Hilliard city council flyer identifies Democrat as ‘MAGA patriot,' confusing voters
HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) — A Hilliard City Council campaign flyer successfully left residents confused, igniting debate over political satire and dirty politics.
A group of Hilliard Republicans mailed out 2,000 flyers seemingly identifying Democratic candidate Andy Teater as an undercover Republican candidate. Teater, current council vice president, said the mailer was meant to divide and confuse people. The conservative political group behind the mailer said it was meant to spark conversation, and it did.
Meet the three candidates running for Columbus City Council's District 7 seat
'After a lifetime of service to the GOP, Andy Teater and his Republican campaign manager Tony Moog have taken on one last mission: to infiltrate and take over the Hilliard Democratic Party from the inside,' the flyer reads.
The flyer includes a photo of Teater receiving an award from the Franklin County Republican Party and encourages 'everyone to support this MAGA patriot with your vote in the Democratic Primary for Hilliard City Council.'
Teater ran in two council elections and served 12 years on the Hilliard school board as a Republican. However, he said he never voted for Donald Trump and switched parties after he felt his values aligned more closely with Democrats.
'I am a fierce supporter of public schools, and at the state level and the federal level, I feel like public schools are under attack by the Republican Party,' Teater said. 'Even when I was a Republican, I valued women's reproductive rights, I supported stronger laws and more protection for LGBTQ+ and I've also supported reasonable gun laws.'
Les Carrier, a Hilliard City Council member, is one of the six Republicans behind the flyer. He spoke with NBC4's Colleen Marshall about the divisive mailer.
Whitehall residents rally to take tax breaks for high-end development to citizen vote
'We wanted to highlight the hypocrisy that was going on here and if you think about it, Colleen, that piece brought that out,' Carrier said.
Carrier said they made the flyer as political satire. He said it was 'hypocritical' of the Franklin County Democratic Party to endorse Teater after he spent decades as a Republican. Teater, however, said the mailer was 'just disappointing.'
'It's just unfortunate; so often, people are trying to get ahead by dividing people,' Teater said. 'I think nobody wins when we try to divide people or confuse people.'
The Ohio Revised Code technically limits false statements in campaign materials, but there is no way to enforce it. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled those state restrictions were unconstitutional in 2016, saying they restricted protected political speech. State law requires false statement complaints to go through the Ohio Election Commission, which is no longer allowed to accept those complaints under the court ruling.
Columbus financial social media influencer defrauded investors of $11 million, prosecutors say
With no enforceable law, the campaign flyers are left to public debate.
'Oh, it was absolutely — I can't tell you, we think it's political satire,' Carrier said. 'We put it out that way.'.
'It's just disappointing that a piece like that can go out that is only meant to deceive or confuse the public,' Teater said.
Both Carrier and Teater are seeking re-election this year, vying for three open city council seats. Teater is one of seven Democratic candidates, four of whom will advance after Tuesday's primary.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Newsweek
15 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Weighs In on 'Civil War' Concerns
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. On Monday, President Donald Trump was asked about Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom's remarks that his Republican administration wants "civil war on the streets" amid ongoing protests against raids by Los Angeles Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The president was asked by a reporter, "What do you make of the fact that [Newsom] says you want a civil war?" Trump responded, "No, it's the opposite. I don't want a civil war. Civil war would happen if you left it to people like him." REPORTER: Gavin Newsom says you want a Civil War. TRUMP: "It's just the opposite, I don't want a Civil War. Civil War would happen if you left it to people like him." — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 9, 2025 This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.


San Francisco Chronicle
16 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Newsom blasts Trump's arrest threat as ‘unmistakable step toward authoritarianism'
President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed the idea of arresting California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the state's resistance to federal immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles, intensifying a clash that has already drawn legal challenges and fierce rebukes from Democratic leaders. 'I would do it if I were Tom,' Trump said, referring to Tom Homan, his border czar, who over the weekend suggested that state and local officials, including Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, could face arrest if they interfered with immigration raids. 'I think it's great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing,' Trump added. Trump's remarks signal a sharp escalation in the administration's crackdown on sanctuary jurisdictions and a willingness to target political opponents in unprecedented ways. Newsom responded swiftly, calling Trump's words a chilling attack on American democratic norms. 'The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor,' Newsom wrote on X. 'This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.' Tensions escalated sharply after Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles following days of civil unrest related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. The deployment marked the first time a president has federalized a state's National Guard without the governor's consent since 1965. Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced plans to sue Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging the deployment was unlawful. 'Federalizing the California National Guard is an abuse of the President's authority under the law,' Bonta said at a press conference. 'There is no invasion. There is no rebellion.' Meanwhile, David Huerta, president of SEIU California, was charged with felony conspiracy to impede an officer after his arrest during the L.A. protests. Despite the furor, legal experts note that Homan lacks the authority to arrest elected officials, and his role remains advisory. Still, Trump's rhetoric has raised alarms among critics who view his comments as part of a broader pattern of undermining democratic institutions. 'This is a preview of things to come,' Newsom warned in an interview with Brian Taylor Cohen that he shared on social media. 'This isn't about L.A., per se,' the Democratic governor added. 'It's about us today, it's about you, everyone watching tomorrow. This guy is unhinged. Trump is unhinged right now, and this is just another proof point of that.' At a news conference held by lawmakers in Sacramento to discuss the protests in Los Angeles, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, said Trump's threat to arrest Newsom is a 'direct assault on democracy and an insult to every Californian.'


New York Post
16 minutes ago
- New York Post
AOC, Grace Meng tapped to do more as open-air prostitution, rampant criminality returns to NYC's ‘Market of Sweethearts'
QUEENS, N.Y. – The red lights are back flashing along a notorious prostitution strip in New York City represented by progressive Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Grace Meng. Along the crammed, grimy sidewalks of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, sex workers are once again openly soliciting clients while vendors grill meats and hawk suspected stolen or counterfeit goods – despite police waging a months-long crackdown to stop the chaos. Advertisement It's become a way of life – and a years-long blight – for residents in the migrant-dense neighborhood who say they have grown tired of calling on Ocasio-Cortez and Meng to act and liken conditions to a 'Red Light district' or a third-world flea market. Others have nicknamed the strip the 'Avenue of the Sweethearts,' given its reputation for women purportedly turning tricks 8 Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Zohran Mamdani take part in the annual Puerto Rican day parade on Sunday afternoon. LP Media 'All the criminal activity has reverted to the way it was last year,' Ramses Frias, a local activist and Republican City Council candidate, told Fox News Digital. 'Our residents feel like prisoners in their own homes while criminals walk freely, preying on helpless victims.' Advertisement He said gangs like the 18th Street gang and Tren de Aragua are suspected of operating in the area since various spots are graffiti – tagged with their insignia. Fox News Digital visited Roosevelt Avenue after Ocasio-Cortez's town hall last month and witnessed as many as 30 women on one block appearing to offer sex for money to Friday night revelers while parents and children walked by. 8 New York Post cover from July 30th, 2023. Advertisement The women were jostling men and enticing them for sex despite a visible police presence nearby. Most women operate on Meng's side of the strip; the majority of vendors are on Ocasio-Cortez's side, with their district border running through the center of the street. Hours before the town hall, other sidewalks were jammed with vendors flogging counterfeit Apple headphones and watches and tools. Food vendors sizzled meats at vendor stalls and kept juices in massive, unlabeled canisters under the gritty subway underpass – devoid of any labels or apparent sanitation or health and safety standards. Fruit and ice-cream stalls also permeated the busy strip. Fox News Digital returned to the neighborhood on Friday and witnessed much of the same rampant prostitution and illegal vending. Additionally, several women were threading eyebrows along a sidewalk on a commercial street just off Roosevelt Avenue, while men were selling sneakers from cars and other food vendors were seen dumping wastewater down drains. 8 Women believed to be sex workers or prostitutes, standing in front of storefronts on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, NY. For the New York Post Advertisement Residents have warned for months that Operation Restore Roosevelt – a 90-day enhanced police crime crackdown on the area which started in October – needed to be made permanent and that the warming weather would likely see more scantily-clad women appear on the streets. NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry told Fox News Digital that the boots-on-the-ground operation, which consisted of more than 200 additional police officers, reduced crime by 29% in the area so far this year and significantly reduced criminal activity. 'There has been a notable difference,' Daughtry said. 'Robberies are down 23%, felony assaults are down 33%, burglaries are down 47%, and grand larceny is down 30%.' 8 15 brothels out of 30 court filings have been raided. For the New York Post Daughtry said he wants the work to have 'a real, lasting difference,' while saying that a lot still needs to be done. He said 15 brothels were raided out of 30 court filings made by the police. For instance, days after Ocasio-Cortez's town hall, authorities shut down a notorious brothel, dubbed the 'bodega brothel' by locals, which was operating above a corner store near two schools in Ocasio-Cortez's district. Video from inside the cat house obtained by Fox News Digital shows squalid conditions, with five cramped, makeshift rooms sectioned off by wooden panels and shower curtains with just enough room to fit a bed in every one of them. On Tuesday, two brothels were raided by police on Meng's side of Roosevelt Avenue, the same block where Fox News Digital observed 30 alleged prostitutes. Frias said a large crowd gathered to watch the sweep, some heckling the alleged johns as they were cuffed and taken into custody while suspected prostitutes were led out with their heads covered in shower curtains to shield their identities. 8 Meng described the situation as 'concerning' and claims to be working with local law enforcement. Getty Images Advertisement Frias said the crowd reaction proved the neighborhood is fully aware of the illicit activity and is fed up, but that three to four other brothels are operating on that same block. Frias added that residents are terrified to walk the streets and would rather stay home than step outside. 'Our laws need to become stricter, and it's time to elect representatives who have the best interests of the community and its safety as a priority,' said Frias, who's looking to oust City Council member Shekar Krishnan in District 25. He blasted Ocasio-Cortez in particular, saying she has never used her massive social media presence to address the dire situation. Daughtry, too, called on Ocasio-Cortez and Meng to do more. He and the mayor's office said the pair did not collaborate with them in the police crackdown. 'Never seen her,' Daughtry said about Ocasio-Cortez. 'She's never reached out to us. We would really love her assistance to help us, but at the end of the day, we have to do what's right and restore some law and order back to Roosevelt. I would like AOC to partner with us… use her platform to help us get funding or connect women to services.' Advertisement 8 Activist Ramses Frias called Ocasio-Cortez out for not using her massive social media presence to address this issue. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post Daughtry said issues like prostitution have permeated the area for decades, and he remembers it being a hot spot for prostitution in the '90s. He said the migrant crisis exacerbated the situation as many migrants were drawn to the area, given that it already has a large Latin American population. Mayor Eric Adams spearheaded Operation Restore Roosevelt in collaboration with the NYPD and City Council member Francisco Moya, a moderate Democrat who has often been at odds with his party's progressive wing. Daughtry said Moya was a 'huge partner' who physically walked Roosevelt Avenue with him and participated in raids, as did Adams. Adams' office said the operation underscored the administration's commitment to 'making sure these crime and quality-of-life issues continue to improve.' Advertisement 8 Operation Restore Roosevelt has continues to try and restore the community. For the New York Post Meng, meanwhile, told Fox News Digital she is working with local law enforcement and Moya on the matter and described the situation as 'concerning.' Ocasio-Cortez's office told Fox News Digital that she has engaged with local stakeholders in the area and helped fix lights in the neighborhood. The situation on Roosevelt Avenue was not raised by Ocasio-Cortez at her town hall, nor by constituents who spoke in a question-and-answer portion. Advertisement Residents Andrew Sokolof Diaz and John Szewczuk told Fox News Digital outside the event that the Roosevelt Avenue problem is a long-standing issue and that local lawmakers must do more to address it. 8 The situation on Roosevelt Avenue was not raised by Ocasio-Cortez at her town hall, nor by constituents who spoke in a question-and-answer portion. For the New York Post Resident Mark LaVergne pinned much of the blame on Ocasio-Cortez for not doing more and said he felt many of the women were likely trafficked into that murky underground world. 'I feel very sad… There's a Dunkin' Donuts I frequent on Roosevelt and 82nd Street and I noticed that above that there is some sort of thing going on, and I see the look in the eyes of these sex workers,' LaVergne said. 'I really feel sorry for them. Some of them are here, probably under difficult situations. Maybe they were forced here, maybe they're forced to do this kind of work. You've got to take care of the people that'll get you elected. I mean, that just seems like the most just thing. That's justice. Taking care of the people who got you elected.'