It’s honest work. Dennis H., a flannel-clad man standing in front of a faded silo, kicks off the main TV ad promoting Issue 1.
Dennis H. describes himself to viewers as a staunch conservative. He also happens to be an experienced actor.
Ohio Works, the anti-Issue 1 campaign group, flagged Dennis H.’s vocation in a press release this week, pointing out that his IMDB profile shows he previously appeared in an ad for Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. In a statement issued by the campaign against Issue 1, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou said the casting decision showed the only way the other side could get a Republican to appear in an ad was to hire one.
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Dennis H.’s voter registration, provided by the pro-Issue 1 group Citizens Not Politicians, shows he’s a registered Republican who lives in Cincinnati.
CNP spokesperson Chris Davey told Signal: “I don’t know what his day job is and I don’t think it’s relevant.”
Dennis H. appears along with two other voter archetypes that the ad says show Issue 1’s broad ideological support: Beverlee J., the “proud progressive,” and Darian H., the independent. The measure would change Ohio’s system of drawing political maps by replacing a Republican-controlled panel of elected officials with a citizens’ commission made up of equal parts Republicans, Democrats and independents.
After getting beaten to the airwaves by the yes campaign, Ohio Works is now airing ads of its own. The group will spend $1.5 million to $2 million over the next week, according to spokesperson Ryan Stubenrauch. The ad’s co-stars are based in Washington, D.C.: Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
