Joe Blystone, a candidate in the Republican primary race for governor, is a contender who wants to discuss the issues facing Ohioans. He would like nothing more than to land a debilitating blow to the campaign of any candidate who advocates staying the course as laid out by Gov. Mike DeWine.

With early voting now underway, the four-candidate race which includes the incumbent, likely proceeds to May 3 without the possibility of a fulsome parley, though.

DeWine snubbed the Ohio Debate Commission’s invitation for a debate late last month. Subsequently, former four-term northeast Ohio Congressman Jim Renacci demurred, reportedly due to DeWine’s non-participation. According to Blystone — the invitation’s only taker — former Circleville state Rep. Ron Hood didn’t bother to respond to the invitation.

“I am the only one who said, ‘Absolutely. I’m looking forward to this,’” Blystone said.

He pulled out his phone, showing the text message, to punctuate his point.

“They’re all lying dogs. They’re afraid to be on a stage with me because I’m going to treat them just like (primary candidate Donald) Trump treated every single one of his opponents,” he said. “And that scares them to death — the truth.”

He surmised Renacci was counting on DeWine not participating in a primary debate, giving the former member of congress, who lost in 2018 to Democrat U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in the senior senator’s bid for re-election, an easy out.

“‘You know what? We probably shouldn’t do this because it will bring Blystone statewide attention,’” Blystone mused at his consideration of how the conversation in the Renacci camp could have played out. “I think they’re just playing politics, is what they’re doing.”

He said he suggested to the commission’s executive director, Jill Miller Zimon, that she put him on the debate stage alone with some empty chairs to represent the non-participating members of the race and pepper him with questions.

“And I’ll answer them,” he said.

Zimon declined the offer, stating that the format may call into question the non-partisan commission’s non-profit status, Blystone said.

He’s confident his campaign can attract the numbers needed to unseat a sitting governor.

“This (his base of supporters) covers many demographics,” he said. “This isn’t young or old. It’s not just in rural areas. We have signs in front of multi-million dollar homes and we have them in the trailer park. That’s how we’re going to win this primary.”

Blystone noted DeWine won his last primary by some 499,000 votes.

“That’s nil,” he said. “There are 1.9 million registered Republicans in this state. There are 8 million-plus Independents, so if we’re inspiring these people to vote in the primary, I don’t care if there are three or four contenders. I can guarantee you we can beat him.

“And I think that’s why they’re afraid. That’s why DeWine doesn’t want to get on the stage — I’m going to call him out for everything he’s done the past two years. Same with Jim Renacci — I’m going to call him out for his voting record since he’s been a career politician.”

He said his opponents’ campaigns may be flush with cash, but that’s it.

“We have a movement going on and you can’t pay for the support that we have,” Blystone said. “People are not only willing to put a sign in their front yard, but they’re willing to go to work for you, getting the word out.”

He characterized the efforts of some of his volunteers as amazing.

The Madison Township cattle farmer-cum-restaurateur asserted that his run for governor has nothing to do with ego.

“This is about turning this state around,” he said. “We’re at the edge of the cliff. I think there’s a lot of stuff going on that we need to get turned around right now.”

The public school curriculum and the safety of residents living in the state’s metro areas, were two issues he readily cited as examples.

“There are a lot brush fires and, right now, we’re just trying to determine which one we should prioritize,” he said.

The elephant in the room

Far from a brush fire, but characterized by Blystone as “the big, black cloud over top of me, right now,” his campaign recently was the subject of a complaint alleging campaign finance irregularities.

“Here’s where we’re at,” he said. “We’re working through it. We’re auditing all of our books.”

Secretary of State Frank LaRose in a review of the campaign, last month noted that the political newcomer may have collected too many cash donations in excess of $100, the campaign erroneously accepted $1,100 contributions from corporations and it recorded unclear or vague expenditures.

“So anybody who’s never run for a political seat, here’s what I can tell you about campaign finance in Ohio: It’s like reading the federal tax code. It’s that rigorous; it’s that convoluted,” he concluded. “The whole system is geared toward multi-millionaires who have a team of lawyers and a team of CPAs.”

He said irregularities in campaign finance are more common than the average voter may realize.

While at a hearing before the Debate Commission, Blystone happened to catch a glimpse of the daily docket, he said, which included campaign finance hearings. He noted that for that single day, there were two full pages of scheduled hearings.

An area city council member at an event at which Blystone spoke reassured him that a deep dive into any campaign’s finance report will come up with an irregularity, “if you dig deep enough,” he said.

“Were there things done that weren’t per the committee finance code? Quite possibly, yes,” Blystone said. “We’re working through it and we’re going to make whatever it is right. We want to be transparent.”

He emphasized that despite the accusations of irregularities, there is no missing money; all of the money collected by the campaign is still in the account, he reiterated.

“Is there money that maybe we couldn’t take because maybe it was through a corporation? Or maybe we didn’t get a name and an address for somebody who gave us $5 or $10. I don’t know,” he continued. “We’re going to make it right.”

Blystone also questioned the motives behind the complaint. He noted that the complainant’s attorney is a former Renacci campaign worker.

“They wouldn’t even be talking about me if I wasn’t a threat,” he said of his opponents. “It’s just a way for the corrupt political system to control the narrative and the process.”

Lessons of the campaign trail

Blystone said that one thing he has learned through rallies and other speaking engagements is that many voters admit they haven’t paid much attention to the electoral process over the years. He includes himself in that demography.

“We never paid attention before — that’s the problem,” he said, that put our country and our economy in the condition it is in now.

“And that’s what I see all around the state. The majority of people didn’t even know what a central committee was, whether it was countywide or the state; they just had no clue.”

A large portion of the candidate’s efforts has been spent on educating his fellow Buckeyes about the intricacies of politics at the local and state level, and of the value of involvement.

“Most people don’t participate in a primary election, either,” he continued. “Some people didn’t even know what a primary was. So, I’m trying to educate these people at every event I speak at.”

He said one of the biggest compliments he has received was when an attendee at one of his rallies came up to him and said that after hearing Blystone speak at an earlier rally, he realized the importance of grassroots involvement, so he decided to run for the local school board.

Involvement by like-minded people equals change, he said.

A primary win

“We need people to come out in mass numbers for the primary,” he said. “We have to win this at the primary,” he stressed. “If we don’t win it, we’re done; it’s over.”

It’s an understatement to say Blystone is concerned about the economic damage inflicted on businesses throughout the state and residents, alike, at the height of the pandemic during the past two years.

Matched at the federal level with inflation rates not seen in generations, an open southern border, skyrocketing gasoline prices and foreign policy blunders, he is certain that if this path is maintained, “we’re heading down a road of no return.

“If we don’t have representation leading this state, I believe it’s going to be worse,” he continued. “We need somebody like a Gov. (Ron) DeSantis, somebody who’s willing to fight Washington.”

He said the country’s lurch to the left induced by President Joe Biden’s electoral victory is unlike anything current generations of Americans have experienced.

“And I don’t think many folks, I don’t think they realize how important it is to have a governor who will fight against Washington, but obviously we see it’s very important,” he said.

Blystone said it has been difficult to follow just how swiftly the country’s fortune has turned.