Taylor Popielarz Profile picture
National Political Reporter for @SpectrumNewsDC, focusing on 2024 | taylor.popielarz@charter.com | @ABC57News, @QuinnipiacU, @SJRHighSchool alum
Jan 3 6 tweets 2 min read
New:

As 2024 kicks off, Pres. @JoeBiden will travel to Valley Forge, PA, on Saturday to deliver a campaign speech on protecting democracy and marking the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

In a call with reporters, Biden’s campaign outlined its plans for January. After delivering his first campaign speech of 2024 in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Biden will then travel to Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday to deliver another campaign speech about combatting political violence.
Oct 17, 2023 18 tweets 5 min read
🧵 Today, the U.S. House is set to vote on whether Ohio Rep. @Jim_Jordan should be the next Speaker.

I've covered Jordan closely since 2018, interviewing him dozens of times and reporting on every aspect of his job.

The story that stands out most is related to Jan. 6, 2021. Between November 2020 and Jan. 6, 2021, @Jim_Jordan became the unofficial congressional spokesperson for then-Pres. @realDonaldTrump's baseless efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Over and over again, Jordan insisted Congress should step in to keep Trump in office.
Nov 16, 2022 7 tweets 6 min read
As @HenryJGomez first reported this morning, former #OHSen candidate and current State Senator Matt Dolan (@dolan4ohio) has sent this letter to Ohio county GOP chairs in response to activists and party leaders encouraging him to challenge Democratic Sen. @SherrodBrown in 2024. Of the 6 GOP candidates who ran for #OHSen this year, @dolan4ohio was the only one to reject Donald Trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen.

He invested $10M+ of his family fortune into his race & finished 3rd in the primary.

My profile from March:
spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/po…
Nov 7, 2022 6 tweets 7 min read
📍 Avon, Ohio

#OHSen candidate @JDVance1 is kicking off Election Day Eve with an event in Lorain County.

“The biggest threat to American security in my lifetime is this terrible crisis at the southern border,” Vance says, as he delivers his usual stump speech.

~60 people here. Image As the #OHSen race winds down, I asked @JDVance1 what block of voters has been the toughest to get through to.

“…a lot of the Trump base is still very hard to get through to, in part because they don’t trust the press — in my view, rightfully so.”

He also says suburban women.
Nov 6, 2022 9 tweets 9 min read
📍Gahanna, Ohio

After attending a church service with #OH03 Rep. @JoyceBeatty, #OHSen candidate @TimRyan is heading north to a campaign event in Medina.

He has IBEW bikers escorting his bus. As the #OHSen race comes to a close, I asked @TimRyan what block of voters has been the toughest to get through to.

“People who didn’t vote Democratic for the last few cycles in Ohio. But I think we’ve penetrated that in a very, very big way by making this race about Ohio.”
Oct 6, 2022 6 tweets 7 min read
Lots of chatter tonight about this @AP story on #OHSen candidate @TimRyan (D) and $27,000 in campaign donations he has received since 2007 from "drug distributors blamed for key roles in the [opioid] crisis."

Dems criticizing it; GOP sharing it widely.
apnews.com/article/2022-m… The report states that over @TimRyan's 20-year career in Congress, $27,000 of the $50+ million he has raised in campaign donations have come from three drug distribution companies that have helped fuel the opioid epidemic.
Oct 5, 2022 4 tweets 6 min read
📍 Perrysburg, Ohio

#OHSen candidate @JDVance1 (R) is at his first of three events today with @DonaldJTrumpJr.

Vance told the crowd not to believe @TimRyan’s TV ads that bill him as a moderate.

Trump Jr. hits on everything from the border to Hunter Biden to electric vehicles. ImageImage 📍 Caledonia, Ohio

#OHSen candidate @JDVance1 and @DonaldJTrumpJr made their second stop of the day here.

Vance said Democrat @TimRyan is trying to run as a “Donald Trump Jr. Republican.”

Trump told the crowd, “Don’t let your neighbors actually think [Ryan’s] a moderate.” ImageImage
Sep 29, 2022 6 tweets 4 min read
#OHSen candidate @JDVance1 (R) is hosting a fundraiser on Monday at the Clyde, Ohio barn of Bill Frankart, who was in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

"It’s been quite an experience here in Washington DC today," Frankart wrote on Facebook, as he posted photos near the U.S. Capitol. ImageImageImage Frankart is an Adams Township Trustee who's running for a spot on the Seneca County Board of Commissioners.

He liked several comments on his Jan. 6th Facebook post, including one that said, "Good for you Bill it’s about time people stood up and said enough is enough !!" Image
Aug 19, 2022 21 tweets 21 min read
This evening, #OHSen candidate @JDVance1 will hold a rally with Florida Governor @RonDeSantisFL in Northeast Ohio.

It's part of a @TPAction_ tour that's bringing DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, to Ohio, Pennsylvania and Arizona to campaign for GOP candidates. In the lead-up to the event, @TPAction_ has been criticized for its (not OK) rules for press.

Reporters "will have to agree to give organizers access to any footage they take, and could face questions about what it will be used for."

Via @jeremymbarr:
washingtonpost.com/media/2022/08/…
Aug 18, 2022 5 tweets 6 min read
New:

As summer winds down, the #OHSen race is heating up...and remaining closer than Republicans would like.

Some criticize @JDVance1's summer strategy, while begrudgingly complimenting @TimRyan's.

Lots of $$$ about to flow in.

Watch/read my latest:
spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/ne… What's keeping the #OHSen race competitive in red-leaning Ohio?

@TimRyan (D) has outspent @JDVance1 (R) 8-1 on TV ads this summer, out-fundraised him 4-1 last quarter, and seemingly has been out-working Vance on the campaign trail with more events.
spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/ne…
Jan 10, 2022 4 tweets 3 min read
Quick 🧵 of recommended reading:

@ddiamond, a health reporter for the @washingtonpost, has published three Facebook posts in the last month that really helped me understand the state of the pandemic and what parts of it I should still care about.

Quick, easy, insightful reads. From January 9:
facebook.com/dm.diamond/pos…
Jan 10, 2022 10 tweets 8 min read
New:

Ohio Rep. @Jim_Jordan (R) has sent a letter to the @January6thCmte explaining he will not cooperate with the panel's investigation.

"...I have no confidence that the Select Committee will fairly or accurately represent any information I could provide..." This is not surprising, given Rep. @Jim_Jordan's consistent criticisms of the @January6thCmte.

When I asked Jordan last November if he would cooperate with the panel if it asked for info, he told me, "Depends what it is."
spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/ne…
Nov 19, 2021 11 tweets 8 min read
Happy Friday!

I’m part of the press pool traveling with @VP to Columbus.

She’s set to tour Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 189 with @SecMartyWalsh and speak about what the bipartisan infrastructure deal will do for Ohio.

It’s her first trip since the bill became law on Monday. This trip marks @VP’s first visit to Columbus since taking office in January.

Back in April, she visited Cincinnati to build support for the infrastructure bill.

And in March, President Biden visited Columbus.

Lots of attention paid to Ohio by this administration.
Nov 19, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
New:

House Democrats have passed President Biden’s $1.7 trillion Build Back Better Act, which would fund a wide range of social and climate programs.

Final vote was 220-213.

No Republicans supported it; and one conservative Dem also voted against it.

Next stop: The Senate Very important to note:

Many aspects of the Build Back Better Act are expected to be amended or removed as the bill gets considered by the Senate.

Republican senators are united in opposing it, so Democratic leadership has to accommodate moderate and progressive members.
Nov 17, 2021 4 tweets 4 min read
#OH14 @RepDaveJoyce (R) votes "present" on the resolution to censure @RepGosar (R) and strip him of his committee assignments for posting a video on social media that showed him appearing to kill @RepAOC (D) and attacking President Biden.

Most Republicans are voting no. #OH16 @RepAGonzalez (R), who voted to impeach Trump post-Jan. 6 and is retiring next year, voted against the resolution to censure @RepGosar.

So far, only Republicans @RepLizCheney and @RepKinzinger have voted yes, while Ohio's @RepDaveJoyce voted "present."
Sep 10, 2021 13 tweets 9 min read
So, despite the fact that unvaccinated Americans make up the overwhelming majority of current #COVID19 hospitalizations and deaths, many Ohio Republicans are upset with the vaccine mandate and other rules President Biden announced yesterday.

A thread of some reactions ⤵️ #OHSen candidate @JDVance1:

"I have a simple message for America’s business community: DO NOT COMPLY. Do not comply with the mandates. Do not pay the government fines. Don’t allow yourself to be bullied and controlled. Only mass civil disobedience will save us..."
Sep 9, 2021 9 tweets 2 min read
New:

Per senior administration officials, President Biden will unveil a list of new rules and recommendations to fight the #COVID19 pandemic in his 5pm ET speech from the White House.

Details in this thread ⤵️ New rule:

- The Labor Department is developing a rule to require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure workers are vaccinated or tested at least weekly
- Employers who don't abide could face monetary fines
- A timeframe will be released in the coming weeks
Jul 30, 2021 11 tweets 9 min read
The #OH11 special primary is 4 days from today, so time for a 🧵

Back on July 1, I met with @ShontelMBrown in her Cleveland campaign office for a 20-min interview.

In this thread, I'll walk through the transcript.

You can watch the video version here ⤵️
spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/po… Most pressing issue facing #OH11?

@ShontelMBrown says pandemic recovery and gun violence.

What qualifies her to address them?

She says her experience as a Cuyahoga County Council member.
Jul 29, 2021 4 tweets 4 min read
Happening now:

House Republicans are holding a press conference outside the Capitol about @POTUS Biden and @SpeakerPelosi’s leadership.

“We have a country in crisis,” @GOPLeader says.

Ohio’s @RepBradWenstrup, @RepBillJohnson, @Jim_Jordan and @WarrenDavidson are here. Image #OH2 @RepBradWenstrup talks about the border:

“Disease and drugs are knowingly and willingly allowed by the Biden administration to freely cross our borders...How are we keeping America healthy? This is not the way.” Image
Jul 28, 2021 7 tweets 6 min read
Ohio's @Jim_Jordan confirms to me:

“I spoke with [Trump] on Jan. 6th."

Before, during or after attack?

“I spoke with him that day, after? I think after. I don't know if I spoke with him in the morning or not. I just don't know...I don't know when those conversations happened.” New:

Ohio Rep. @Jim_Jordan is living in two political realities right now:

1) He's a GOP superstar whose profile keeps growing
2) He could be subpoenaed by the @January6thCmte

I spoke with Jordan about his current situation, and his political future.

spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/ne…
Jan 11, 2021 14 tweets 7 min read
Ohio Democrat @RepTimRyan, who leads the House subcommittee that funds U.S. Capitol Police, is holding a virtual media availability to discuss what he knows about the investigation into last Wednesday's Capitol attack and security preparations for Inauguration Day: .@RepTimRyan said "there's going to be additional [federal] money that [Congress will] provide" to ensure Inauguration Day is safe.

“There will be a good deal of security in addition to Capitol Police…Secret Service…Park Police."

“We will make sure Washington, DC is secure.”