(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . OH-Sen: EPIC FAIL! Comedy Duo's "Pornographic Parody" Song Played During GOPer's Campaign Kickoff [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-07-19 Hey all! I’ve been on a bit of a sabbatical from writing diaries because I’ve had to handle both personal and professional projects but I am going to be getting back into the swing of things. Let’s start things off in Ohio where Suffolk University released their first Ohio poll last night on next year’s U.S. Senate race: x 2024 Ohio Senate Race: Sherrod Brown (D-inc) 45% Frank LaRose (R) 45% . Sherrod Brown (D-inc) 46% (+3) Matt Dolan (R) 43% . Sherrod Brown (D-inc) 48% (+7) Bernie Moreno (R) 41%@Suffolk_U/@USATODAY, 500 LV, 7/9-12https://t.co/rssBQB5QmZ pic.twitter.com/conyxsg9Hy — Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) July 18, 2023 Just over half of Ohio registered voters approve of the job Sen. Sherrod Brown is doing in Congress, according to a new USA Today-Suffolk University poll of the state. But the Democratic incumbent is still locked in a tough race for reelection in a reddening state. Brown has narrow leads in two potential head-to-head matchups against Republicans and is tied with another, the poll shows. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's approval rating in the state is just 41%. Republican Secretary of state Frank LaRose, who just jumped into the Senate race this week, is tied with Brown at 45 percent apiece. When asked whether voters prefer Brown or GOP state Sen. Matt Dolan, another contender for the Republican nomination for Senate, 46% of voters say they prefer Brown and 43% say they prefer Dolan. Brown enjoys the widest edge over businessman Bernie Moreno, who is also in the race for the Republican nomination. Brown was preferred by 48% of those surveyed, to 41% of voters who preferred Moreno. Here’s are the rest of the numbers in Ohio: x 2024 Ohio GE: Donald Trump (R) 44% (+6) Joe Biden (D) 38% Cornel West (G) 2% Independent candidate 9% . Ron DeSantis (R) 39% (+2) Joe Biden (D) 37% Cornel West (G) 2% Independent candidate 10% .@Suffolk_U/@USATODAY, 500 LV, 7/9-12https://t.co/rssBQB5QmZ — Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) July 18, 2023 x 2024 Ohio Senate — Republican Primary: Frank LaRose 19% Matt Dolan 14% Bernie Moreno 9% Undecided 57% .@Suffolk_U/@USATODAY, 190 RV, 7/9-12https://t.co/SbyBQgCV5e https://t.co/rssBQB6ocx — Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) July 18, 2023 LaRose launched his campaign this week and (of all places) The New York Post pointed out it was off to a rocky start: x YouTube Video As Republican Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose launched his campaign for Senate with a Monday call to his supporters, a pornographic parody song served as embarrassing entrance music. As campaign staffers unmuted LaRose to make his big announcement, “The Loophole” by comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates rang out over the line with the decidedly unconservative lyrics: “F—k me in the a— ’cause I love Jesus.” The 2015 tune, which pokes fun at conservative Christians who choose sodomy over sex to preserve their virginities, continued to play as campaign workers attempted to mute latecomers to the call. Here’s the song for reference: x YouTube Video Here’s where the primary is going to get interesting: He’s likely to face questions about his loyalty to former President Donald Trump, his tenure as his state’s top elections official and his ability to keep pace with his two wealthier GOP opponents. Still, the former state senator has less baggage from an election standpoint. Both Dolan and Moreno initially launched campaigns in 2022 for retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman’s seat. Dolan placed third in the primary and Moreno dropped out of the race after discussing the primary pileup with Trump. The former president is likely to play a large role in the race, with Moreno closely aligning himself with Trump, despite being a one-time critic — a similar tack embraced by Vance. While Trump publicly encouraged Moreno to enter the race, the presidential contender has not offered an official endorsement. Moreno, who raised $2.2 million last quarter without any self-funding, did snag backing from Vance, who Trump eventually endorsed in the midterms. “I like Frank — he’s a good guy,” Vance said. “Obviously I’ve endorsed Bernie Moreno. I think Bernie is the best guy to win in November.” Dolan has been more critical of Trump, faulting him for perpetuating “lies about the outcome” of the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. Trump suggested last cycle that Dolan is “not fit” to serve in the Senate. Still, Dolan says he doesn’t view himself as anti-Trump. LaRose is somewhere in the middle. He touts that he was the only secretary of state Trump endorsed in 2022, and he says he wants Trump’s endorsement for Senate. But he’s not ready to return the favor for Trump’s presidential bid, saying he wants “more time to lapse” and that he will “make a decision about who I’m going to endorse at a later date.” “I think he did a tremendous job as president,” LaRose said. “His style is not the same as mine. I conduct myself differently than he does. But I’d be proud to have his endorsement.” And his efforts to secure a Trump endorsement could be complicated by a private recording, first reported by POLITICO, of LaRose indicating in May that power of Trump’s endorsement is overstated and that only “20 percent” of GOP voters will vote for who Trump endorses. Uh, yeah, about that: x 2024 Ohio Republican Primary: Trump 48% (+25) DeSantis 23% Scott 5% Pence 4% Christie 4% Ramaswamy 2% Haley 2% Hutchinson 2% Elder 1% Hurd 1% Johnson 1% Binkley 0% Burgum 0% Suarez 0% .@Suffolk_U/@USATODAY, 190 RV, 7/9-12https://t.co/SbyBQgCV5e https://t.co/rssBQB6ocx — Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) July 18, 2023 Either way, we need to brace for a tight race and it looks like LaRose’s plan to suppress the vote when it comes to Abortion Rights isn’t paying off: x Who said all political ads are boring? This is probably the hottest political ad you’ll ever see. OHIO vote NO on August 8th 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nGv4Q8LUrT — Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) July 15, 2023 Ohio voters already are turning out in droves to cast ballots in the first days of early voting for the Aug. 8 special election, eclipsing turnout several times over for the same time period during last year’s May primary. Last week, 66,314 Ohioans voted, compared to the 11,935 who did so during the first four days of early voting in May 2022. That’s more than four times as many ballots cast statewide for the Aug. 8 election, which will decide the fate of State Issue 1, than in the May election that featured a competitive GOP primary for U.S. Senate, a contested Democratic primary for governor and down-ballot races on both sides of the aisle. It’s unclear what the surge in early voting, which is particularly pronounced in urban and suburban areas, could foretell for State Issue 1, which would make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution. Ohio hasn’t had a statewide August election to decide a ballot issue in more than a century, leaving it without a modern direct comparison. Voters could be banking their votes before jetting off for summer vacations, suggesting an imminent drop-off as Election Day approaches — although early voting typically ramps up closer to Election Day. More voters could be opting to vote in person, instead of voting by mail, leading the results to be recorded faster, although vote-by-mail requests are up, too. Or, it could suggest an unprecedented and unexpected turnout for a plan that could stonewall future efforts to go around the GOP-controlled state legislature to pass direct law changes by asking voters to add them to the state constitution. Some context here: LaRose has championed a ballot initiative that would require a 60% vote — as opposed to a simple majority — to amend the Ohio Constitution. If the measure passes in an August special election, the higher threshold would be in place for an amendment to protect abortion rights that is expected to be on the November ballot. Moreno's campaign welcomed LaRose to the race by accusing him of shifting his focus away from a special election in which early voting is underway. "Like a true career politician, Frank LaRose has spent the last 13 years of his life constantly running for higher office," Moreno spokesperson Conor McGuinness said. "With the all-important Issue 1 vote coming up in August, he should instead focus on the job he has." LaRose, a former state senator, fired back: "Has he suspended his campaign to campaign exclusively for Issue 1? If he had, maybe I would take that seriously." If you’re an Ohio voter, click here to find your polling place to vote on Election Day. Health, Democracy and Freedom are all the ballot next year and we need to get ready to make sure Senator Brown and his fellow Ohio Democrats are ready to win. Click below to donate and get involved with Brown and his fellow Ohio Democrats campaigns: Sherrod Brown Marcy Kaptur Greg Landsman Shontel brown [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/19/2182254/-OH-Sen-EPIC-FAIL-Comedy-Duo-s-Pornographic-Parody-Song-Played-During-GOPer-s-Campaign-Kickoff Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/