Alex Triantafilou, the head of the Ohio Republican Party, responded Tuesday to the announcement that Ohio-born singer-songwriter John Legend is rallying with Democrats against State Issue 1, calling it an attempt to “trick ordinary people.”
“‘Ordinary people’ will not be tricked by Hollywood elites into selling Ohio’s Constitution to the highest bidder. Vote ‘Yes on 1’ to ensure constitutional changes have broad support and protect all Ohioans,” Triantafilou (pictured above, right) said.
This follows a Democratic-backed group, One Person One Vote, announcing that Legend would attend their Cincinnati rally on Tuesday afternoon to encourage attendees to vote against Issue 1 during the state’s special election on August 8th.
Issue 1, if approved by voters, would mandate a 60 percent approval percentage for any future constitutional amendments, call for signatures from all 88 counties, and do away with the opportunity to “cure” petitions by collecting additional signatures if necessary.
Vote Yes Ohio, the official campaign to protect the state Constitution, questioned why Ohioans should listen to Legend.
Although Legend was born in Ohio, he lives in California and is not a registered voter in the state, according to the advocacy group.
“The ‘No’ campaign has spent millions of dollars attempting to deceive Ohioans and their latest brilliant effort to rally their base is…wait for it…to bring in an out-of-state Hollywood elite! John Legend is not an Ohioan. He doesn’t live here, his kids don’t go to school here, he isn’t raising a family in Ohio, he doesn’t care about what is good for Ohio. Furthermore, he isn’t registered to vote here. Why would we listen to what he has to say on Issue 1? The bottom line is, Voting yes on Issue 1 is about protecting Ohioans from out-of-state special interests, including John Legend, who has no clue what is good for Ohio,” Vote Yes Ohio said.
Legend has been a long-time supporter of the Democrats. He and his wife, Chrissy Teigen, blasted then-President Donald Trump while speaking at a House Democratic retreat in 2019. The entertainer also performed at President Joe Biden’s prime-time inaugural concert in 2021.
He has shared the stage several times in support of Democratic Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval. Legend endorsed Ohio ballot initiatives such as one in 2018 that aimed to reduce penalties for drug traffickers. Voters opposed the initiative defeating it by 63 percent.
Five major Ohio businesses, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Ohio Restaurant Association, and the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association have endorsed Issue 1, saying that Ohio should safeguard the state Constitution and that they agree with State Issue 1’s requirement that initiative petitions gather signatures from at least 5 percent of electors from all of the state’s 88 counties.
The issue has also garnered support from numerous members of the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate as well as Ohio Secretary of State and U.S. Senate Candidate Frank LaRose and Ohio Auditor Keith Faber.
The legislation comes when pro–abortion activists are working to pass a proposed constitutional amendment in November that would legalize abortion throughout the state.
A second proposed amendment that would eventually raise the state’s minimum wage will likely appear on a 2024 ballot.
Voters will decide whether to approve State Issue 1 during a statewide special election on August 8th.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Alex Triantafilou” by Alex Triantafilou. Photo “John Legend” by © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com.
