Republicans urge support for Ryan

SANDUSKY — Under Donald Trump, the Republican Party has become a threat to democracy — and that's why voters should shun Trump supporter J.D. Vance and support Tim Ryan for Senate — three current and former Republicans argued. The trio, representing Welcome PAC, appeared on "Between the Lines Live" Tuesday to argue their case. The interview segment, about 36 minutes long, is available for demand viewing at sanduskyregister.com and on the Register's YouTube channel. They said even Republicans should vote for Tim Ryan, the Ohio Democrat in the U.S. Senate race, to protect democracy and the rule of law. "We are pro-democracy Republicans," said Phil Heimlich, a former Cincinnati City Council member and county commissioner in Hamilton County. Citing the Jan. 6 mob riot in Washington, D.C., that tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, Heimlich said everyone should stand up for free and fair elections, the rule of law and free speech. Heimlich said he continues to think of himself as a "conservative Republican" and not a moderate Republican. Heimlich said he's always been considered a law and order supporter who backed police and accused Vance of turning his back on the police officers who were attacked on Jan. 6. "Tim Ryan has said they need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Heimlich said. Heimlich said he worries about the future of the Republican Party, which he said is willing to take in conspiracy theorists, white supremacists and QAnon supporters. "My party's been taken over by crazies, by extremists. You have people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who apparently is being promised a leadership position," Heimlich said. David Little said he hopes a considerable number of Republicans will vote for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for governor will vote for Ryan in the Senate race. "We believe, if that is the case, it is very possible Ryan can win," he said. Vance, formerly known for his opposition to Trump, won the Republican primary after successfully obtaining Trump's endorsement. The trio attacked Vance and other Republicans who have become Trump supporters. "I never considered that the Republican members of the Congress, those in the House and the Senate, would fold like a cheap Chinese lawn chair at the foot of Donald Trump," said Chris Gibbs, the former chairman of the Shelby County Republican Party and now a Democrat. "I started looking for a party that values different voices. There's only one voice in the GOP," Gibbs said. "In the Democratic party, everybody gets a voice." "Our democracy ... is at a dangerous point. Our capital has been attacked by a mob that intended to thwart a free, public election in the United States," Little said. Gibbs, a farmer, said he brought together a group of about 30 farmers in Shelby County to meet Ryan. Ryan showed up on time for the meeting, spoke for five minutes, and then spent 75 minutes listening to the farmers and learning what they need from a lawmaker in the Senate. "I knew right then and there, this is the future of the Democratic Party," Gibbs said.