In a state-wide address, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on Wednesday that individuals who get vaccinated will be entered for a chance to win a drawing of $1 million. Five different winners will be selected at a rate on one each week.
DeWine noted that the money to be given away comes from federal Coronavirus Relief funds.
“The Ohio Department of Health will be the sponsoring agency for the drawings, and the Ohio Lottery will conduct them. The money will come from existing federal Coronavirus Relief Funds,” DeWine explained.
Many critics have questioned the use of taxpayer money to fund these extravagant giveaways, including a potential GOP primary opponent to DeWine, former Rep. Jim Renacci.
Renacci told Breitbart News, “We should be reinvesting this money back into our state, our communities, our lakeshore — there are so many places we could reinvest this money, and yet we are going to give it away, just for getting a shot.” He continued, “This is a perfect example of how career politicians waste money. This is an idea that would only come from a Democrat, yet it’s coming from a Republican governor. This is not what a Republican governor of any state should be doing.”
Renacci also reinforced his consideration for the primary challenge.
A recent polling memo by Tony Fabrizio, a former pollster for President Trump, demonstrated DeWine’s vulnerability to Renacci in a hypothetical head-to-head contest, as reported by The Ohio Star.
The use of the taxpayer funds to giveaway large sums of money also leads to questions about the necessity of the state and local aid provided in the massive “American Rescue Plan” supported by President Joe Biden. What the President and lawmakers promised to be meaningful aid will, instead, be given away as a lottery-style drawing.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
