Talkin' local politics with Chairman Alex

loving family. That's that's all around me. And that's really, Brian, what ultimately matters, my friend, You and I both know and that that was great watch a little football. None of it any good. You know, all the teams I cared about went down, but uh, you know, Ohio State loses the Michigan, the Bengals take another painful loss, the Bearcats get beat, so I know that the hat trick of bad.

for wonderful family. I mean without family, I don't know, well, I wouldn't be I wouldn't be alive right now without my wife and family. So, without further ado, one of the reasons that Thanksgiving was so wonderful in addition to making a break from a ridiculous diet and enjoying pecan pie made by my wife. Nobody taught politics, and it was a glorious thing. We all just sort of just smiled and chatted and remembered and had stories to tell and what we were doing in our lives. And that

was a refreshing experience. And I feel a little lighter after the election is over, because I really and I don't know how you felt, or those in your inner circle felt, but I think most of my listeners, because I've heard from so many of them, were really concerned about the day after and that it was going to some sort of riot in the street kind of thing.

Most notably, and I want to just get your reaction on this point on that if Trump had not won the popular vote, they would have been screaming in the streets about getting rid of the electoral college.

That noise was overwhelming and really pushing back. And I've heard none of that. I mean, I really think, Brian, I really my observation of this election cycle was, especially now, the nation got a major course correction, and you're seeing and I mean you see things like AOC stripping her bio of her chosen pronouns, right, I mean, I think the Democrats are saying, gosh, we went too far, too fast,

something we've been saying forever. And you know, I said for really a year, especially as the Ohio chairman, because I would get these calls saying, well, you know, it's not a swing state anymore. And I would say, listen, it's not that the state has changed that dramatically. Our populations haven't shifted. The Democrats shifted. They they left the mainstream of American politics. And you're seeing it now, you know, from some of the gray hairs in their party. James Carville.

I saw something with Ron mcmanuel saying, you know, we've we've lost our way. We've been saying that. I mean, I you know, the Democrats used to talk about kitchen table issues as well, and we would have a healthy debate, you know, Brian, about how to split up the American pie, how to how to make the best use of this this wonderful capitalist system of ours, and that stopped that that the Democrats have walked away. They don't even believe

in the system anymore. It seems to me most Democrats, you know, barely sort of support the Constitution and patriotism in the Statue of Liberty. So you know, it's that's that's where they are. And you know they've paid a price for at the poll. So uh, you know, we've seen we've seen a shift here over the last month where I think even Democrats are chasened a bit, and they know that, you know, they know that they have to find themselves back to the center of American politics.

So this is going to continue to happen.

it's trumps fault. Trump tromp tump, tump t Trump. And they tried to build it up so much and make people feel so guilty for even uttering the man's name with anything positive to say about him. People shut their mouths, kept quiet and low, and behold, he got elected president, and he got elected by the majority of the people

in the country. On top of it, so boom, the whole argument is gone, and leaving them with what nothing other than to recalibrate, readjust and realize that the majority of American people are not woke, They're not in favor of DEI they're not in favor of defunding police, not in favor of decriminal the system. We've all witnessed the aftermath of those ridiculous policies that have been embraced over the past four to six years. Man, it's h it's it's I'm sorry. I'm just really enjoying on a sort

of a Shodenfreude kind of level right now. Except for Hamilton County. I can ask you about that one. Is it too late? And I part of me wants to think, you know, and we can talk about some of the larger issues JD. Vans for example here Alex. But you know, Hamilton County, I went to bed knowing that it was all blue. We lost the prosecutor, we didn't get the shareff we got. You know, we all knew what the outcome of the other races was going to be, you know,

depending on where they were. But blue, blue, blue, blue, blue all across. But as you look out over the landscape, and you know, sort of like the discussion we're having right now, people are rejecting, they are reversing, they are going back on what used to work. The bluest cities in the country are screaming their bloody heads off over

the resources being allocated to the illegal immigration flow. They're screaming about their neighborhoods being taken over by drug addicts and drug dealers, all the stores being closed because no one prosecutes a crime for stealing, stores are closing. It's in the citizen rea. The Democrats who elected the woke officials to put these pauses into place, are now seeing the aftermath and demanding that they do a one eighty. Now, with that said, can that happen in Hamilton County?

believed me having gotten around the state. It's the exact same conversation is happening in Cleveland. The exact same conversation is happening in Columbus. You know they have im I can tell you in Columbus for instance, they've really the Republican Party there, and they've got a great leader, much like we have here. They just you know, they didn't even

field candidates because you know, you're picking your spots. I mean, the future really for Hamilton County is I've got a couple of prescriptions and they're not you know, none of them arearticularly sexy. I mean, but one thing I want Hamilton County residents to not forget is you are an important voter to the messaging here in Ohio. I mean, look, Hamilton County delivered one hundred and seventy thousand roughly votes

for Donald Trump. Just to give you a comparison, Butler County, which is a very red county, delivered about one hundred and fifteen thousand votes for Donald Trump. So we need Hamilton County fully functioning, fully voting, And the same is true for Bernie Marino and everybody else. So you know the impact that big counties have on this statewide ticket. It's not going away. So you know, these counties matter very very much now, these county level races, I think.

So the first thing is you can't lose sight of that as a Republican in Hamilton County. The second thing is, you know, we can actually, you know, begin to feel targeted races with candidates with crossover appeal, and sometimes, you know, that's a hard message to hear, especially from you know, some of my really conservative friends, and I count myself among that group, but it's hard to say it, but sometimes you have to find and I think most of

powers had that. I think she had ran a wonderful campaign, but you know, you're just you're just in a blue city and it just makes it harder and harder. But you know, look, I mean, as I've as I've shared with the local chairman here and the ones in Cleveland and Columbus, you know, don't don't you know, you have to celebrate what you were a part of, and that is winning Ohio because, believe me, Ohio does not go for Donald Trump without Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati showing up

in huge numbers. And make no mistake, Brian Republicans in Hamilton County turned out. They did turn out. The problem is there's just too many people in the cities continuing to hear this left wing message from the Democratic Party, and look, can we turn that around. I think we can. You're seeing us make inroads, certainly with halfcan American males for making inroads. You're seeing crime as a key issue

for our party. So yeah, there is hope ahead, but you know it's going to take a slow, steady progression and candidates who can speak to issues that Democrats care about in the big cities.

address these key issues. And that's kind of where my hope comes from, because those far left wing policies have ruined cities, and even the Democrats who voted for the people who enacted them realize that. And that's why I think there's a positive direction opportunity here, So let's pause. I'll bring Alex back because we want to talk about Jade Vance's replacement and how things are looking in Columbus as we look forward into the next period there. So

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I run, we don't look we're we think there are a slew of great candidates. You know, if I start naming them, I probably miss some. But you know, certainly Frank Larrose is interested. Who's our secretary of State? I think that's been out there. Jane Timpkin, Who's you know, a native of Cincinnati and actually now lives in Can't, Ohio. And a name that's well known in Republican Party circles,

you know, Warren Davidson, I know is interviewed. Who's our congress my congressman on the west side of Hamilton County. I don't know that. I don't I think I've made news. I'm even sure he interviewed. I just think he might be interested. So you know, I just there are lots of good people. Again I've left out other names people that maybe in this part of the state do not know might carry from Central Ohio. I think is one

of the names that's been bandied about. So you know, there are other people that have shown an interest in this. You know, lots of people have. I mean, being a United States senator, you know, it's one of the one hundred most powerful legislative jobs in the world, really, so the governor has to make a call here, you know.

The timing of this, I just don't know. I mean, I believe, and I don't have any you know, sort of inside information here necessarily, but I believe that's going to run right up until right around January to twenty. It's only because Senator Vance's vote, you know, in a Senate that's you know, only a couple votes of going the wrong way there. So I think his vote will be needed to confirm in many of the President Trump's nominees. So you know, I think that you're going to see

that that run, you know, into January. I don't think we're gonna have news on that front, you know, for some time and listen. I mean, my job and the job of the Ohio Republican Party is to elect Republicans. That's the number one obligation of the organization. So we'll we'll wait and you know, whoever the nominee of the Republican Party is in twenty twenty six, that's who will run. Brian.

This one of an important point. Do I just again, I know you've got some of the most educated listeners anywhere, but people need to understand that whoever gets appointed will run two times in four years, and that is daunting task. I want to tell you. On others, someone like Bernie Marino had to raise four hundred million dollars. That's a number that's hard to say for people who have to raise money. And I'm one of those folks. So it

is a serious commitment. Bernie Marino is you know, he is he He had to have broken records on the amount of miles that the man put on his on his vehicle because he was all over the state. The commitment to take on this challenge is a real one. These are not just TV TV appearances and speeches. This is a commitment that's a seven day a week commitment for years and I you know again, Brian, Well, well, I've got the floor on that point. I do want

to just make one additional point. I wish people sometimes could see behind the curtain what I've seen for a long time, and that is the commitment that people make to actually run for office. And I know there's a cynicism Brian, around politics and about politicians, and you know, some of that's the warranted, but you know, these people work very very hard for the right to go and represent you, and somebody like Bernie is a post to child for that. Others, I mean, the powers work very

very hard. You know. Sharon Kennedy is notorious our chief Justice here in Ohio for just having laid it out. I mean, these people set aside their lives and I look, I got a little taste of that myself. You know, I went I probably went a month without you know, a serious day where I didn't do anything political, so, you know, yet not being a martyr, but people should understand during this holiday season some level of gratitude towards these people and the work they put out to go

and fight for us. I think is is you know, I think is merited.

of the people. They don't need the damn money, you know what I mean.

these people to account. You know. The other point I would quickly make, and I know you're not asked the question, but what we as Republicans need to do And I've told this to everybody, and I've said it every time I've been part of winning elections and losing ones. We now got to go do the job. I mean, we enjoyed this victory really for about two or three days. But we must as Republicans go and do what we

said we're going to do. Under Donald Trump's leadership. We're gonna have the House in the Senate federally, we must do what we said. Deportations, we must steal the border. We've got to cut taxes. We've got to you know, keep the cut the tax cuts that we're in place to keep this economy growing, cut prices, drill for energy, all the things. And I say, Donald Trump is a guy who has a checklist. This guy's tireless too. He

works his tail off. We've got to do these things so that the pendulum does not swing back, because ultimately, in American politics, it tends to swing back. These wins can be fleeting, but we must do what we said we are going to do. So people like me who have to go out and sell the Republican Party and talk about our accomplishments, not just you know, our aspirations. Amen.