(Letter to Editor of Ohio Press Network by my friend, Beth Lear)
As the non-establishment candidate for the Republican nomination to Ohio House District 61, I understand the concerns voiced by Tom Zawistowski from the We The People Convention and the Ohio Citizens PAC. I also understand their endorsements for the August 2 election. Rather than casting stones at the messenger, Republican Party members and elected officials should be asking: Why is the base rising up in opposition to their candidates?
Ohio is called a Red State only because Republicans have dominated statewide and in the legislature for nearly three decades. Regrettably, as noted by Tom and others, we have often failed to see Republican values legislated or executed at a high or consistent level.
Indiana seems to always out-perform us and even Michigan has been edging us out over the past few years in many areas including Right to Work, lower sales tax burden and fewer public employees per capita, according to Rich States Poor States. Additionally we have failed to rebound economically from COVID-19 when compared to Florida, Arizona and even Kentucky.
Beyond our economic struggles, a majority of elected Ohio Republicans have shown a clear lack of concern about protecting girls and women from the Left’s push to add boys and men to their sports, bathrooms and locker rooms. So far 17 other states have protected the fairer sex, why not Ohio?
On the plus side, Ohio has strong legislative supporters for school choice, especially Senate President Matt Huffman. But what difference will school choice make if all schools are required to adhere to academically impoverished state standards that focus on indoctrination, sexualization and children’s feelings instead of reading, writing, math, science and history?
We must return to what has been proven to work—a classical education focused on creating a literate, virtuous, well-rounded citizenry.
Spending education dollars on social emotional learning (SEL) and the “whole child” has only exacerbated the failings of our public school system. We need Republicans to stand up for all students and reject the experimentation from universities, teachers’ unions and the government school system which are failing our children at every level.
What is the future of the Republican Party in Ohio? Will we embrace the pro-American, common-sense positions of other Republican-led states like Florida? That partially depends upon the voters on Tuesday, August 2.
Will you vote to continue to put the same people in office, those chosen by the party bosses and funded by the special interests? Or will you choose Republicans for the Ohio House, Ohio Senate and State Central Committee who have been standing up for your values against the elites in our own party? The decision, and the fate of Ohio, is in your hands.
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Beth Lear is a Republican candidate for Ohio House from District 61.