Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose ....AP photo

Frank LaRose, a prominent supporter of state Issue 1, says he sees no conflict in backing the measure and serving as secretary of state — and he expects to do the same in opposition to the abortion rights constitutional amendment on the Nov. 7 ballot.

LaRose, who is running as a Republican next year for the U.S. Senate, said in a Wednesday interview that he is able to separate his official duties as secretary of state from his personal beliefs on issues. He added that voters backed him for re-election last year as a Republican and other secretaries of state have been vocal on issues.

“My work advocating for issues is done when I’m not in my official function” as secretary of state, he said.

If Issue 1 is approved during Tuesday’s special election, future constitutional amendment proposals would need 60 percent support to pass rather than the current simple majority. That includes an abortion rights constitutional amendment that was certified to the Nov. 7 ballot.

Also, if Issue 1 is passes, effective Jan. 1, 2024, proposed constitutional amendments would need at least 5 percent of those who voted in the last gubernatorial election from all of the state’s 88 counties to qualify for the ballot rather than the current 44-county minimum.

LaRose campaigned dnesday in Mahoning and Columbiana counties in support of Issue 1.

Asked if he would lose credibility as a Senate candidate if Issue 1 is defeated, LaRose said: “First, I don’t think it (fails) and I don’t really give a darn (about losing credibility). It’s not my calculus. It’s not the way I approach things. I back something or oppose something based on what I think is best for Ohio and I think that it’s vitally important” and “crucial to pass Issue 1 so I’ve been proudly speaking out on it.

“I’m not the kind of leader to stick his finger in the wind and find out which way it’s blowing before I make a decision and certainly what helps me or hurts me politically is not a part of that calculation.

“It’s better to fight and lose then to never fight at all when it’s a cause you believe is important,” LaRose said.

A simple majority to pass a constitutional amendment, which has been in place in Ohio for 111 years, is “a terrible idea,” should never have been established that way and “should have been corrected a long time ago,” LaRose said. “Now we have the opportunity to finally right this wrong.”

Reeves Oyster, an Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson, said, “If state Issue 1 fails, LaRose will be crowned Ohio’s biggest loser.”

ABORTION ISSUE

An abortion rights constitutional amendment will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.

LaRose said he will campaign against it, saying its approval “will make Ohio among one of the most extreme states in the nation.”

LaRose said of the proposal, “Every word in it is bad for Ohio.”

LaRose contends the proposal “specifically says parents won’t be involved” in abortion decisions for their underaged children. Supporters “took the pretty extreme step of saying the parents can’t be involved in those decisions when their children make them.”

However, the ballot language doesn’t even mention the words “parents” or “parental.” The first sentence states, “Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion.”

The “reproductive decisions” phrase, LaRose said, could be interpreted to permit children to surgically change their gender without parental consent.

TRUMP

LaRose endorsed the 2024 candidacy of former President Donald Trump, the current Republican front-runner. LaRose had declined to publicly do so in 2016 and 2020.

Asked if the endorsement was done to get Trump’s backing in the Senate race, LaRose said, “No, it’s me doing what I think is right for the country. The reason I’m running for the U.S. Senate is because I have profound concerns about the direction our country is taking and I think that it’s not hyperbole to say that we are at a (critical) time to save our nation.”

LaRose said Trump is the best candidate in the race to defeat President Joe Biden, the incumbent Democrat seeking re-election.

Trump has publicly complimented businessman Bernie Moreno, one of the other Republicans running for the U.S. Senate. U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Cincinnati, who was significantly helped by Trump’s endorsement in last year’s race, is also backing Moreno.

Trump has criticized state Sen. Matt Dolan, the other Republican candidate vying for the Senate seat next year.

A few months ago, LaRose said at a Republican event that Trump’s endorsement matters, but “there’s probably another 60 percent of the party that doesn’t care who he endorses.”

LaRose said Wednesday that Trump’s endorsement is “important, but you can’t base your entire candidacy off that. You need more to run on than that. I’d love to have his endorsement. I’ve earned in the past” for secretary of state.

“I’m confident I’ll earn it again because President Trump is a smart man that understands what it takes to beat an entrenched incumbent like (incumbent Democrat) Sherrod Brown,” LaRose said. “He’s going to look at the polling and the strength and effort I’m building . But that can’t be the sum total of your campaign. You’ve got have a lot more to run on than just one single endorsement — even a consequential endorsement like President Trump.”