J.R. Majewski, Republican candidate for U.S. Representative for Ohio's 9th Congressional District, speaks at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, Sept. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar, File)
  1. Frank LaRose hates seat belts and minimum wage increases

During a campaign stop in early February, Ohio Republican Senate candidate Frank LaRose expanded on a complaint about government overreach and used seat belt sensors as an example.

And during a candidate forum later in the month, LaRose said that raising Ohio’s minimum wage would lead to increased unemployment and “loss of business.”

  1. J.R. Majewski drops out of race after calling Special Olympics athletes ‘f—ing r—–ed’

During an appearance on the “Trifecta Hour” podcast in February, Ohio congressional candidate J.R. Majewski faced backlash after comparing Democrats on the internet to “f—ing r—–ed” Special Olympics athletes.

Majewski initially vowed to stay in the race after his use of an ableist slur resulted in him being censured by the Lake County Republican Party, which is largest GOP organization in the area he was running. But just days later, Majewski suspended his campaign and blamed the “Deep State.”

“While I know I would win, and have a great shot in the general election now that my record was cleared, it is inevitable that the Deep State will do whatever it takes to fight against me,” Majewski said. “Even going as far as attacking my family and once again accusing me of stolen valor.”

Majewski ran for the same seat in 2022, but his campaign took a fatal blow when he was caught lying about seeing combat while serving in the Marines.

  1. Tom Barrett doesn’t think abortion is an issue because he’s facing a man this time

During an interview with the Washington Examiner, Michigan GOP congressional candidate Tom Barrett contended that abortion would not be a major issue for him this cycle because his opponent is not a woman.

“My opponent is not a woman. He does not have the depth of resources that Slotkin had,” the former state senator said. “The top of the ticket should be far more competitive. The abortion proposal, which dominated the race and every race in America seemingly two years ago, is not on the ballot in Michigan this year.”

Barrett took a staunch anti-abortion stance when he ran for the seat in 2022. At the time, Barrett’s opponent was Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D), whose campaign routinely slammed Barrett for calling for strict abortion bans with no exceptions for rape or incest. Before losing what became the most expensive congressional election of the 2022 midterms, Barrett attempted to walk back his stance when his website’s abortion page was inexplicably scrubbed.

  1. Homophobia in Oklahoma

While responding to a question regarding an LGBTQ high school student who died a day after getting beat up in a school bathroom, Oklahoma state Sen. Tom Woods (R-Westville) attacked the community and said that he doesn’t want “that filth” in the state.

“We’re a Republican state, a supermajority in the House and Senate,” Woods said. “I represent a constituency that doesn’t want that filth in Oklahoma. We are a religious state, we are going to fight to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we’re a Christian state, we’re a moral state.”

Woods released a statement days later where he doubled down on his words and did not apologize. Woods received backlash on a national level and from members of his own party in Oklahoma, with state Sen. Greg Treat (R-Oklahoma City) calling Woods’ words “reprehensible.”

On a similar note, state Rep. Jim Olsen (R-Roland) regarded LGTBQ lifestyles as “immoral and harmful” while advocating in favor of House Bill 3217, a bill that would ban the state government from promoting Pride.

  1. Alabama’s IVF ruling

Through a Feb. 16 decision, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered human children. This ruling caused clinics in the state to stop performing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) services over fear of prosecution.

Republicans struggled to respond to the ruling, with Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) contradicting himself when he was approached by reporters. Despite the ruling shutting down services that would allow people to have more children, Tuberville said he supported the ruling and giving people the opportunity to have more children.

On the federal level, Republicans claimed to support IVF. However, Republicans blocked a bill to protect IVF proposed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) blocked the legislation over fears of overreach.

“I support the ability for mothers and fathers to have total access to IVF and bringing new life into the world,” Hyde-Smith said. “I also believe human life should be protected. These are not mutually exclusive.”