One principle I emphasize at this fraught time for our democracy is that when there are opportunities to cross party lines to protect democracy (and stop those attacking democracy), seize them!
We have a better chance of succeeding when we do, and democracy is the stronger for it.
That’s one reason Ohio so decisively protected democracy last August—where Democrats, Libertarians, Independents and Republicans all came tougher to vote down Issue 1. The voices of former Governors Kasich and Taft, along with former Attorney General Betty Montgomery and Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, were critical in forging a broad 57-43% multi-partisan coalition that saved Ohio’s democracy. And it’s why 100,000s of Republican voters showed up on Election Day that August—ignoring their party’s sample ballot, Governor, Lt. Gov, Member of Congress, and state rep—and voted NO on Issue 1. (Which meant almost 20 counties that voted for Trump voted No on 1.)
We hope to build the same broad coalition to end the scourge of gerrymandering in Ohio this year.
And there’s another opportunity along the same lines that you might be surprised to hear me touting, but now that you see the importance of this principle, you’ll understand…
A Wild Primary for an Open Congressional Seat
….because there’s a huge opportunity to make progress for democracy over the next week in Southern Ohio. And to do so, in all places, in a Republican primary here. And a win here would add a crucial pro-democracy voice and vote to Congress itself.
There’s an open seat for Congress in Ohio’s Second District, and it’s a deep red district. Newly gerrymandered across 15 counties. (Link here to see what the new district looks like).
Of the 11 GOP candidates running, ten are full-out MAGA, each trying to out-Trump the next.
No surprise, the TV ads have gotten quite insane, and inane.
Here’s one candidate with some kind of flamethrower.
Here’s one who fancies himself a tough drill sergeant:
We’ve got a Moms of Liberty candidate. And so many others.
These are just the leaders we need, right?
But here’s the good news…there’s one other candidate in the mix. And for those who know my political history, what I’m about to write may surprise you….
Phil Heimlich: the anti-MAGA Candidate
His name is Phil Heimlich.
Yes, relation. His father Henry invented the Heimlich maneuver.
And although he was my rival in 2006 when I ran and won a County Commission seat (I even called myself the “Heimlich Remover” on my yardsigns), Phil Heimlich has been an incredible anti-MAGA voice since Trump first emerged in 2016.
Strong, consistent and principled. Exactly what we want, and need.
He may even have preceded Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger in how early and loudly he spoke out against Trump and the growing threat to democracy. Just look:
Here’s what he wrote in 2017 calling out Republicans for not standing up to Trump: “[W]hen did lying to the American people become part of the GOP platform?…It’s good political strategy to hide in the tall grass and wait for Trump to implode – but our country needs acts of courage, not acts of partisanship.”
In 2020, he was so appalled by Trump, he endorsed Biden for President, explaining why in USA Today: “[Trump] has undermined the rule of law, obstructed justice, and issued pardons and commutations to personal cronies who helped cover up his misdeeds….He has demonstrated gross incompetence during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing needless suffering and death….He has shamed us by diminishing our standing as a stalwart republic and defender of democracy worldwide.”
And here he was in 2021, calling out the “Big Lie” and January 6: “There are too many Republicans today that don’t have the guts to speak out against the big lie…It’s cowardice….I think it's shameful that so many people in my party are excusing what happened on Jan. 6.”
And now, in 2024, he’s the 11th candidate running for that open seat in Southern Ohio—still showing that same courage among those 10 other MAGA candidates.
Like I said, principled and consistent.
Now, project forward.
If he were to win the primary, the Ohio Second would be guaranteed to have a pro-democracy candidate either way come January. (I also am a fan of Samantha Meadows, the only candidate running in the Democratic primary).
But long before November, amid this high-stakes presidential election, a voice such as Heimlich’s—fresh off a primary win in a conservative, rural Ohio district—could help confirm the growing national narrative that Trump is too extreme for many Republicans, even in Southern Ohio. Having watched Phil over the past eight years, I have no doubt he would join other Republicans, like Cheney and Kinzinger, who are calling out Trump loudly—but his would be a unique voice, having just won a Republican Congressional primary.
And if Phil won in November (it’s a district that heavily favors the Republican), whether Donald Trump wins or loses in the same election, a clear pro-democracy/ anti-Trump voice in the U.S. House GOP Caucus would also be significant. Both his voice and (especially if Trump wins) his vote would matter. Heck, it’d be great if Phil were there right now.
The Opportunity: Ohio Has An Open Primary
Ohio’s primary is, like New Hampshire’s, open.
Ohio has no system of party registration. Which means that every two years, voters can choose to vote in the primary they wish to.
Within this framework, there is some tradition of independent-minded voters going back and forth between primaries depending upon what races are taking place and their consequences. A key reason that John Kasich defeated Donald Trump in the 2016 Ohio primary, for example, was that more independent-minded voters (and even some voters who'd voted in Democrat primaries before or since) concerned about Trump cast a ballot in that GOP primary for Kasich.
The open nature of Ohio’s primary creates a similar potential lane for Heimlich—drawn from that group of Kasich voters, as well as the 30-40% of Republican-Haley voters who have been showing up in primaries this spring.
And amid the flamethrowers and the drill sergeants and the Mom of Liberty, Heimlich is the only candidate in that pro-democracy, anti-MAGA lane. This is not an easy path, of course. But in the crowded field, there’s a conceivable path where he can win with well less than the percentage of votes Haley has been getting.
Why I Write This
Most importantly, despite having been in a very tough race against Phil, my main goal in writing this is to publicly express my admiration for the very public stance Phil has taken for the past eight years.
We (and I) are rightfully frustrated that so many Republicans have been unwilling to stand up against the anti-democracy onslaught in their own party, and the country, since Trump emerged. We call their failure out regularly, as we should. So many who know better cower in silence, and that cowardice has become a big part of the problem. The endorsement of Trump last week by Mitch McConnell, for example, is sickening.
But here is someone who has done exactly the opposite, year after year, and it’s been a sight to behold. If we’re going to criticize the ones who refuse to do the right thing, it’s equally important that we praise and lift those who actively do the right thing. And boy, has Phil Heimlich done that. I can only hope more join him.
Second, I have deep roots in the communities of this district. My wife Alana grew up in the heart of the region (Adams County), we got married in the district (Murphin Ridge Inn—a wonderful rural inn in Adams County), we spend a lot of time there now with our kids Jack and Charlie, and I travel to many communities of this district on a regular basis (and have for years). No group of leaders has been more supportive of my various efforts and activities than the women and men of this district. I consider it a second political home.
As the site of some of the earliest settlements in Ohio, the birthplace and childhood home of Ulysses Grant, and with multiple stations of the Underground Railroad along its banks, this region also has a unique and proud history.
But sadly, as I write about extensively in “Laboratories of Autocracy” (remember the town Manchester, right on the river, whose state senator advised his constituents that they should consider moving elsewhere):
…the communities of this district have largely been left for dead by both the statehouse, their successive members of Congress, and the trickle-down politics of the MAGA right. The last thing the people of this district need are flamethrowers, angry drill sergeants and another round of politicians who simply toe the line of the extreme right (which largely means voting against the interests of the district) instead of standing up for the needs of these long overlooked communities.
Finally, a win here would be an enormous victory for democracy, and a real blow to Trump/MAGA. Even a strong showing would matter.
With a week to go in the primary, if you want to learn more about Phil, you can visit his website here.
If you know people who live in the district, are concerned about Trump and our democracy, and don’t want a MAGA candidate as their member of Congress, be sure they know about Phil Heimlich. (Share this email with them).
And feel free to reach out to me at davidpepper4ohio@gmail.com if you want to learn more about how you can help.
This is a rare opportunity.
Let’s seize it.
If you have an opportunity to welcome them back to love instead of hate, to truth instead of lies, to inclusion instead of exclusion, to the rule of law instead of obstruction, to cooperation instead of division, to civility instead of bad manners, to modesty instead of bluster, you could make all the difference in the world.
I’m glad to hear about a decent and sane Republican. But if MAGA is choking, please withhold the Heimlich maneuver. Vote for Phil in the primary for sure though!