Scioto County Republicans Prepare for Primary
On March 10th, 2020, I was given the opportunity to attend the Republican Party’s Annual Lincoln Day Dinner in Portsmouth. During this dinner, almost all of the local politicians associated with the Republican party were in attendance.
Frank LaRose, the Ohio Secretary of State, gave the keynote speech during this dinner, and he stated the strength of the Republican Party in Ohio, and he also spoke on how the party must unite together moving into the upcoming election.
In addition to LaRose, Senator Terry Johnson also spoke at the event, and I got the chance to interview him during the dinner. He told me about how he is getting ready to start his first year in the Ohio Senate, and he also talked with me about the Coronavirus in Ohio, stating that we, as a society, need to keep moving forward and not allow the virus to halt the economy.
The final group of speakers at this dinner were the candidates that were fighting for the Republican parties’ support in the upcoming election. The most contested of these primary elections is the County Commissioner race between Mike Crabtree and Marty Donini, and the Sheriff race between David Thoroughman and John Murphy.
When Crabtree spoke, a startling fact was made clear. Marty Donini, his opponent, was not present at the Lincoln Day Dinner. One of the biggest republican events of the year, right before an election that he was taking part in, and he hadn’t shown up.
Speaking with other Republicans afterward revealed to me that this was commonplace behavior for Donini. One of his fellow Republicans even stated that the last time they saw Donini at a Republican event was at a pie auction three years ago.
I got to speak with Crabtree after the speeches took place, and he talked with me about the positive impact that his time as Commissioner has had on the economy of the County.
Moving on to the Sheriff race, both Thoroughman and Murphy spoke and gave compelling speeches describing their priorities as Sheriff. After the speeches took place, I talked to both candidates to see if they would be willing to speak with us about their campaign.
Thoroughman was very eager to speak with us. He was very polite and answered every question we asked him. When asked if he could describe his campaign in one sentence, he told us that he could do with one word, “Change”. He plans on changing this County for the better, and he seems to have the motivation to do so.
Murphy denied our request to interview him and so we were unable to ask him anything. His exact words when asked if we could speak to him were “probably not”.
Overall, the Lincoln Day dinner provided an excellent opportunity to speak with the Republicans in our area that are running for election this week. The people who were willing to speak to us gave great insight into their campaigns and the changes that they want to make in our County.
Scioto County Republicans Prepare for Primary
