Incumbent Frank LaRose and John Adams are running in the Republican Party primary for Ohio Secretary of State on May 3, 2022.
LaRose is a U.S. Army veteran and worked as a business manager and project lead for a consulting firm. He represented Ohio State Senate District 27 from 2011 to 2018, and was elected secretary of state in 2018, defeating Kathleen Clyde (D) 51% to 47%. LaRose has emphasized his experience in the Ohio Senate and as secretary of state, saying he “sponsored legislation to modernize online voter registration, audit election results to verify their accuracy, cut burdensome regulation on small business, and protect our freedoms and values.”
Adams is a U.S. Army and U.S. Navy veteran and founder of Francis Furniture Store. He represented Ohio House of Representatives District 85 from 2007 to 2014. Election security is a top priority for Adams, and he said “there were shenanigans that went on” in the 2020 election and “there are questions that have not been resolved yet.” Adams said he “has had the life experience – as a Navy SEAL, as a small businessman, as a civic leader, as a husband and father – to successfully protect and advance our common values.”
The secretary is the state’s chief election officer and keeper of the state seal. They license businesses and corporations and keep records of all official gubernatorial actions. A Republican has held the Ohio secretary of state office since 2010, when incumbent Jennifer L. Brunner (D) vacated the office and Jon Husted (R) defeated Maryellen O’Shaughnessy (D) 54% to 42%.
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