We’ve all heard of the old axiom about aging “like a fine wine.” Of course, in Ohio politics hardly anything is aging finely these days, including our recently-rendered-useless amendments to Ohio’s Constitution that attempted to curtail hyper-partisan gerrymandering, passed respectively in 2015 and 2018. Another thing on this list of items that “haven’t aged well” in Ohio politics is our feckless Governor Mike DeWine, who has ducked and dodged almost every difficult political battle he’s faced since taking office in 2019. He’s also seemingly always surrounded by corruption as the ever-growing HB 6 scandal gets closer and closer to his door. In fact, the name DeWine has grown so unpopular with Democrats, Libertarians –– and even Republicans –– that it’s hard to see exactly how our Governor wins reelection.

This is why I founded Homebound Entrepreneurs Against DeWines (HEAD) this year, which will oppose the political careers of both Governor DeWine –– who I ran against as a Libertarian in 2018 –– as well as his son, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine, who is also running for re-election. This parental relationship between Pat and Mike is an obvious conflict of interest that has not been lost on voting rights activists, Democrats or the media. However, as I’ve covered for The Free Press before, Pat’s political rise was riddled with scandal –– in addition to serious allegations of infidelity that have plagued ol’ Pat during both of his marriages, the last of which ended in a messy divorce. So apparently Pat DeWine isn’t just the most unqualified Supreme Court Justice, he’s also the horniest!

For now –– and as the primary election draws closer on May 3 –– only Pat’s daddy Mike is on the ballot, but this is in a hotly contested Republican primary for governor that pits DeWine against some serious conservative challengers, such as former congressman Jim Renacci and political newcomer Joe Blystone. While Blystone and Renacci could very well split the anti-DeWine vote, DeWine is still remarkably unlikable and even savvy politicos have to wonder if the GOP primary could descend into a tight three-way race –– and I don’t mean like the delicious kind you would get from Skyline Chili! Yes, from gas taxes, economic mandates and a historic bribery scandal that keeps getting worse, DeWine’s integrity comes more into question every day. At this point, the majority of Republicans and conservatives get it.

When the Libertarian Party of Ohio lost its ballot access due to the Ohio Republican Party’s shenanigans in 2014, I formed Central Ohioans Countering Kasich (COCK) –– an Ohio PAC dedicated to opposing the political ambitions of John Kasich. The group was made up of Libertarians, Democrats and Republicans and our quirky ads were put on TV. Now with HEAD’s launch video “Meet Mike DeSwine,” we have introduced a new political caricature who encourages Ohioans to forget about his “feckless” record as Governor and not vote in the primary. The ad features the voices of Morgan Hughes from #SaveTheCrew and comedian Corey Ryan Forrester of WellRED Comedy. Similar to what we did with COCK in 2014, we are putting HEAD’s ads on TV and radio as much as possible before the primary on May 3rd.

Similarly, our second ad “Tax Hike Mike” takes on Governor DeWine for his controversial fight to raise Ohio’s gas tax over the last few years, despite Ohioans still recovering from a series of economic crises. This ad features the narration of podcaster Ben Kissel and hits voters with the troubling-but-true facts –– in 2019, DeWine fought to raise Ohio’s gas tax, a battle he barely won with the state legislature. When the global pandemic hit in 2020 –– and DeWine ordered most of the state’s economy shut down –– Ohioans were hit hard again when gas costs rose after the Russian invasion of Ukraine this year. Despite these high gas prices, DeWine has said rolling back the gas tax would be “a mistake.” Of course, it’s also probably worth noting that DeWine is a millionaire who likely hasn’t driven himself around in quite a while.

That’s because despite record high gas prices, crippling inflation and an economy that’s still recovering from the global pandemic, DeWine has shown over and over that he doesn’t stand with Ohioans. We don’t need The DeWine Crime Family keeping gas taxes high for the working people of Ohio while they corrupt two out of our three branches of government. The DeWines are not above the law and it’s time we start holding them accountable, whether it's during a primary election, general election, or –– Lord help us –– during a second term. No matter what, it’s going to take all of us, so I hope Ohioans can come together to #SpillDeWine in 2022. Because let’s face it –– when Mike DeWine wins, Ohio loses.