Ohio’s Republican primary will be held on March 19, and while it’s possible that Donald Trump will be a presidential candidate by then, Ohioans have yet to choose the GOP candidate they’re looking for to succeed Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown’s retirement. Secretary of State Frank LaRose, state senator Matt Dolan and businessman Bernie Moreno are running, and both LaRose and Moreno support the pro-life issue.
As Paula Bolyard on our sister site PJ Media illuminated to indicate range from the Buckeye Reporter, 990 forms over the time Moreno served on the Cleveland Foundation’s board of directors show that the foundation donated millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Equality Ohio Education Fund, the ACLU of Ohio and the J Street Education Fund. As Paul also noted, the Cleveland Foundation, “which awards hundreds of grants each year, has also donated to conservative causes.”
Moreno campaign spokeswoman Reagan McCarthy provided a statement to PJ Media and Townhall. “This is a disgusting lie from a desperate professional politician. According to Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, Frank LaRose will lie through his teeth to gain political power. Board members do not have the right to vote on decisions about grants in the donor-advised fund,” she said. Vance is a Republican senator from Ohio who replaced former Sen. Rob Portman, another Republican who declined to run for re-election in 2022 and who endorsed Moreno. “Without a doubt, Bernie never voted for any of the subsidies mentioned,” she added.
LaRose spokesman Ben Kindel also released a statement, noting that “Bernie Moreno is a fraud who pandered to his woke elite corporate colleagues. For six years he sat on the board of a foundation that, without his protest, donated money to unsafe liberal and animalistic projects. He’s either an ineffective pushover or a liar – neither would make a good senator.
LaRose War Room’s coverage highlights Dolan and Moreno’s supposedly less-than-pro-life stance. This included highlighting concerns raised by the Buckeye Reporter.
Matt Dolan and Bernie Moreno are exactly what the abortion lobby wants – candidates who dodge the issue of life. Frank LaRose is the only 100% pro-life candidate in the U.S. Senate race. #OHGOPSDebate of the Senate #OHSsen pic.twitter.com/nI9YdJoeUE
— LaRose War Room (@LaRoseForSenate) January 23, 2024
Frank LaRose has been fighting Planned Parenthood and its radical program in Ohio for years.
Meanwhile, Bernie Moreno helped send them millions.
Maybe that’s why he was nowhere to be found during the first fight. https://t.co/5SdEGQ2ymd
— LaRose War Room (@LaRoseForSenate) January 25, 2024
As for donor-advised funds, their task is to allocate funds at the request of donors, and board members themselves do not have voting rights. “A donor-advised fund is a private fund managed by a third party and established to manage charitable giving on behalf of an organization, family or individual.” Investopedia explained.
Moreno had not previously held public office and used his status as a political outsider in a positive way, especially in his election ads. During the campaign, he also expressed pro-life views.
Last October, he spoke at a Right to Life event in Ohio, and spoke out against it pro-abortion voting initiative. He also celebrated the first anniversary of the uprising Dobbs v. Jackson decision from June last year, which was annulled Roe v. Wade.
A country that respects life is a country with honor. https://t.co/KFL9flUt4v
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) October 6, 2023
A year ago, the Supreme Court overturned a terrible decision made over 50 years ago that led to the destruction of millions of unborn lives.
Today, let us celebrate this monumental victory for life and commit to always fighting for the most vulnerable.
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) June 24, 2023
LaRose also defended himself as a pro-life supporter, including and especially When is it he came to oppose the same pro-abortion initiative, known as Issue 1, that finally passed last November. He had it too pro-life recordwhich, among others, sponsoring pro-life legislation banning abortions for unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome while he was an Ohio state senator.
We send our best wishes to our friends in Washington on today’s March for Life. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to protecting the unborn.
Stay secure and toasty! pic.twitter.com/8tiJQ9NmZO
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) January 19, 2024
The temperatures may have been frigid, but the passion to protect innocent life was stronger than ever in Maumee this weekend.
We thank the Catholic Church of St. Józefa i @KofC for organizing this event – we must be unwavering and resolute in the fight for life here in Ohio. pic.twitter.com/Ed4zuRLH4n
— Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) January 15, 2024
In addition to Vance and other Republican senators, Moreno enjoys support for Trump that emerged last December after he shared positive words about him since about the time he entered the race last April.
The Ohio race is now considered the most essential race, if not the the most popular race to watch in the 2024 Senate races. Republicans have an especially good chance of taking control of the Senate when it comes to sensitive seats that Democrats are defending, especially compared to 2022. Forecasters they currently consider the race to be “Throw”.
