GOP blasts ad on Carey, HB 6, wants it pulled from TV spots
Ohio Republicans want Columbus TV stations to take down a campaign ad from Democratic state Rep. Allison Russo, saying it paints a false picture of her opponent in the 15th Congressional District.
Russo, of Upper Arlington, is running against longtime coal lobbyist Mike Carey in the Nov. 2 special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers. In the ad released last week, Russo claimed she can work with both parties and accused Carey of lying about his involvement in the House Bill 6 scandal.
“Mike Carey is in big trouble,” Russo’s daughter said in the ad.
In a letter to NBC4 WCMH-TV, WBNS and WSYX/WTTE, an attorney for the Ohio Republican Party argued the ad is “filled with errors” and asked the stations to stop airing it. The letter zeroes in on a makeshift newspaper that Russo’s campaign created to mirror a Daily Beast article about Carey’s ties to House Bill 6.
“The ad contains demonstrably false and misleading language against Mr. Carey,” it stated. “The advertisement goes so far as to display a fake newspaper and headline during the commercial that was manufactured to mislead viewers and voters.”
Rules set by the Federal Communications Commission stipulate that TV stations can’t censor ads from federal candidates and generally aren’t allowed to take them down based on content.
The ad was still running on NBC4 as of Monday afternoon, days after GOP officials sent the letter.
Carey and House Bill 6
Carey worked for Murray Energy, which gave $100,000 to the dark money group that helped support candidates backed by former House Speaker Larry Householder in 2018. Murray was dubbed “Company B” in the criminal complaint that accused Householder of orchestrating a $61 million bribery scheme to win control of the Ohio House, pass House Bill 6 and defend that law against a ballot initiative to block it.
State records show Carey registered as a lobbyist on House Bill 6 but has said the company remained neutral, and he never provided testimony at any of the committee hearings. Still, the company stood to benefit from a provision that enabled Firstenergy to keep a coal plant running in eastern Ohio.
Carey previously told USA TODAY Network Ohio that he and Murray, who often backed Republican candidates, knew Householder. Carey said Murray sometimes sought his advice about political donations, but not always.
“Allison Russo can’t talk about the truth — that her and Nancy Pelosi’s radical agenda is causing the price of gas, groceries and other family goods to skyrocket — so she is telling lies about Mike Carey,” campaign spokesman Blaine Kelly said.
Race in 15th District heats up
The ad is the latest sparring between Russo and Carey as the special election nears, with early voting scheduled to begin next week. Russo’s campaign agreed to a debate with NBC4 last month and has criticized Carey for failing
to follow suit.
Under Ohio law, the accuracy of the ad is technically irrelevant. An appeals court determined that it’s legal for campaigns to lie in their ads, arguing a previous state law barring that activity violated the First Amendment. Russo’s campaign stands by it. “Coverups are nothing new to lobbyist Mike Carey — he got caught lying about his involvement with Larry Householder and the HB6 scandal, and now he’s using lawyers to try and cover up his tracks,” spokesman Matt Schoonmaker said. “Ohioans are tired of shady lobbyists and scandals.”