Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose joins crowded Senate race

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced his candidacy in the upcoming U.S. Senate race on Monday, joining a crowded and contentious primary.

LaRose has served as Ohio’s chief elections official since 2019 after spending eight years in the state Senate. He recently won reelection last November but is now seeking the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate race next year. LaRose joins two other prominent Republicans in the race, including Donald Trump-backed businessman Bernie Moreno and state Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls).

A central theme in LaRose’s career has been his attempts to limit access to abortion through legislation and attempts at blocking citizen-led ballot initiatives. LaRose repeatedly denied to reporters that his efforts to make it harder for voters to pass ballot measures had anything to do with abortion access despite saying the opposite to his supporters in a rally.

CAUGHT ON TAPE: Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who is working to make it harder for Ohioans to pass any majority-supported ballot measure, admits at a GOP event that the effort is “100%” about denying abortion access.

(VIDEO: @WEWS ) pic.twitter.com/lvNVPz9V96

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) June 3, 2023

In that same rally, LaRose appeared to oppose legalizing marijuana and raising the minimum wage.

Ohio Democratic party spokesperson Reeves Oyster teased LaRose’s entry into a heated primary that is starting to mirror the 2022 GOP primary that now-Sen. J.D. Vance won.

“The Republican ‘slugfest’ for Ohio’s Senate seat is shaping up to be another long, contentious battle that will leave whoever emerges damaged in the eyes of Ohio voters,” Oyster said. “In the days ahead, the people of Ohio should ask themselves: what is Frank LaRose really doing for us?”

Ohio’s primary elections will be held on March 19, 2024, and they will determine which Republican candidate will almost certainly challenge incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) that November.