OH-05: UPDATED - OEC Rules Against Latta (R); Latta to File New Complaint Against Buehrer (R)

I am still trying to catch up from my weekend trip out of town, but I see that State Rep. Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) filed a second Ohio Elections Commission complaint against State Sen. Steve Buehrer (R-Delta), this time challenging a mailer that calls Latta "pro-life” on the front. On the back, the mailer says that Bob Latta took money from an unspecified "liberal union" that advocates abortion, and implies that Bob Latta is pro-choice because he voted for a bill that required students to receive chicken pox vaccine. As the Latta campaign explains it, "the mailer misstates that the vaccine is made with aborted fetal tissue and it also fails to point out that the bill allows students with religious objections to opt out of the vaccine."

Latta's campaign manager says in the press release, “Steve Buehrer was found guilty of lying before, and he is doing it again.”

No word yet on rulings by the OEC relating to Buehrer's pending complaint or this new one. I am trying to find out if anything has happened yet.

UPDATE: Well, that was quick. The OEC upheld Buehrer's complaint over Latta's prayer/posting ten commandments in public school mailer and issued a reprimand. Latta's campaign will appeal the decision and ask the OEC to stay the reprimand. Meanwhile, the new Latta complaint is apparently not yet filed, based on the wording of the statement from Latta's campaign.

Latta is trumpeting the testimony by Buehrer at today's hearing that he has no public position on teacher-led voluntary school prayer and posting the Ten Commandments in schools. Buehrer apparently said that in order to account for his not checking two boxes on his questionnaire to the web site Project Vote Smart. The OEC must have accepted Buehrer's argument that not checking the box amounted to no more than not advocating in favor of prayer and posting the ten commandments, so that Latta's statement that Buehrer is against these things is false. However, Latta's campaign sees an opening to attack Buehrer in Buehrer's testimony:

I was under the impression that you were either “for” or “against” an issue. Obviously, Steve Buehrer lacks the leadership necessary to make up his mind on these important issues. We regret using the word “oppose” and we should have used the words “did not support”.