With George Lang’s term as an Ohio senator coming up this year, he’s up for re-election in 2024, I happily endorse him for another term.  George Lang has done a great job in the 4^th District of Ohio, and I wish every politician were like him.  If they were, we’d be a lot better off as a country.  Yet, many people, especially my readers, have developed a healthy distrust of politicians of all kinds, and I know many wonder why I like George Lang so much, even though he is considered a mainstream politician.  After all, Candace Keller had filed to run against George, which she had done before when it was for a representative seat, and the campaign took a turn for the worse in the mudslinging.  I personally like Candice, her husband, and her family.  I tend to get along best in the world with people like her.  On most things, our politics are very much aligned.  But because she has filed and intends to run against George, I must talk about a few things as to why I am such a supporter of the very powerful senator for the 4^th District and explain why he’s not a RINO as is so common a designation for a mainstream politician.  While I am certainly no fan of RINOs, I must set the record straight going into this election year as to why I have always supported George, which sometimes mystifies people.  But from my perspective, it’s an easy decision, because George Lang is a very good person from the ground up and I have known that side of him for a very long time now, around 15 years.  And he’s very much the same person now that I have known all that time, which brings to mind three examples that would put some rationality behind the decision-making process.

Yes, George Lang associates with compelling people and has for many years; John Boehner comes to mind as he was marching toward the Speaker of the House role in Congress.  Along the way, George and I formed a friendship as fellow Tea Party members who were very upset by the direction Barack Obama was taking our country, which goes all the way back to 2009.  Well, all this was before President Trump came along, but in 2012, I had a significant negative news story designed to push everyone away from me.  I was okay with it, but there were a lot of Judas types who were perfectly willing to kiss my cheek in public to be thrown to the wolves, to say it nicely.  We had an event in the back room of a local LaRosa’s restaurant to rally support for me in the wake of intense fire.  Guess who stood with me under the fierce fire in public.  There is a picture of us all at this event, but guess who took the picture?  George Lang came, probably on the same afternoon he was having lunch with John Boehner, Speaker of the House at the time.  My name was all over the media, on all the primary sources so he had a lot to lose.  But he came anyway and was even willing to be in the picture.  It was my suggestion that he take the picture and that we keep him out of it.  So we took the picture, and I learned a lot about George Lang that day, which has lasted for over a decade.  He’s the real deal and he will stand with you under intense fire.  He had much to lose being associated with me, especially by the donors.  But as I have seen many more times than once, George is strongly inclined to do the right things, especially under great fire.

I can also say that I have seen George work with Governor DeWine with the door closed and the pressure very hot.  My thoughts on any management, especially politics, is that you get much more done with the door shut than with dueling press conferences.  And George has been highly influential in these kinds of meetings. A lot goes on in the senate in Columbus, Ohio, that has George Lang’s name all over it, but he never seeks the credit.  And I’ve witnessed it several times personally with Governor DeWine, where just a few people were in the room, and George had to make his point.  These are no powder puff conversations; George is stern when he needs to be and knows what to say and when.  And as professionals should be, George and the Governor were able to shake hands and get things done at the end of the conversation.  I would point to the recent flip-flop by DeWine on the transgender surgery ban for kids as one such example.  DeWine does listen to people when he steps in it.  And George has been one who can shut the door and talk to him without compromising who he is politically.  This is a skill that many people never develop in their lives.  It comes easily to George.  Many people in his position get washed away by the giant waves when you spend time with some of these prominent personalities; it’s easy to happen.  But George can play at a very high level and never lose himself in becoming a RINO.

George has such an excellent personal foundation and can do the things I am talking about because he sincerely loves his wife.  I have known that side of them, and I can say that one of the reasons George and I have maintained a friendship all this time is because he has a great relationship with his wife, which I respect.  I don’t know many people who love their wives and kids like George Lang.  And it has been my observation that this is the key to George’s success.  When you can love a spouse the way George does of his wife Debbie and your kids the way he does, then you can love your country, your political party, your Constitution, your commitment to business, everything with that strong foundation.  And that’s ultimately why I like George so much.  I know a lot of politicians, but I don’t know of many who have such strong foundations as George Lang does.  If you can love a wife the way he does her, and she does him, then you are doing something fundamentally right at the start.  And that can then translate into many good things you do in life.  So, when it comes to other politicians, it may not be their fault that they aren’t as skilled as George Lang is.  And people frustrated that they don’t have those skills might assume that he possesses some voodoo magic in his associations with the very powerful.  But I know him very personally and know that his secret sauce is the love of his family, which allows him to play big ball without losing himself along the way.  Because at the end of the day, no matter what happens, he has his family, which is really all George wants in life.  And that makes him very good as a senator and someone we are lucky to have in the 4^th District in Ohio.  I wish we could have him forever, but for now, at least one more term.

Rich Hoffman

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