Republican Governor Sparks MAGA Fury With Joe Biden Ballot Move

Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican from Ohio, has sparked anger among conservatives over his efforts to put President Joe Biden on the state's November ballot.

Democrats are scheduled to officially nominate their candidate, presumably Biden, too late to comply with Ohio's ballot access laws—a situation that, while not ideal, has occurred before and has been quietly solved by the state's legislators. In 2024, the issue threatens to cause a partisan clash in the battleground state's GOP-controlled legislature.

Thursday, DeWine announced that he was calling for a special session of the Ohio General Assembly to begin on May 28 so legislation could be passed to ensure that both former President Donald Trump and Biden would be on Ohio's ballot in November. He is also calling on lawmakers to pass legislation to prohibit campaign spending by foreign nationals.

"Ohio is running out of time to get the sitting President of the United States on the ballot this fall. Failing to do so is unacceptable," he wrote in a statement, adding that Ohioans should have the opportunity "to cast a vote for either of the major party candidates."

As the governor urges Ohio lawmakers to solve the situation quickly and allow Biden to be added to the ballot in November, many Trump supporters are calling him traitorous.

"I have found it to be good policy to never comment on internet trolls, especially when they are spouting fringe content," Dan Tierney, DeWine's press secretary, told Newsweek.

"The Governor's efforts on this issue have received supportive statements from Senator Vance, Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno, the Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, the leadership of the Ohio Senate, our other Statewide officeholders, and numerous other Republican leaders across the state. Conservative leaders across Ohio support the Governor's goals of making sure all Ohioans can cast a ballot for either of the two major party presidential candidates, as well as banning foreign campaign spending in Ohio elections."

On X, Joe Mannarino, a conservative podcast host and political commentator, called DeWine a "traitor to his nation" for trying to get Biden on the ballot. "He's calling a Special Session of the legislature to get Joe Biden on the ballot by changing the law. This is why Republicans lose," he wrote.

"Democrats are trying to kick Trump off the ballot in swing states & throw him in jail for life. DeWine is bending over backwards to make sure Biden is on the ballot in Ohio which helps Dems down [the] ticket," former U.S. Army airborne Ranger and author Sean Parnell wrote on the social media platform. "Republicans like this guy have no idea what time it is & need to wake up."

Other social media users accused DeWine of being a "RINO," Republican in name only, and a secret Democrat, and some have called for the governor to be replaced. DeWine, who has clashed with Trump in recent months, refused to endorse the former president as the Republican nominee for the 2024 election.

"I've always said that I will support the Republican nominee. I'm a Republican," DeWine told CNN in March. "But my focus this year is going to be on a lot of local races. And it's going to be particularly focused on the United States Senate."

He added: "This is going to be a very close race in the fall. And, you know, we're really going to focus on that. I mean, the polling clearly shows Trump is way ahead in the general election. So, I think the focus in Ohio is going to be on the Senate race."

Some in the MAGA movement have supported DeWine's efforts to get Biden on the ballot. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, who is rumored to be a potential VP pick for Trump, wrote on X that DeWine had made "the right call."

"It's a reasonable compromise: Republicans keep foreign money out of our state ballot process, and both major parties' nominees will be on the ballot," he continued.

In a separate post, Vance added: "Remember: Donald Trump will beat Joe Biden, whether he's on the ballot or not, by 10 points. But a lot of Trump voters might sit at home if there isn't a real presidential race, and that will really hurt our down ballot races for the Senate and Congress. We need to play chess."

But not everyone sees DeWine's efforts to put Biden on the ballot as a way to overcome partisanship in the name of voters' rights.

David Pepper, a former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, wrote on X that DeWine was "favoring the right-wing Ohio Senate approach" to put Biden on the state's ballot instead of "the clean, bipartisan House fix."

"He's taking Ohio down the path that concessions must be made (on the people's process of amending our Constitution, a process the GOP is very frustrated by) in order for Ohio voters to participate in America's presidential democracy," he said.

"That is A BAD direction. And a terrible precedent for the future. But it's also why you'll see far right conservative figures who hate it when the people rise up to exercise direct democracy (and lost badly last year when the people did so) now suddenly applauding DeWine (who they also hate)," he added, referring to Vance's post.

"Even Alabama Republicans put Biden on their ballot 'without getting something in return,'" Rachel Coyle, a politics enthusiast in Ohio, wrote on X. "Ohio Senate Rs' 'Biden ballot fix' (SB 215) would weaken people power in Ohio by forcing ballot initiatives to act as PACs. Shame on @GovMikeDeWine for endorsing it."

Update 5/24/24, 11:15 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a comment from DeWine's press secretary, Dan Tierney.