BATAVIA, Ohio — Mailers distributed in the Republican primary for Ohio House District 62 — which is in Clermont County — accuse challenger Dillon Blevins of being a “fake Republican” who refused to vote for former President Donald Trump in 2020, but Blevins and his supporters say the materials misleadingly attack the voting rights of U.S. service members.
The mailer, paid for by the Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee, feature a photo of Blevins styled like a police booking image. One side is headlined “VOTER FRAUD ALERT” and labels him “DANGEROUS DILLON BLEVINS.” The backside states that Blevins “REFUSED TO VOTE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP over Sleepy Joe Biden.”
Blevins, a small-business owner and an active U.S. Army Reservist, said he voted for Trump by mail — the only option available — while in Army basic combat training during the 2020 general election. He said his absentee ballot was never received by the Clermont County Board of Elections. County records show no vote was recorded for him, and there is no public evidence of voter fraud.
Blevins has received the endorsement of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 112 and has made support for law enforcement a central part of his campaign, repeatedly pledging to “back the blue” and describing officers as “the foundation of our society.”
Blevins’ campaign and supporters have sharply criticized the mailers as an attack on military veterans. They argue incumbent Rep. Jean Schmidt is disparaging the mail-in voting process used by thousands of service members across the country who are deployed or in training — the very men and women currently serving in U.S. operations tied to the war in Iran.
One Clermont County resident and veteran called the mailers “a disgrace,” saying Schmidt “would spit on the uniform” of the men and women deployed to fight the war in Iran.
“Everyone knows she’s a deceitful and a decrepit old woman who is power hungry and a career-politician. No one around here likes her. She thinks we [the voters] are stupid and calls us dumb, but she will see on Election Day,” said Republican voter Charlie Smith.
The criticism comes as three Ohio Air National Guard members were killed last month in a refueling plane crash in Iraq while supporting Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military campaign against Iran. Many service members in such deployments rely on mail-in ballots.
Wilmington native Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, was one of three Ohio Air National Guard members killed last month refueling aircraft crash over Iraq during Operation Epic Fury. Assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing, his remains returned to a hero’s welcome in Wilmington this week.
Schmidt has a history of attacking military service members who dare try to oppose her money war-chest, official congressional records show. So much so, it has earned her the nickname “Mean Jean.”
The nickname arose in November 2005 during her 75th day as a former one-term member in Congress; before she was tossed due to violating ethics rules. Schmidt sparked a major uproar in the House of Representatives by calling a war hero a “coward” during a debate.
The May 5 Republican primary is a rematch in the northwestern Clermont County district. Schmidt narrowly defeated Blevins in the 2024 GOP primary with 51.7% of the vote.
Schmidt’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the mailers or the criticisms.
Blevins said the voters know the truth about Jean but stayed positive and simply said, “It’s Jean lying. It’s what she does. It’s not new and the voters are aware. I’m proud to serve our country. Her strategy in this race is awful and she loses voters weekly. The negative mailers do more harm than good for Jean. It shows her true colors, which we already knew.”
