On Thursday, Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) expressed his frustration with the way Democrats are blaming Ohio for their decision to nominate President Joe Biden weeks before their scheduled August convention.
In the first week of August, the Democratic National Committee is set to conduct a virtual roll call. This decision has been made despite the convention being scheduled to begin on August 19. While the official reason for this move is to abide by an Ohio law that mandates parties to submit names for the November ballot by August 7, many believe that it is actually an attempt to outsmart the increasing number of Democrats who are calling for Biden to withdraw from the race.
At first, the party was informed by Ohio that it needed to comply with state law. However, Governor DeWine called for a special session of the state legislature and a temporary extension of the filing deadline was passed in late May.
During the final day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, he spoke to the Washington Examiner and expressed that it is ultimately up to them to decide what they want to do. However, he clarified that this should not be a reason for any particular action.
DeWine, as the governor, emphasized the importance of ensuring the presence of the Democratic nominee on the ballot. He affirmed that they passed the necessary measure to achieve this goal and firmly believes that it was the right decision.
As the Democratic National Committee convenes on Friday to discuss a way forward, Chairman Jaime Harrison denies that the issue has been settled. Despite the Ohio law taking effect in 90 days, the GOP could still litigate over ballot access, leaving the door open for further challenges.
DeWine dismissed the reasoning as an effort to shift blame onto Ohio.
He dismissed the notion that this could be perceived as a deceitful tactic by stating, “The idea that this is a dirty trick is simply absurd. If that was our intention, we would not have gone down this path. This is just mere garbage.”
Bernie Moreno, the Republican candidate for Senate in Ohio, dismissed the justification as a mere distraction from the “full-blown civil war on their hands.”
According to the Democratic National Committee, there are five states – California, Virginia, Montana, Oklahoma, and Washington – that may face filing deadline issues. However, elections officials in these states have expressed skepticism about such a scenario.
On Thursday, Moreno expressed to the Washington Examiner that he believes the attempts being made are just grasping for straws.
As former President Donald Trump was nominated by Republicans this week, the brewing rebellion against Biden within the Democratic party, with top members reportedly urging him to step down, has taken a backseat.
As the four-day convention drew to a close, the pressure mounted once again. In the past 24 hours, two Senate Democrats and six new House Democrats have called on Biden to withdraw from the race.
To read more from the Washington Examiner, simply click here.
The early filing deadlines in Ohio and other states have posed a challenge for accommodating major party conventions in the past. However, this year’s extension has caused controversy in the Ohio statehouse. Senate Republicans have called for the fix to be combined with a ban on foreign donations to ballot initiative campaigns.
Democrats accused Republicans of playing “partisan games” despite the passage of the extension alongside the campaign finance bill.