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00:00:39Republicans
00:00:39won big in the 2024 vote.
00:00:41Donald Trump
00:00:42expanded on his wins in Ohio
00:00:42in the two previous elections,
00:00:46leading a red
00:00:46wave down the ticket
00:00:46and overwhelming Democrats.
00:00:50This week,
00:00:50some sound off on what
00:00:52the Ohio Democratic Party
00:00:52does now on the state of Ohio.
00:01:14Welcome to the state of Ohio.
00:01:16I'm Karen Kasler.
00:01:17This election has sparked
00:01:17celebration and anticipation
00:01:20among Republicans
00:01:20nationally and in Ohio,
00:01:23and depression and reflection
00:01:23among Democrats.
00:01:26This week, the thoughts of
00:01:26five key Democrats in Ohio
00:01:29about what happened
00:01:29in the 2024 election
00:01:32and where the party goes
00:01:32from here.
00:01:34I started with Allison Russo.
00:01:36House minority leader
00:01:37and a possible candidate
00:01:37for statewide office in 2026,
00:01:40when the five state executive
00:01:40offices, including governor,
00:01:43will be on the ballot,
00:01:43as well as U.S.
00:01:45Senate and two Supreme
00:01:45Court seats.
00:01:48I think and I have felt
00:01:48and we've talked about this
00:01:51within our caucus
00:01:51for a long time,
00:01:53is that we have to go back
00:01:53to the basics,
00:01:56and really center
00:01:56our messaging on again.
00:02:00What are those?
00:02:02Bread and butter issues that
00:02:02matter to the average Ohioan?
00:02:07And, and,
00:02:07you will see that in both
00:02:11how we talk about
00:02:11both the policies
00:02:12that we prioritize
00:02:14as, moving forward
00:02:14in this past General Assembly,
00:02:17how we talk about those
00:02:17within our districts.
00:02:21And it doesn't mean that
00:02:21we, again,
00:02:25don't fight
00:02:25vigorously for our values,
00:02:28around freedom and the dignity
00:02:28and the opportunity.
00:02:32But, you know, really, again,
00:02:32keeping our focus
00:02:37on what improves everyday
00:02:37Ohioans lives.
00:02:41And I think that our,
00:02:41our success,
00:02:44at least in our caucus
00:02:46and the way that we were best
00:02:46able to defend seats
00:02:48and pick up seats,
00:02:48speaks to that.
00:02:50And the work
00:02:50that we're doing, the work
00:02:52that we're doing back
00:02:52in our districts
00:02:53to communicate
00:02:53that to our constituents.
00:02:56Do you think the Democratic
00:02:56brand is broken?
00:02:59Is it,
00:03:00is are there
00:03:00parts of the state
00:03:02that just simply won't
00:03:02elect Democrats?
00:03:04Well, I it's
00:03:04really interesting to me that,
00:03:08when you talk about
00:03:08the issues that Democrats
00:03:12are fighting for
00:03:13or even when we say, you know,
00:03:13ballot issues, for example,
00:03:17and you talk about those
00:03:17no matter where you are
00:03:20in the state, by and large,
00:03:20there is agreement on that.
00:03:23Do I think that, people,
00:03:23you know, have fallen
00:03:27into their political teams
00:03:27and often I'm
00:03:31not sure
00:03:31that there is a lot of thought
00:03:33that happens is
00:03:33you're voting straight ticket,
00:03:36down the ticket
00:03:36at the ballot box.
00:03:40Do I think that,
00:03:40the brand of Ohio
00:03:43Democrats versus national
00:03:43Democrats is the same?
00:03:47I don't, I think, you know,
00:03:47when you look at, for example,
00:03:51the issues that Senator
00:03:51Sherrod Brown focuses on
00:03:54and the issues
00:03:55that we focus on here
00:03:55at the Ohio State House,
00:03:59you know, those are our very
00:03:59bread and butter issues.
00:04:03And so it is I think
00:04:03we have to really think about
00:04:06how do we better communicate
00:04:06to, to voters.
00:04:10And by and large,
00:04:10you know, again,
00:04:12our members are really good
00:04:14at doing that back
00:04:15in their districts
00:04:15when they're talking
00:04:17and working
00:04:17for their constituents.
00:04:19You have some Democrats
00:04:19who are saying that Democrats
00:04:21need to move away
00:04:21from identity politics
00:04:23and talk about
00:04:23more economic issues.
00:04:25Is that what you're saying
00:04:25here?
00:04:27Well, I think listen,
00:04:27you can fight for,
00:04:31fundamental freedom
00:04:31and fairness for all people.
00:04:36And you can do that
00:04:36while also
00:04:39talking about,
00:04:39the economic issues.
00:04:42But but I think that
00:04:43we all have to remember that
00:04:43at the end of the day, like,
00:04:46people are really,
00:04:48number one, it's
00:04:48hard to break through.
00:04:51Most people are not
00:04:52paying attention, to this
00:04:52until the very last minute.
00:04:55And, you know,
00:04:55most voters want to know,
00:05:00what are you going
00:05:00to do for me?
00:05:02How are you going to make
00:05:02my life some help better?
00:05:06And, you know, we've got
00:05:06to get that message across.
00:05:10Messaging is a concern
00:05:10for Chris Gibbs,
00:05:12who was the Republican Party
00:05:12chair and bright red Shelby
00:05:15County in western Ohio
00:05:17and voted for Donald
00:05:17Trump in 2016.
00:05:20He left the GOP
00:05:20over the tariff war
00:05:22with China in 2018,
00:05:23and now chairs the Shelby
00:05:23County Democratic Party.
00:05:27know,
00:05:27if you look at the wider
00:05:27picture, it looks like
00:05:29we didn't communicate
00:05:29with the working class voter.
00:05:33And that's fine.
00:05:34I think that's
00:05:34an Emerald City view.
00:05:36But to get there from
00:05:36get to here
00:05:38from there is there's
00:05:40a lot of flying monkeys
00:05:40between here and there.
00:05:42So I think
00:05:42what's going to have to happen
00:05:44with, with this party,
00:05:45in my humble view,
00:05:46is that we're going to have to
00:05:46have an internal discussion,
00:05:49maybe even a family food
00:05:49fight of who's got
00:05:52the microphone.
00:05:53Is it going to be the far left
00:05:53progressive left?
00:05:55And that's fine.
00:05:56Or is it going to be more
00:05:56centrist
00:05:58folks that we find out
00:05:58in, in counties
00:06:00that ruby red counties
00:06:00like Shelby County?
00:06:03We've got that discussion
00:06:03to have,
00:06:04and it's
00:06:04going to be a tough one.
00:06:06I know there are people who
00:06:06would say, hey, Sherrod Brown
00:06:08tried to appeal
00:06:10to more moderate voters,
00:06:10and obviously it didn't work.
00:06:12And maybe the goal is or
00:06:12the idea should be to go
00:06:16to the more
00:06:16progressive issues.
00:06:18Where do you fall in that?
00:06:21I can see that argument,
00:06:21however.
00:06:23Let's let's look at what
00:06:24we've tried
00:06:24that over the last 20 years,
00:06:26and we've continued to lose
00:06:28support
00:06:28in these ruby red counties,
00:06:30particularly rural
00:06:30counties like me.
00:06:31So if you want to go after
00:06:33the folks
00:06:33and get them off of the couch
00:06:35in Cleveland and Columbus
00:06:36in Cincinnati,
00:06:37because if we need to be
00:06:37more progressive, that's fine.
00:06:41And you may win elections,
00:06:41but you're never going
00:06:43to pick up people in the ruby
00:06:43red counties.
00:06:45You're going to continue
00:06:45to lose those folks because
00:06:49they don't feel like
00:06:50that faction of the party
00:06:50represents
00:06:52their values,
00:06:52and God love them.
00:06:54In the
00:06:54in the Democratic Party,
00:06:56everybody gets a voice, but
00:06:56not everybody gets their way.
00:06:58So at least
00:06:58everybody gets a voice here.
00:07:01And that's what makes
00:07:01a strong is a tapestry.
00:07:03So we've got that discussion
00:07:03to have in my view.
00:07:06We need to become
00:07:06more centrist.
00:07:07But we'll have that
00:07:07discussion.
00:07:08It's going to be a tough one.
00:07:10Donald Trump
00:07:11beat Kamala Harris in Shelby
00:07:11County by 65 points.
00:07:15And you were a Republican
00:07:15until just a few years ago.
00:07:19Is the Democratic brand
00:07:19in counties like Shelby
00:07:23County broken or is it
00:07:23the messaging or what is it?
00:07:27Well, let's not
00:07:27look just at Shelby County.
00:07:29Other counties are
00:07:29are the same.
00:07:31The brand is the issue.
00:07:32And thanks for bringing
00:07:32that up.
00:07:34Because brand is everything,
00:07:34whether it's marketing,
00:07:36whatever you want to do,
00:07:36you have to protect the brand.
00:07:39And the brand over
00:07:39the last two decades
00:07:41has been severely damaged.
00:07:42It's been it's
00:07:42you know what politics.
00:07:46Tip O'Neill used to say
00:07:46that all politics was local.
00:07:48I don't believe that anymore.
00:07:49All politics is now national
00:07:52and what's happened is
00:07:52the National Party
00:07:55has swept us all
00:07:55along, has swept
00:07:58the ruby red counties
00:07:58along with that agenda,
00:08:01and swept us away
00:08:01from the values of those folks
00:08:04in Shelby County
00:08:04and other counties.
00:08:07So that's what we're working
00:08:07on, is values voters,
00:08:10because I understand
00:08:10we understand that
00:08:13the people in Shelby County
00:08:15and the surrounding
00:08:15counties are values voters.
00:08:17They're not issues voters.
00:08:19Democrats can come in,
00:08:19bring them a new fire station.
00:08:22They can bring them
00:08:22a ribbon cutting.
00:08:24They can bring in marginal tax
00:08:25rates,
00:08:25whatever you want to bring.
00:08:27And they'll take it
00:08:27and they'll say, it's not.
00:08:28Thank you.
00:08:29Don't even don't even say
00:08:29thank you to child
00:08:31tax credits
00:08:31if you can get it passed.
00:08:33But they still won't vote
00:08:34for you
00:08:34because they don't believe
00:08:36that Democrats
00:08:36on the national level,
00:08:39spilling all the way
00:08:39down, share their values.
00:08:41This is a shared value
00:08:41discussion.
00:08:44So in all practicality,
00:08:44what do Democrats do now?
00:08:46Because there's
00:08:46a big race to 2026.
00:08:49Obviously the next
00:08:49presidential race in 2028.
00:08:51What can Democrats do now
00:08:51and where do the candidates
00:08:54come from?
00:08:56Well, we're going
00:08:56to start with leadership.
00:08:59Get it out of Washington, DC.
00:09:01I'm a proponent of Ken Martin
00:09:01out of Minnesota to be
00:09:04the DNC chair.
00:09:05We're going to have a new DNC
00:09:05chair
00:09:07that he's promised
00:09:07to put more resources
00:09:10not only in the state parties,
00:09:12but also
00:09:12in the county parties,
00:09:14so that we can
00:09:14run people everywhere.
00:09:16We need to
00:09:17run people everywhere and hold
00:09:17the MAGA Republicans.
00:09:21And by the way, there are
00:09:21no legacy Republicans left.
00:09:24They're all MAGA now.
00:09:25Where do you find
00:09:25the candidates?
00:09:30Anywhere and everywhere.
00:09:31Candidate quality.
00:09:32You know, Mitch McConnell said
00:09:32it. Let's agree.
00:09:34Mitch McConnell said candidate
00:09:34quality, is is important.
00:09:39It's a small pool
00:09:39in Shelby County.
00:09:41In Shelby County.
00:09:43We've
00:09:43got 33,000 registered voters,
00:09:4610,000 ish,
00:09:48registered Republicans
00:09:48and 1100 registered Democrats.
00:09:52So it's hard.
00:09:52It's a tough slog.
00:09:55But I tell you what,
00:09:57I go back to what's happened
00:09:57in Shelby County.
00:09:59And is this the the folks
00:09:59the Democrats were in hiding?
00:10:04Number one,
00:10:04we got them out and hiding,
00:10:06got them proud to stand up
00:10:06and put up.
00:10:07Even put a yard sign in
00:10:07their yard was tough
00:10:10because they were literally
00:10:10scared.
00:10:12Scared they were.
00:10:14It was it was
00:10:14it was a hard slog to have
00:10:16haven't put up a sign or yard.
00:10:18from nine individuals
00:10:18But now folks, we've got went
00:10:22on Central Committee.
00:10:23We've rebuilt
00:10:23that to 22 people
00:10:25in the Central Committee now.
00:10:26So we're over half of the
00:10:26of the 36, precincts.
00:10:30And people are clawing at
00:10:30the door to be in leadership.
00:10:33I thought after
00:10:34I, after the, the election
00:10:34that people would recoil.
00:10:37They're not they're even more
00:10:37motivated now.
00:10:40So out of that group,
00:10:41out of those folks,
00:10:41those volunteers, those folks
00:10:43that came in and got
00:10:43signs from my headquarters,
00:10:46that's
00:10:46where the pool of candidates
00:10:47is going to come from.
00:10:48Jordan Hawkins knows about
00:10:48get out the vote efforts
00:10:51as president of the Ohio
00:10:51Young Black Democrats.
00:10:54He pushes back on the idea
00:10:54that Democrats either
00:10:56need to try to lure
00:10:56in moderate voters
00:10:59and stay away from identity
00:10:59politics,
00:11:01or lean into
00:11:01more progressive positions.
00:11:05I think we're presenting
00:11:05a false choice.
00:11:07I think when you look
00:11:07at the connective
00:11:09tissue
00:11:09of what binds everyday Ohioans
00:11:13from people like myself
00:11:14who reside in Columbus
00:11:14to folks who reside in Lima,
00:11:17where, you know,
00:11:19unfortunately, our soon
00:11:19to be speaker, resides,
00:11:23you know,
00:11:23what you look at is folks
00:11:23who they want to get by,
00:11:26they want to be able
00:11:26to make ends meet.
00:11:28They want to be able
00:11:28to pay their rent.
00:11:29They want to be able
00:11:29to get into that house.
00:11:31They want to be able
00:11:31to protect their crops.
00:11:33They want to be able to be
00:11:33represented in a labor union.
00:11:35They want to see their wages
00:11:35go up and for it to be again
00:11:39congruent with where
00:11:39prices are going up.
00:11:41That is something
00:11:41that connects all of us.
00:11:43I can keep going.
00:11:43We can talk about health care.
00:11:45We can talk about education,
00:11:46the bread and butter issues
00:11:46and kitchen table issues
00:11:49that connects
00:11:49all of us are not things
00:11:51that are just about,
00:11:51you know, Republican voters
00:11:53or Democratic voters
00:11:53and independent voters.
00:11:55This is all of us.
00:11:56And so you're asking me
00:11:56where we need to go with Ohio
00:11:59and just kind of
00:11:59what are the issues
00:12:00we need to focus on
00:12:00going forward?
00:12:02Let's continue
00:12:02to present a message
00:12:04for the working class.
00:12:04Let's be better at that.
00:12:07As Democrats and as folks
00:12:07who, again,
00:12:09are just caring about everyday
00:12:09working people.
00:12:11Let's talk about education.
00:12:11Let's talk about health care.
00:12:14Because those are the things
00:12:14that Ohioans,
00:12:16no matter where you live,
00:12:16aren't care about.
00:12:18And what matters.
00:12:19And so I think that, you know,
00:12:20we can't make a choice between
00:12:20we got to go more moderate,
00:12:23we got to go more progressive.
00:12:24Let's talk about things
00:12:24that everybody cares about.
00:12:26And we know we can do
00:12:26better at,
00:12:27which is helping everyday
00:12:27people make ends meet
00:12:29no matter where they live.
00:12:31Democrats need the big
00:12:31counties in Ohio to win.
00:12:34And in, Franklin
00:12:34County, turnout was 65.5%.
00:12:39That's lower than the 69%,
00:12:39almost 70% turnout.
00:12:44But it got worse when you
00:12:44looked at other counties.
00:12:46Cuyahoga County, 64% turnout.
00:12:49Hamilton 67%.
00:12:50Lucas 61%.
00:12:53How do you
00:12:54energize those voters
00:12:55and get them to turn out
00:12:55in the bigger numbers?
00:12:57You need to win Ohio.
00:12:59I think it takes off year
00:12:59programing.
00:13:01And again, we have to change
00:13:01a little bit of the culture.
00:13:05As I put it, in terms of ways
00:13:05that we're engaging
00:13:08with our constituents.
00:13:09I mean, again,
00:13:09you look at all those counties
00:13:11you named,
00:13:11we have a lot of Democrats,
00:13:14and people who are in control
00:13:16of a lot of the local politics
00:13:16in these areas.
00:13:18And these are great
00:13:18public servants.
00:13:20These are great
00:13:20dedicated people.
00:13:21I've worked
00:13:21with many of them,
00:13:23you know,
00:13:24definitely helping them out
00:13:24with their campaigns
00:13:25and also just
00:13:25organizing on the issues
00:13:27are they care about.
00:13:29Let's make sure
00:13:29in the off years
00:13:30that we are continuing this
00:13:30fight,
00:13:32continuing this engagement,
00:13:32what are we doing on
00:13:35the official side of our
00:13:35things that we're translating,
00:13:38when it comes
00:13:38time for the election,
00:13:39along those issues
00:13:39that I talked about before,
00:13:42which are kitchen
00:13:42table issues that cut through
00:13:42what everybody
00:13:44and that clearly the message
00:13:44that was sent
00:13:46was that that trumps
00:13:46all right, no pun intended.
00:13:50You know, that is, of course,
00:13:51no pun intended with that man.
00:13:52But,
00:13:52that is something that, again,
00:13:54I believe
00:13:55that we need to try
00:13:55to focus on in order
00:13:57to get more of our folks
00:13:57engaged,
00:13:59we can talk about, again,
00:13:59rightfully so.
00:14:01Frank Larose is voter
00:14:01suppression policies
00:14:03and the General Assembly,
00:14:03Republicans
00:14:06who like to manipulate
00:14:06ballot language
00:14:08and fix elections with
00:14:08districts that are illegal.
00:14:11But at the end of the day,
00:14:11what we have to do is focus on
00:14:15the good people
00:14:15we have in our communities,
00:14:15counties, cities,
00:14:18make sure we're talking
00:14:18to our constituents
00:14:20and make sure they're engaged
00:14:20in the civic process, on
00:14:22and on, years and off years,
00:14:22as we call them.
00:14:252026 is just around
00:14:25the corner.
00:14:27You got a lot of offices that
00:14:27are up for grabs this time.
00:14:30Where did the candidates
00:14:30come from
00:14:32and how can you start
00:14:32working on 2026 now?
00:14:36Yeah, so I mean, listen,
00:14:36I think we have a
00:14:38we have a bench.
00:14:38We have a bench here in Ohio.
00:14:41I think it's just about folks
00:14:41taking that step,
00:14:44and making sure that they know
00:14:44that they're next up.
00:14:46I think we saw that nationally
00:14:46with our Democratic Party.
00:14:49I mean, we have to continue
00:14:49to pass the torch
00:14:52for also continue
00:14:53to go back to the folks
00:14:54who have laid the foundation
00:14:54for us and know how to win,
00:14:57you know, so I thanks for 2026
00:14:57like it is about the folks
00:15:00who are about our party,
00:15:00who are about this messaging
00:15:02that I'm talking about around
00:15:02working class people,
00:15:05unions,
00:15:05educators. Again, folks
00:15:07from all different sorts
00:15:07of backgrounds.
00:15:09It's about getting those folks
00:15:10that will centralize
00:15:10that message to the forefront
00:15:13and making sure
00:15:14they're starting now and
00:15:14starting as early as possible.
00:15:16We're getting our coalition
00:15:18together
00:15:18because it's out there.
00:15:19We've seen it in 2023.
00:15:21We had a very good stroke,
00:15:21a couple of elections
00:15:24where that coalition showed
00:15:24up, I don't.
00:15:26And of course,
00:15:26we still have folks out there
00:15:28deep in our bench
00:15:28that maybe they just ran.
00:15:30Maybe these are folks
00:15:30who are newer
00:15:32in our cities and counties,
00:15:32but they are there.
00:15:35And I know
00:15:35once we start
00:15:35putting our heads together
00:15:37and putting that work together
00:15:37and starting on day one,
00:15:39of course,
00:15:40as soon as January starts,
00:15:40we're going to be able
00:15:42to put together
00:15:42a good coalition again
00:15:44and make a run for this.
00:15:45David Pepper was the Ohio
00:15:45Democratic Party
00:15:48chair from 2015
00:15:48until he stepped down
00:15:50after big losses
00:15:50for Democrats in 2020.
00:15:53He has run for statewide
00:15:53office twice,
00:15:55and has become a fixture
00:15:55among political junkies on X
00:15:58for his whiteboard videos
00:16:00and threads on gerrymandering,
00:16:00vouchers
00:16:02and state House corruption,
00:16:02among other topics.
00:16:05we're talking here
00:16:05about a mindset
00:16:09that from now on,
00:16:09we run everywhere.
00:16:13We talk about public schools,
00:16:13everywhere we sound like
00:16:16Sherrod Brown in these areas,
00:16:16everywhere we go.
00:16:19And and if you're not there,
00:16:19don't be surprised
00:16:24if their message dominates
00:16:24at all levels of the ballot.
00:16:27So I think that's
00:16:27a big part of it.
00:16:29And it's money, but it's also
00:16:29just a sort of a mindset
00:16:33that we're not only you're
00:16:33not going to win running in
00:16:37only some places, you've got
00:16:37to get out there more broadly.
00:16:39And again,
00:16:40just to be clear, more people
00:16:42ran this year in Ohio
00:16:42than in the past.
00:16:44It was a tough cycle,
00:16:44so it didn't pay off.
00:16:46But in 26
00:16:49it went.
00:16:50When I think
00:16:51there will be a lot for
00:16:51Republicans to answer for the,
00:16:54you know, John Houston's
00:16:55running for governor,
00:16:56he's got a lot to answer for
00:16:57when it comes
00:16:57to his involvement
00:16:59in First Energy
00:17:00and eCard and vouchers
00:17:00that are so unpopular.
00:17:03I think that's a really good
00:17:04time to make sure you have
00:17:04candidates running everywhere,
00:17:06because you got a guy
00:17:06at the top of the ticket.
00:17:08Let's say if it's Houston
00:17:09who will have a lot to answer
00:17:09for, just like I think when
00:17:12Donald Trump policies
00:17:12of of of wild tariffs
00:17:16and other things
00:17:16start to lead to inflation,
00:17:19you're going to want to be
00:17:19on the ballot
00:17:21everywhere,
00:17:21holding people accountable.
00:17:22So I think that 26 is a year
00:17:22where where we should learn
00:17:27from our mistakes,
00:17:27message better,
00:17:29but also be present
00:17:29more broadly
00:17:31so you can take advantage
00:17:32of the fact that Republicans
00:17:32are going to own
00:17:34a lot of problems
00:17:34going into that election.
00:17:36Where do you get
00:17:36the candidates for the
00:17:39the many seats
00:17:39that will be open in 2026?
00:17:41I mean,
00:17:41they come from the left.
00:17:43They come from more moderate.
00:17:44And shouldn't
00:17:44they be starting now to
00:17:48get their campaigns together
00:17:48and fundraise together?
00:17:51I wouldn't say now,
00:17:51but I'd say darn body.
00:17:53A lot of them can come from
00:17:53people who just ran.
00:17:56There was there were a lot
00:17:56of great people who ran.
00:17:58I met a lot of them.
00:17:59I supported a lot of them
00:17:59through blue Ohio.
00:18:01Really good people.
00:18:01Who were they?
00:18:02Veterans, school teachers,
00:18:02you know, community activists,
00:18:06local officials,
00:18:06board of education are
00:18:09they're the key is
00:18:09they're in the community
00:18:13and they're known
00:18:13in the community.
00:18:14And we had a lot of good
00:18:14people run.
00:18:17And, you know,
00:18:18when you run, there's a lot
00:18:20you could do to control
00:18:20the outcome yourself.
00:18:22But you also have a lot of
00:18:23other forces
00:18:23that are bigger than you.
00:18:25So you're on the team
00:18:27and sometimes you win
00:18:27or lose with a team.
00:18:28But my my
00:18:28advice to people who did run
00:18:33and so good
00:18:33about it, which they should
00:18:36and enjoyed it,
00:18:36which you need to keep going.
00:18:39That's why Casey
00:18:39Weinstein's a state senator.
00:18:41He lost his first election.
00:18:41He kept running.
00:18:44Phil Robinson kept running.
00:18:45Jessica Miranda kept running.
00:18:48So won.
00:18:49There are a lot of people
00:18:50who just ran
00:18:50who should keep going,
00:18:51and they already have
00:18:51an infrastructure.
00:18:53But others, like the ones
00:18:53I'm talking about,
00:18:56they can come
00:18:56from all sorts of backgrounds,
00:18:59but the key is that the best
00:18:59kind of candidate
00:19:01that we're talking about here
00:19:02is someone in good
00:19:02standing in the community.
00:19:04They were a teacher
00:19:04for 20 years.
00:19:06So in a smaller community,
00:19:06everyone who went to
00:19:08that school
00:19:08took their history class.
00:19:10They're a natural.
00:19:11They were a firefighter.
00:19:13They were another type
00:19:13of public servant.
00:19:15There's someone
00:19:15who help people in other ways.
00:19:17They're out there.
00:19:18They just need
00:19:18to be communicated with that.
00:19:22We value them running.
00:19:23And one of the things
00:19:24that in the past,
00:19:24at least has, has happened
00:19:27is the Democratic Party
00:19:27has sent many of them
00:19:30a message that,
00:19:30oh, if you're not in
00:19:32a swing district,
00:19:32we don't value running.
00:19:36If that's the message,
00:19:37why would they ever run
00:19:37for anything?
00:19:38Because not even their own
00:19:38party values it.
00:19:41That's changing again.
00:19:43North Carolina
00:19:44had a lot of uncontested races
00:19:44two years ago.
00:19:47They only had two uncontested
00:19:47this time in the whole state.
00:19:51North Carolina
00:19:51had a pretty good year.
00:19:53They just want a Supreme Court
00:19:53race by 600 votes.
00:19:56If it weren't
00:19:57for all those people
00:19:58running all over
00:19:58North Carolina,
00:19:59they wouldn't have won that
00:19:59race. So.
00:20:01So I think that, in Ohio,
00:20:01we had we had,
00:20:05zero uncontested races in 2018
00:20:05to Fred Strayhorn
00:20:09credit, that's the same year
00:20:09we picked up six seats.
00:20:12So there's a value to it.
00:20:14And I think if you're so
00:20:14the people are out there,
00:20:18they the potential candidates
00:20:18are in these communities.
00:20:21But the party needs to send
00:20:21a clear message that even
00:20:24if you're in a quite red area,
00:20:25even if it feels like a tough,
00:20:25gerrymandered district,
00:20:28there's a value to people
00:20:29stepping up and running,
00:20:29especially now,
00:20:32far more than even
00:20:32usual times,
00:20:34because it's
00:20:34the void of running.
00:20:36It's the void of messaging
00:20:37that's really sort of
00:20:37it doesn't hurt Democrats.
00:20:39It frankly hurts democracy.
00:20:41It's deja vu for Dave
00:20:41Beatrice, the former chair
00:20:43of the Mahoning
00:20:43County Democratic Party.
00:20:46He warned Hillary Clinton's
00:20:46campaign in May 2016
00:20:49that she would lose
00:20:49the Mahoning Valley,
00:20:51as well as Michigan
00:20:51and Pennsylvania,
00:20:53because the party
00:20:53was no longer
00:20:54speaking to the concerns
00:20:54of the working class.
00:20:57Beatrice
00:20:57says that's still the case,
00:20:59and the party cannot continue
00:20:59to insult or talk down
00:21:02to people with words
00:21:02like fascist and racist
00:21:05and expect to get votes from
00:21:05them.
00:21:07Is the Democratic Party
00:21:07in Ohio a lost cause?
00:21:10Where do they go from
00:21:10here? Right as a party. Go.
00:21:15My opinion
00:21:17was Walter should resign.
00:21:20She lost.
00:21:21Sherrod Brown race lost.
00:21:23I mean, I know her.
00:21:26I mean, I like her,
00:21:26but this isn't about liking
00:21:28someone.
00:21:29It's not about your feelings.
00:21:31It's about winning.
00:21:33And if we keep her
00:21:33as the chairman.
00:21:35Well, what?
00:21:36Something's going to be
00:21:36different in two years.
00:21:38You got to burn the place down
00:21:38and rebuild it,
00:21:41okay?
00:21:41You got to clean house
00:21:43and wipe out everyone that's
00:21:43there and bring in a new team.
00:21:47Our team is losing.
00:21:49We have played our players
00:21:49and they aren't doing well.
00:21:52Well,
00:21:52let's just keep playing them
00:21:54because that sounds like
00:21:54a winning plan, doesn't it?
00:21:57No it doesn't,
00:21:57not to me it doesn't.
00:22:00And so,
00:22:02you know, I'm no longer
00:22:02the chairman of a party.
00:22:04And, you know,
00:22:04I don't have any say so,
00:22:07but if you're asking me,
00:22:07I, I'd blowtorch the whole
00:22:11Democratic Party to the ground
00:22:11and bring in new people.
00:22:15What are you going to do,
00:22:15lose?
00:22:17We've been doing that for
00:22:17cycle after cycle after cycle.
00:22:20I mean, I haven't heard
00:22:20Marcy Kaptur is in trouble.
00:22:23Really?
00:22:24Marcy Kaptur is in trouble.
00:22:27I can't believe that.
00:22:29That's shocking to me.
00:22:31A Democrat couldn't win
00:22:33Tim Ryan's district
00:22:33now, with a shotgun.
00:22:37But we have issues that we can
00:22:37go after Republicans on.
00:22:40We don't know how to message
00:22:40on the corrupt.
00:22:43The level of corruption
00:22:45has gotten so bad,
00:22:45but no one knows about it.
00:22:48No one knows they're paying
00:22:48extra dollars every month
00:22:51on their on their heating
00:22:51bill.
00:22:53Okay. Because of a bribe.
00:22:55You ever heard Democrats
00:22:55talk about that?
00:22:58We have this crazy thing
00:22:58with the with econ, where?
00:23:01So we took our tax dollars,
00:23:01we gave it to a corporation.
00:23:05They bought a computer.
00:23:05They get to keep it.
00:23:07But if a public school buys
00:23:07that computer,
00:23:09it's public property.
00:23:11But e court,
00:23:11that's their property.
00:23:13These are all
00:23:14these are all gifts for us and
00:23:14we don't know how to use it.
00:23:17You gotta have people
00:23:17that have bravery
00:23:19and are willing to run
00:23:19on their gut and have passion
00:23:23and talk to voters
00:23:23and don't talk down to voters,
00:23:27you know, and, and and we've
00:23:27lost the ability to do that.
00:23:30We've just I don't know,
00:23:30we've we need a populist.
00:23:34We need a populist who doesn't
00:23:34sound like a socialist.
00:23:37I don't mean a bad
00:23:37because, you know, I mean,
00:23:41Alexandria,
00:23:43Cortez,
00:23:43she did some on Instagram
00:23:46and there were Trump Cortez
00:23:46voters.
00:23:49Sounds bizarre right?
00:23:51There were a lot of Trump
00:23:51Sherrod Brown voters.
00:23:54The problem is Donald Trump
00:23:54won the state by 11 points.
00:23:57If if we could have kept
00:23:58that down to seven point,
00:23:58Sherrod would retain his seat.
00:24:01I mean, but, you know,
00:24:05people like authenticity.
00:24:07We don't look
00:24:07authentic anymore.
00:24:10No one sounds authentic
00:24:10anymore. No.
00:24:11Everyone sounds
00:24:12stilted and jilted and
00:24:12and and, you can't see this.
00:24:17Can't pass off that group.
00:24:17Can't do this to this group.
00:24:19And we've lost the ability
00:24:19to know how to win.
00:24:25I think
00:24:27we couldn't
00:24:27even beat Donald Trump.
00:24:29If if Democrats out there
00:24:29think
00:24:32that our brand is good,
00:24:32we couldn't beat Donald Trump.
00:24:35And he took the Senate.
00:24:36I think they're going
00:24:36to take the House.
00:24:38So you're going to tell me our
00:24:38brand's not bad.
00:24:41Well, okay, tell me that
00:24:41because that's total B.S..
00:24:47What do
00:24:47you want me to say to you?
00:24:48I mean, we lost.
00:24:50We're in a zero
00:24:50sum game. Here's what happens.
00:24:53You either win
00:24:53or you sit on the bench.
00:24:56And now we're over there
00:24:56on the bench,
00:24:57watching and eating popcorn
00:24:57as they're going to just
00:25:01run over people. So good job.
00:25:04So what I say
00:25:04good job Democrats.
00:25:06You really you really know
00:25:06how to message.
00:25:08Yeah.
00:25:09Yeah our brand
00:25:09is really right on.
00:25:12I don't know how anyone
00:25:12can come to that conclusion
00:25:15with such a flawed candidate
00:25:15that he was.
00:25:18And we couldn't beat him.
00:25:20That tells me.
00:25:22Wasn't Kamala Harris's fault.
00:25:23Our brand is bad.
00:25:25We lost Senate races.
00:25:26We lost congressional races.
00:25:28Every county
00:25:28moved to the right
00:25:31in the state, New York,
00:25:31California, all of them.
00:25:35All right.
00:25:36Don't tell me our brand
00:25:36isn't Our brand stinks.
00:25:39It stinks.
00:25:39And we got to re fix it.
00:25:41And that is it for this week
00:25:42for my colleagues
00:25:42at the statehouse.
00:25:43News viewers of Ohio
00:25:43Public Media.
00:25:45Thanks for watching.
00:25:46Please check out our website
00:25:46at State News.
00:25:48Org or find us online
00:25:48by searching.
00:25:50State of Ohio show.
00:25:52You can also hear more
00:25:52from the video
00:25:53on our podcast,
00:25:53The Ohio State House scoop.
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00:25:58your podcasts.
00:25:59Happy Thanksgiving
00:25:59and please join us again
00:26:01next time
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