DeWine Dodges Questions on Issues Important to Ohioans as He Continues to Watch his Poll Numbers Plummet
Columbus, OH — In case you missed it, Mike DeWine’s campaign slogan for this election year is apparently “no comment.” Laura Bischoff from Gannett Ohio asked DeWine about a number of topics that are top of mind for Ohio voters, most of which DeWine refused to answer.
In what’s become an ongoing strategy from DeWine to hide from the truth and avoid accountability – from the HB 6 scandal to GOP-gerrymandered maps to gun safety and healthcare – DeWine tries to “no comment” himself out of every tough topic that comes his way. But Ohioans deserve answers.
It’s a sign that DeWine is worried about his political future, knows he’s underwater with Ohio voters on both sides of the aisle and is worried about facing accountability that would cause him to lose even more support, especially among the only Ohioans he seems to care about these days: extreme statehouse Republicans.
“If Mike DeWine can’t answer basic questions about where he stands on issues that are important to Ohio voters, he doesn’t deserve the job. Being governor is about showing strong leadership and standing up to your own party when you need to. DeWine has neither the spine nor the political support to be able to do so,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.
See more below about the topics DeWine refused to address:
Women’s Healthcare
- “DeWine, who has signed multiple abortion restrictions into law, declined to say whether Ohio should have a so-called ‘trigger law’ that would immediately ban all abortions if Roe vs. Wade was overturned.”
- “He declined to answer a question about whether women should have access to abortion services under any circumstances.”
LGBTQ Discrimination:
- “Bills to prohibit that discrimination have been introduced in every legislative session for more than a decade, including the current session
- “I have not spent much time looking at it. I don’t have an opinion,’ DeWine said.”
Keeping Ohioans Safe from Gun Violence
- “Under current law, Ohioans who want to carry concealed weapons must take an eight hour class and pass a background check. Lawmakers are considering doing away with those requirements.
- “I’m not going to comment today on it,’ DeWine said, noting that two bills are pending in the Legislature.”
Death Penalty:
- “As a state senator in 1981, DeWine voted in favor of Ohio’s current death penalty statute. Four decades later, DeWine declined to say whether he still supports it.”
Police Reform:
- “There are reforms that are past due, reforms that I think everyone should be able to embrace,’ DeWine said, without going into detail.”