“…here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.” – John F Kennedy’s Inaugural Address
Ohio
Yesterday was primary day in both Ohio and Indiana. Here in Ohio, the table was set for two momentous battles this fall. Since 2016, Ohio has been a typical “Red” state, giving secure majorities to Donald Trump each time his name appeared on the ballot. But in 2018 and in 2023, there were glimmers of Democratic hope. In 2018 Democrat Sherrod Brown defended his Senate seat. And in 2023, 57% of Ohioans voted for the Abortion Rights Amendment to the state Constitution.
Trump was not on the ballot in either of those elections. In 2024, Brown was defeated by Columbian born, MAGA loyalist Bernie Moreno, washed away in a Trump 11% victory in the state over Kamala Harris. And Ohio remains “Red”: all but one of the statewide elected officials in the state are Republicans.
Tickets
Trump’s not on the ballot in 2026 either. Brown is now running for the Senate seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance. His opponent is appointed Senator and former Lieutenant Governor John Husted. It’s expected that it will be one of the most expensive races in the Nation, and key to whether Democrats might gain control of the Senate.
And in the Gubernatorial race, the field is set as well. The Republican Party made sure that Trump supported billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy had an uncontested path to the nomination. And Democrats, after the usual early waffling, fell in behind former State Director of Health Amy Acton.
Baggage
Both candidates carry some of what many would consider “baggage”. Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati of immigrant Indian parents. Nether were US citizens at the time. It will be interesting to see whether the Party standing against “birthright citizenship” will rally behind a “birthright” citizen. And, of course, there’s the undercurrent of whether a man of Indian ancestry can appeal to MAGA voters.
Acton was the non-partisan Ohio Director of Health, appointed by Republican Governor Mike DeWine, during the beginning of the Covid Pandemic. She became “the face” of Ohio’s response: masking, school closures, and social distancing. DeWine stood with her until the Republican dominated State Legislature threatened to remove his emergency powers. Then he folded, and allowed her to resign to “take the heat”.
She has returned as a strong Democratic candidate, but the commercials are already running tying her to DeWine’s early Covid emergency actions. The divisions of Covid; masking, closures, and “essential workers”, cut directly along party lines. And, of course, Ramaswamy is already spending millions of his own money. Acton is out raising him in public, but that makes little difference to a billionaire with his own ample checkbook. And finally, Ohio has never elected a woman as Governor.
Hope
For Democrats in Ohio, hope springs eternal. The fact that both the abortion and a marijuana legalization law were passed by citizen referenda demonstrates that the state is not so “MAGA” as the elective offices and gerrymandering would show. The general election results will come to down one simple thing: turnout.
The cost of gas, food, and goods; the human rights violations of ICE, and the incredible flood of money moving from everyday folks to the rich, might be enough to drive Democrat supporting voters to the polls. And neither Ramaswamy or Husted are likely to have a “Trump effect” on MAGA voter turnout. So, there’s hope.
Retribution
But yesterday’s results in Indiana tell a different tale. Trump ordered Republican state legislatures nationwide to re-district their state maps, maximizing Republican Congressional seats for the 2026 election. Many states have a proud tradition of only redistricting after the ten year census is released (some like Florida, have that codified in the state Constitution). Indiana’s Republican Senate stood up to Trump’s pressure.
Like some mob boss in a bad gangster movie, Trump ordered political “hits” on those that stood in his way. The “hit” was delivered last night, as five of the seven Senators who stood against Indiana gerrymandering were “primaried” by MAGA candidates backed by Trump’s war chest.
Trump still controls MAGA. And MAGA still controls the Republican Party system. In spite of all of the “bad news on the doorstep”, from Iran to local gas prices; they still put on their red hats and do his bidding. And Republican politicians interested in survival continue to fall in line.
Our Own
Democrats cannot depend on Republicans to “come to their senses”. The voice of folks like Adam Kinzinger and Michael Steele, reasonable voices that sound like “your father’s Republican Party”, don’t count. They are out, and while their advice is often sound, they have no resonance in the MAGA world.
To change America, citizens must stand against MAGA: Democrats, Progressives, Independents, and even those few “old” Republicans who cannot stomach the Trump world. We cannot wait for the Republicans to “wake up”. To paraphrase President Kennedy, the work to save the Nation, must truly be our own.
