At the heart of the Republican primary race for the 75th House District is the voters’ choice of who selects their representative: special interests or the people? A flurry of fliers in your mailbox from dark money, out-of-state organizations that try to sound very grassroots, are spreading deceit about our conservative champion, State Representative Haraz Ghanbari, in an effort to make the people’s decision instead of the voters.
Dark money groups invite you to use their scorecard so you know which lawmakers and candidates are “principled” enough to deserve your support. After a brief Facebook interaction with a prominent group’s representative, I found their tactics controlling and manipulative. Legislative voting records are readily available to the public without the dogmatic slant and shell game of a “conservative” PAC. Voters must look at facts and not generalized statements on campaign fliers sponsored by a PAC. These organizations care nothing about the real grassroots system built over decades by the county parties to ensure a steady flow of quality leadership. Their intrusion in the Republican primary is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. These organizations are blinded by their utopian ideals with no sense of the general electorate. While they would like to turn the GOP sharply to the right, they endanger the November election in bellwether districts, and perhaps the entire Republican majority in the state legislature.
The newcomers that they sponsor on the primary ballot have little to no civic experience, other than to make generic statements using buzzwords like “economic opportunity, limited government, and affordable energy.” To even try and compare these candidates with the achievements of our two-term State Representative Haraz Ghanbari is almost laughable. Rep. Ghanbari works hands-on daily in Wood County. He is willing to work with any level of government and address any citizen’s concerns. Just scroll through his Facebook page to see how he is active in so many different ways at the local level serving the people of Wood County. As for the smear campaign fliers, and their outlandish claims, here are a few of Rep. Ghanbari’s actual votes in the Ohio House of Representatives. On Second Amendment rights, he voted for SB 185 – Prohibits Local Governments from Confiscating Firearms During Declared Emergencies, passed Dec. 1, 2022 with a majority of Republicans; he voted for HB 227 – Expands Concealed Carry Laws, passed Nov. 17, 2021 with a majority of Republicans. On crime, he voted for HB 109 – Increases Penalties for Specific Criminal Offenses, Passed Feb. 16, 2022 with a majority of Republicans. On education, he co-sponsored and voted for HB 8 – Requires Parental Consent for Teachers to Teach Educate on Sexually related content, passed June 21, 2023 with a majority of Republicans. On jobs and the economy, he voted for HB 201 – Prohibits Automobile Bans Based on Energy Source, passed Nov. 15, 2023 with a majority of Republicans.
The voters of Wood County know that Rep. Ghanbari is a go-getter. If you have ever contacted his office, you know you will get a follow up contact, usually from Rep. Ghanbari himself. He is our connection to Columbus and the Statehouse. With all politics, there is always more to a story than you hear in the news. Rep. Ghanbari is always willing to share information and answer constituent questions. The best part about Rep. Ghanbari is his ability to think and act based on his values, character, and the best interests of the people of Wood County. I am proud of Rep. Ghanbari for being principled enough to recognize and elect a Speaker, who is not power hungry, but rather is focused on listening to the people.
Put simply, the people, not special interests, should choose our state representative, so we must continue to send honorable and sensible people like Representative Haraz Ghanbari to the Statehouse to be our voice of reason and truth.
Brian Myers
Pemberville
