Democratic fundraisers passed off as Republicans by vulnerable senator’s campaign

A new ad from Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) claims to feature Republicans who plan on crossing the aisle to vote for him—but at least one is actually a Democrat, the Washington Free Beacon found.

The ad features five self-described Republicans, all of whom agree that Brown is the best candidate in the race to represent their interests. One is David Vaziri, who appears in the ad sitting with his wife Kelly outside their home. “This year’s Senate election isn’t about party,” Vaziri says in the ad.

But David and Kelly Vaziri aren’t Republicans, voting records show. The two are registered Democrats with a history of supporting Brown and his partymates. Kelly Vaziri has donated more than $10,000 to Brown since 2017, public financial records show. Both Vaziris also voted in the 2022 Ohio Democratic primaries, when Brown wasn’t on the ballot, according to voting records.

The two went on to host a fundraiser that year for then-Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley. Kelly posted an ActBlue link on her Facebook page, asking her friends to “consider donating to this historic campaign.”

The Varizis’ inclusion in Brown’s latest ad highlights Brown’s struggles in a state that former president Donald Trump comfortably won twice. Trump is expected to handily win the state again, which means Brown must win over some of Trump’s voters and outrun the top of the ticket.

Since ramping up his reelection campaign, Brown has tried to distance himself from the Democratic Party. He ditched August’s Democratic National Convention, falsely claiming that he “often” skips his party’s conventions.

But that strategy comes with several harsh realities for Brown’s electoral hopes, particularly his voting record, which shows that he sided with President Joe Biden more than 98 percent of the time.

A spokeswoman for Brown did not respond to a request for comment.

The Vaziris have maintained a relationship with Brown for years. Their daughter, Carolyn Vaziri, interviewed Brown for her middle school newspaper in 2018.

“Senator Brown is also working to pass commonsense gun safety measures,” Carolyn Vaziri wrote.

Carolyn Vaziri, now in college, created a website in 2020 to sell Ohio-inspired apparel and masks to raise funds for Biden’s campaign.

“She created a website (Ohio4Joe.com) to sell them, and she is using a local, female-owned business to create the products. Carolyn is donating 100% of her product proceeds to the Biden campaign in Ohio, and she is using USPS for all shipping to help compensate for their lack of funding,” Kelly Vaziri wrote on Facebook. “I’ve seen enough MAGA hats.”

The Vaziris did not respond to a request for comment.