COLUMBUS – A long-time Republican state lawmaker from northeast Ohio is drawing criticism for questioning his female primary opponent’s interest in serving in the Legislature while she is raising young children.
READ MORE: In The Columbus Dispatch
While on the Jan. 18 America’s Work Force radio show, state Sen. Tom Patton noted his opponent, Jennifer Herold, was a 30-year-old mother of two. He then questioned whether anyone told her that she’d have to spend three nights a week in Columbus. Later in the program, he referred to Herold as “sweetie.”
“The gal that’s running against me is a 30-year-old, you know, mom, mother of 2 infants,” Patton said on the show. “I don’t know if anybody explained to her you have to spend three nights a week in Columbus. So, how does that work out for you? I waited until I was 48, ‘til my kids were raised, and at least adults, before we took the opportunity to try.”
Patton, who’s term-limited in the Senate, is seeking the 7th House District seat. Both he and Herold are from Strongsville.
Herold, who has children aged 1 and 3, said the decision to run for the House was one she and her family took very seriously.
In a Thursday statement, Herold said Patton crossed the line.
“We realize the sacrifice that is involved in holding such a position,” she said. “However, Tom Patton has crossed a line by trying to turn the fact that I am a mother of two children into a negative campaign issue. It’s insulting for my opponent to suggest that motherhood is a liability. In fact, my experience as a mom is perhaps my greatest strength.”
Patton tells cleveland.com in a statement that his comments “appear to have been misunderstood.”