Majewski unqualified to be the Republican nominee

While I have had the privilege of endorsing and being endorsed by other elected officials, I have recently found myself in the unenviable position of being extremely vocal in opposition to a candidate for Congress, J. R. Majewski. My normal preference is to provide an endorsement when appropriate but not to take on an antagonistic role against fellow Republicans. However, the extremely poor quality of the candidate, mixed with ongoing misconceptions about his support or lack thereof from President Trump have prompted me to be more engaged in a race, other than my own, than I typically prefer. This has not been at the urging of any other candidate but simply because, as a citizen of the Ninth District, I have a stake in the outcome. Majewski's recent comments disparaging uniquely abled athletes in the Special Olympics was more than I could bear. This was more than a misstep or a slip of the tongue. It was the latest in a long series of outbursts from a guy who lacks self-control but relishes the ongoing attention he receives from pandering on social media. Majewski recently posted a misleading comment about a humbling experience where he talked about learning and growing from his "mistake" followed by a few pandering words. He closed his comment describing how grateful he was for the power of forgiveness, implying that there was a reconciliation. I can assure you that that did not happen. I was invited to the same event and given free reign to interact, take pictures, and show my support for the athletes and families. It was an informing and inspiring event that put a smile on my face all day long. J.R., however, was welcomed to be there as an educational but NOT a political opportunity. He was not permitted to interact and forbidden to take pictures or video. He and his wife sat on the bleachers alone under strict supervision. He could not have looked more sad and distant. This was not intended to be an opportunity for a public mea culpa where he could tell his followers that he learned his lesson, erase his guilt, and move on. Despite the fact that he had no pictures to post, that is exactly what he turned it into. While the good people at the Special Olympics may have hearts willing to forgive, they are very likely to insist on more than watching a basketball game and a post on X before they would consent to claiming any sort of reconciliation. Repairing one's reputation requires more than words. It demands an ongoing change in behavior that takes more time than he has before this election. It means doing the right thing when no one is watching and nothing is on the line. The Special Olympians deserve better and so do the citizens of Ohio's Ninth District. J.R. led folks, including me, to believe that he was going to do the right thing and exit the race. I was ready to commend him for making the hard decision to do the right thing and told him so. The next morning, he angrily and defiantly announced that people were trying to silence him and even wrote his resignation letter for him, but he wasn't going anywhere! Let's be clear. He was the one texting and telling people that he was resigning but just needed time. He said he was trying to do the right thing. But apparently, the lust for attention was too much for him. Majewski is just too volatile to be elected. One day he disparages the disabled and the next day he apologizes. One day he says that he is withdrawing, the next day he blames others for writing his resignation. One day he proudly supports Q Anon and the next day he knows nothing about them. He is truly like a box of chocolates: you never know what you are going to get. Ohio's Ninth District deserves better. We deserve a candidate who actually has the potential to win in November and will proceed from there with rock solid, unwavering character and leadership. Majewski has demonstrated that he is not the guy. He is consistently inconsistent, reliably unreliable, and uniquely unqualified to represent us in Congress. (Gary Click is the Republican state representative for Ohio House District 88, representing Sandusky and Seneca counties.)