernie has made clear that he believes abortion policy should primarily be decided by the states and that exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother must always be included. Sherrod Brown is misrepresenting Bernie’s view on exceptions to scare voters because he cannot defend his own record.”
Back in July — this is what Moreno said about his stance on abortion.
“I think we can get to a place where after 15 weeks, there’s just some commonsense restrictions, which is the opposite of a ban, by the way, a ban is when you don’t allow something,” Moreno said.
Moreno’s campaign has focused on topics like crime, the economy and the southern border. Immigration is something Brown also said is important.
“To Ohioans, it’s securing the border and to Ohioans, especially, its keeping fentanyl out of the country,” Brown said.
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Brown said anyone who has committed a crime should be deported. He did not provide a definitive plan for other illegal immigrants, but did take a stance.
“I don’t agree that we should do mass deportation of 10 million people. That will never work,” Brown said.
Brown also pointed to his work to provide healthcare to veterans who were exposed to burn puts in Iraq and ensuing workers receive their full pensions.
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Ohio senator opposes Cleveland Browns’ plan to move stadium outside city
Jon Rudder
Fri, October 18, 2024
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WKBN) – Another day, another twist in the Cleveland Browns stadium saga.
On Friday, Senator Sherrod Brown weighed in on the team’s plans to leave downtown Cleveland for nearby Brook Park.
On Thursday, both the Browns and Cleveland city leaders confirmed that the team had pulled out of a $1.2 billion plan to renovate the current stadium in favor of moving the team’s home.
Brown opposes the Browns’ move and is asking for all parties to reconsider.
“I think anything is a realistic possibility. It’s not a done deal. They’ve not gotten subsidies from the state that they think they’re going to get yet. They can make this decision like that, they can change their mind. I know that, overwhelmingly, people want them to stay in Cleveland but greedy billionaire sports owners think they can do whatever they want, and put their hand out and get more help from the public,” he said.
The team purchased a parcel of land in Brook Park, and released renderings of a domed stadium and a mixed-use residential area.
“I call on the family, the Haslam family, to keep the Browns in Cleveland. I encourage my opponent to put politics aside and join me in encouraging the Haslams to stay there in Cleveland. My opponent has gotten a lot of money from them. He’s very close to the family. He’s got connections to the family with these billionaires. They should listen to him and keep the team in Cleveland, period,” Brown said.
The Browns’ current lease with the city expires in 2028.
No public funding has been pledged to the project just yet.
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