A conservative group largely funded by Republican mega-donor Richard Uihlein — who supported candidates falsely denying the 2020 election results — donated half a million dollars over the summer to a PAC affiliated with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, according to a recently released report. Federal Election Commission data.
Fair Courts America PAC donated $500,000 to Ohioans for a vigorous economy Share Fund back in August, A super PAC affiliated with Ohioans for a Healthy Economy, Inc., which recently started showing attack ads against three Democratic candidates running for the Ohio Supreme Court.
“Criminals released. Destroying life. Even our children are not safe because Melody Stewart, Michael Donnelly and Lisa Forbes put their goals ahead of our safety,” says the voice in the ad.
Incumbent Democrat Donnelly is being challenged by Republican Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Megan Shanahan.
Incumbent Democrat Stewart is being challenged by incumbent Republican Judge Joseph Deters, who chose not to run for his current seat and instead chose to run against Stewart for a full six-year term.
Democrat Forbes of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and Republican candidate Dan Hawkins of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas are vying for Deters’ vacant seat with terms expiring December 31, 2026
“Fair Courts America basically gives its money to this group in Ohio, which then spends it on advertising,” said Evan Vorpahl, senior researcher at True North Research.
Republicans currently have a 4-3 majority on the Ohio Supreme Court. Depending on the election results, Democrats could flip the court and Republicans could strengthen their power on the court.
Fair Courts America and Richard Uihlein
Fair Courts America was founded in February 2022 and has spent millions of dollars on various state Supreme Court races, including Alabama, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Illinois.
Fair Courts America is affiliated with Richard Uihlein’s Restoration of America. Uihlein also recently donated $333,000 to Fair Courts America twice – on August 28 and September 19.
Fair Courts America and Restoration of America did not respond to questions sent by the Capital Journal.
Uihlein, a Republican from Illinois, has been involved in Ohio politics before.
Last year, he donated more than $1 million to an unsuccessful campaign that sought to make it more arduous to change the state constitution. He helped finance much of the Protect Our Constitution group during last August’s special election. 57% of Ohioans voted against a measure that would raise the threshold for amending the state constitution to 60%.
Uihlein Is a great founder of the Development Action Clubwhich ran millions of ads supporting Bernie Moreno for Senate and helped finance the Super PAC that supported Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s unsuccessful Senate re-election campaign earlier this year.
Uihlein is against abortion and has invested in many anti-abortion initiatives, – said Vorpahl.
“For someone like that Uihlein, Ohio and the Ohio Supreme Court seem like the right choice,” he added. said Jessica Dickinson, outreach and elections manager for the Ohio Fair Courts Alliance. “I think especially since partisan labels were introduced on the ballot… even though the abortion amendment passed, they really made their way into Ohio.”
The Ohio Supreme Court will rule on abortion access decisions, so whichever justice is elected this year will lend a hand determine what abortion care looks like in Ohio.
“Powerful people have always tried to manipulate the rules to their advantage, and their targets are state and federal courts,” he added. – said Vorpahl. “They are trying to take America back and control who we can be, who we can love, how we can care for our bodies, our families, and the world. And in the end, they are simply trying to put their finger on the scales of justice through their fate.”
Uihlein has contributed to several extreme causes in recent years. The Chicago Tribune reported that he was a major contributor to the “March to Save America” rally that took place before the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Daily Beast report published November 2022 he said Since the Jan. 6 insurrection, Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth, have donated nearly $2 million to Republicans, and more than 80% of those candidates have denied or disputed the 2020 election results.
Richard and Elizabeth started Ulina — a transportation, packaging and industrial supply company that started in its basement in 1980. Richard is the CEO and their company has over 9,000 employees.
Ohioans for a vigorous economy
Dickinson and Vorpahl said Ohioans for a Healthy Economy Action Fund appears to be a front group for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
The address listed for the Ohio Citizens Action Fund for a Healthy Economy is the same as the address for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, according to Federal Election Commission form.
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Healthy Economy Action Fund also did not respond to questions sent by the Capital Journal.
Dickinson and Vorpahl said Ohioans for a Healthy Economy Action Fund also ran ads during the 2018, 2020 and 2022 Ohio Supreme Court races.
Ohio Chamber of Commerce approved Deters, Shanahan and Hawkins to the Ohio Supreme Court.
“The idea is to get their preferred judges on the bench,” Dickinson said. “The business entities and the billionaires in these corporations want to maintain the current majority on the court because it is good for business.”
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