At the end of January, Cleveland.com praised Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) for a “record fundraising haul,” but buried an important part of the story in the process.
“As of Friday, DeWine’s campaign reported having more than $3.6 million in the bank after receiving more than $1.6 million since July 9, 2020, according to a filing with the Ohio secretary of state’s office,” the site said in a January 29 report, which was updated on January 31.
But while it might seem like DeWine is raking in cash, or that his support among donors is growing stronger, his campaign is actually in debt, a fact which Cleveland.com only glossed over. He provided his campaign a $4 million loan, and owes that money back to himself. Overall, he owes himself more than his campaign has on hand.
“DeWine’s report shows that so far, he has not paid himself back for $4 million he loaned his own campaign,” the report said later.
That’s a far cry from Cleveland.com’s framing, which said that DeWine is “already building a substantial war chest to fend off any Republican primary challengers to his 2022 re-election campaign.”
DeWine has been the target of outrage from within his own party, after his COVID-19 restrictions were viewed as overbearing by some.
Those who disagreed with the governor included several Republican members of the Ohio legislature.
At the end of November, State Rep. John Becker (R-OH-65) introduced 12 articles of impeachment against DeWine in December. Three of his Republican colleagues, then-Rep. Candice Keller (R-OH-53), Rep. Nino Vitale (R-OH-85) and Rep. Paul Zeltwanger (R-OH-54) joined in the effort.
The articles of impeachment alleged that DeWine, via COVID-19 restrictions, violated Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. It was the second time the state legislature attempted to impeach him last year.
“I’m envisioning two hearings in early December followed by a floor vote to allow for a trial in the Senate,” Becker said, according to WTOL. “The people of Ohio are looking forward to ending the madness and a Governor gone wild.”
DeWine called the allegations “foolishness” and telling the state legislature to, “Have at it.”
So far, that impeachment effort has not made its way out of the Ohio House of Representatives.
– – –
Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
