Republicans Scared That Citizens Not Politicians Will Dismantle Gerrymandered Supermajority

COLUMBUS - House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) today released the following statement concerning Governor Mike DeWine's failure to support the Citizens Not Politicians citizen-led ballot initiative:

"Ohioans deserve leaders who reflect our values and live up to the promise that they'll always respect the will of the voters. Today was the governor's manufactured attempt to confuse and misdirect voters from the truth. Republicans want to take away a woman's freedom to choose an abortion, make it easier for dangerous individuals to obtain and conceal a firearm, tell us what books our child can't read, and now want to try to cancel out a citizen-led ballot initiative that would give power back to the people. This is exactly why there's so much enthusiasm by Ohioans to make sure it is citizens, not politicians, making the right choices for Ohio's future. The people are tired of politicians attacking our freedoms and telling us what we can and can't do," said Leader Russo. "Republicans are desperate because they know their gerrymandered grip on power is coming to an end so they're once again attacking Ohioans' fundamental freedoms and putting their own self-interest ahead of the interest of the people. Voters have shown out-of-touch politicians what happens when you play games with our democracy, and they'll show them again in November."