Joe Blystone | Blystone campaign / Facebook
Joe Blystone | Blystone campaign / Facebook
Local conservatives are asking Joseph K. Blystone to step down from the Ohio governor’s race after he it was revealed he is under FBI investigation.
Blystone and Jim Renacci have lined up as alternatives to Gov. Mike DeWine in the May 3 GOP primary.
“Blystone in this race is the only thing holding up the defeat of DeWine,” Rick Barron, of the Steel Valley Conservative Club, said. “Now being under FBI investigation and his campaign fraud, he needs to save Ohio and step aside.”
Blystone is a farmer running as a constitutional conservative.
On Jan. 5, the Ohio Star reported that Blystone, a candidate for governor, is under FBI investigation.
According to a former manager for the campaign, the FBI's investigation goes "beyond his run for governor."
Former campaign co-manager Sarah Chambers filed a 51-page complaint recounting efforts Blystone undertook to underreport cash donations received at live events.
Chambers said the FBI told her they had already launched an investigation into Blystone’s finances.
"I knew there were a lot of things that were questionable going on with the campaign. I never thought that it would be to the point where the FBI would be involved,” Chambers told the Ohio Star.
Blystone is alleged to have hid the scope of cash donations in order to engage in theft.
DeWine has been under intense criticism by conservative voices for his heavy handed approach to COVID protocols, prompting the candidacies of Blystone and Renacci. He has been one of the leading mask advocates among governors. In particular he stands out among those in the GOP ranks.
DeWine pushed mask usage in the state’s schools. He has been called the "most egregious" of lockdown governors.
Blystone’s Canal Winchester operation includes a farm, restaurant and butcher shop.
He has been a vocal opponent to the effect DeWine’s lockdown has had on small businesses in Ohio.
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