As he runs for re-election in the August 2 special primary, Ohio Republican Party (ORP) Committeeman David Johnson is suing Rick Barron who is challenging his bid to continue representing the ORP’s 33rd District (Columbiana, Carroll and Mahoning counties).
Also in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, Johnson sued political action committees that support Barron, including the Mahoning, Carroll and Columbiana Ohio Republican Political Action Committees (PACs). These three grassroots organizations are affiliates of the Ohio Republican PAC which exists outside the ORP, also known as the Ohio Republican State Central Committee.
Johnson describes the PACs as a “sham” and claims they were devised to mislead voters into thinking that Barron has the Republican Party’s formal support. He wants the court to make an injunction preventing Barron from touting the PACs’ support.
But Ohio Republican PAC President Kelly Kohls asserted in a statement that she wouldn’t remotely aim to imply that Barron has the backing of the Buckeye State’s GOP establishment, which her organization has trenchantly criticized.
“I am dismayed by the action taken by David Johnson who is the Treasurer of the Ohio Republican Party, but not surprised,” she said. “The very reason for the creation of our grassroots conservative Ohio Republican PAC, independent from the state party and formed eight years ago, is a direct reaction to the ongoing dysfunction and lack of direction of the Ohio Republican Party.”
As an example of such dysfunction, Kohls cited Johnson’s alleged failure as party treasurer to ensure that state GOP finances are properly and regularly audited. ORP finances are currently the subject of litigation by five committee members stating that “significant funds [amounting to more than $3 million] have gone missing from ORP financial statements without adequate explanation … .”
Kohls also noted that, in 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted lobbyist and former ORP Chair Mathew Borges in alleged connection with a $60 million bribery scheme in 2019 related to passage of House Bill 6. The legislation contained an infamous and since-repealed provision to bail out two nuclear power plants owned by FirstEnergy Corp. to the tune of $1 billion.
Johnson has described the Ohio Republican PAC and its affiliates as “non-existent organizations.”
Kohls called this assertion “completely false” and said the incumbent committeeman should “remove and retract his false statements against the Ohio Republican PAC and its affiliated county PACs.” In online comments, Barron noted that these grassroots committees are registered with the government, have existed for years and support candidates across the state.
Barron, who has also recently received the endorsement of Ohio Cops for Trump, is running on a platform of ending ORP primary endorsements, increasing ORP financial transparency through regular audits and requiring that the state committee hold roll-call votes rather than secret-ballot votes.
Johnson did not return a call seeking comment.
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Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Ohio Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
