Vulnerable Democrats in the Buckeye State were left facing a different border crisis after a video exposed a staffer saying the “quiet part out loud” in an expletive-laced rant on the “losing issue.”
In addition to the race for the White House, the balance of Congress remains up for grabs with contests for every seat in the House and a third of the Senate. However, for Ohioans considering re-electing Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Emilia Sykes, a new video featuring their staffer’s view against securing the border appeared to be a local October surprise.
“Open the f*cking border, I don’t give a sh*t who comes in here,” the individual identified as Regional Organizing Director Kevin Oyakawa could be heard in the Oct. 5 video obtained by Ohio.news and shared by the National Republican Congressional Committee.
“We don’t need Border Patrol. But, the issue…with even talking about immigration here in Ohio is that… it’s a losing issue for Democrats here,” he continued, “for like no f*cking reason other than people’s pure racism.”
#BREAKING: @EmiliaSykesOH staffer accuses Ohioans of “pure racism” and calls to “open the f**king border, I don’t give a sh*t who comes in here.” #OH13 pic.twitter.com/XYDh9lN51U
— NRCC (@NRCC) October 24, 2024
“So that, that’s why it’s probably hard to find anything about like where [Sykes] stands on it,” added Oyakawa. “In terms of the way that she talks to the public, if she has to address immigration, she starts losing.”
According to Fox News, Oyakawa deleted his LinkedIn page Thursday, the day after the report, and his Facebook account, where he described his responsibilities as “leading a team of Field Organizers on day-to-day operations of the campaign,” appeared to have been scrubbed.
As of the time of this post, it still read, “Just another guy who is active in the Resistance.”
With the Cook Political Report scoring both Brown’s race against businessman Bernie Moreno and Sykes’s race against former Ohio state Sen. Kevin Coughlin as toss-ups, a statement to Fox News Digital from Matt Keyes, a spokesperson for the senator’s campaign, read, “While Sherrod supports the bipartisan border security bill backed by border patrol agents and has worked with both parties to secure our southern border and keep Ohioans safe from fentanyl by cracking down on the chemical suppliers in China and drug cartels in Mexico, Bernie Moreno opposes these efforts because he isn’t looking out for Ohioans.”
Likewise, the congresswoman’s campaign contended, “Congresswoman Emilia Sykes has worked to deliver increased funding to help secure our border and stop the flow of illegal drugs like fentanyl. She also cosponsored the bipartisan Dignity Act that would address border security and infrastructure, all while her opponent Kevin Coughlin uses the border to play politics.”
Sykes was already facing a challenge as to whether or not she was eligible to vote for her own re-election after Republican activist Tom Zawistowski presented a complaint about the representative’s residency outside of her district.
That challenge led Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) to cast a tie-breaking vote calling for an investigation.
Residency challenge could prevent vulnerable House Dem from voting for herself https://t.co/HGcbYdWcqo via @BIZPACReview
— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) October 23, 2024
Thursday, the same day as the hearing that Sykes did not attend, Signal Akron reported that she voted early anyway, despite the matter being returned to LaRose to decide another tie.
“I have the legal and constitutional right to vote, and it is a very important election, and I encourage all eligible voters to vote,” she said. “And of course, I want to make sure I win my election, so I can vote for myself, make sure I at least have one vote.”
Reacting to the video and the remarks from Oyakawa, Bernie Moreno’s Communications Director Reagan McCarthy told Fox News Digital, “Sherrod Brown’s staff is saying the quiet part out loud: Ohio Democrats would rather keep the border open and continue to allow millions of illegals to enter our nation rather than secure the border and protect our communities.”
Similarly, Coughlin expressed, “Ohioans are already aware of Emilia Sykes’ dangerous open border policies, and now we see what she and her team support behind closed doors. It’s bad enough that Ohio communities are suffering from fentanyl and crime flowing over our borders, but her team has no remorse. And she calls anyone who disagrees with her ‘racist.'”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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