CHAOS & ABSURDITY: “A Parody of Politics in the Republican Primary for Ohio’s 9th”

Ohio Capital Journal: “A chaos-maker with a grudge consumed with party in-fighting in the Statehouse who can’t accept defeat like a big boy is the great GOP hope to flip Marcy Kaptur’s House seat?”

Voters in the OH-09 Republican primary will soon have to choose between two candidates that “spoof Republican chaos and crazy, infighting and cultist idolatry.” As highlighted by commentary in the Ohio Capital Journal, both Derek Merrin and Craig Riedel “mimic the shambolic, all-over-the-map antics of their (once serious) party.”

In the last few months, Washington Republicans have scrambled to find an alternative to Craig Riedel after he committed the ultimate sin of criticizing Donald Trump. Despite Riedel eventually endorsing the former president in a panicked terror, the establishment has put their support behind Derek Merrin, the leader of Ohio’s chaos caucus who has endured more than his fair share of scandals.

Via the Ohio Capital Journal:

• GOP establishment appears to have settled on a sore loser state rep who led an intraparty revolt in the Ohio House last year when he lost an election for speaker. (you can’t make stuff up).

• The far right 37-year-old was a committed ally of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder — who was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison on a $60 million bribery scheme.

• Before that pay-to-play First Energy case broke wide open, according to The Daily Beast, Merrin had pocketed thousands from Householder’s dark money PAC and official committee and showed his gratitude by voting not to expel the speaker even after his arrest. 

• A chaos-maker with a grudge consumed with party in-fighting in the Statehouse who can’t accept defeat like a big boy is the great GOP hope to flip Marcy Kaptur’s House seat?

DCCC Spokesperson Aidan Johnson: 
“The OH-09 GOP primary has become a national embarrassment, and Republicans in Washington are lighting money on fire only for their preferred anti-choice, anti-worker extremist to have the honor of losing next November.”

Read the full story chronicling the absurd OH-09 Republican primary here. 

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