BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio – Former State Representative Candice Keller left public office in January, but do not expect the incendiary figure to stop making headlines.
On March 6, Keller launched a new advocacy group called “Patriot America” at Solid Rock Church in Lebanon. Keller told the Journal-News that the group is “just a citizen-led movement.” According to the group’s Facebook page, it has four primary goals, all of which are aimed at educating, recruiting and supporting candidates for public office.
The activist clarified on her Facebook page that the group is not a political party, writing that “the Left is PRAYING that conservatives form a 3rd party. They’d win every election for 100 years. NO THIRD PARTY. Smarten up.”
Despite this, many local Republicans are concerned that Keller’s “movement” will cause division among southwest Ohio conservatives. Butler County Republican Party Chairman Todd Hall sharply criticized Keller’s recent actions.
“We invite those to the table who feel frustrated with the direction of the country and want to voice their ideas, but as one of the most conservative local parties in the Midwest, I reject Keller’s divisive comments, schemes, and action,” Hall said.
Featured guests at the Patriot America kickoff event included activist and unsuccessful Ohio Senate candidate Janet Porter and Grammy-winning trumpeter Phil Driscoll. Driscoll made headlines in 2007 after being sentenced to a year-long federal prison stint for tax evasion.
Keller and her husband are not strangers to the southwest Ohio political scene. After losing a 3-way Republican primary for the Ohio Senate to now-Senator George Lang, Keller’s husband, Kent Keller Sr., ran in the general election as a write-in candidate, receiving only 0.6% of the vote. Many local Republicans chastised the Kellers for this move, which they considered to be an act of hostility against the party.
In 2019, Keller received national attention for inflammatory remarks she made in response to the mass shooting in Dayton’s Oregon District. Keller’s remarks received widespread condemnation and prompted many to call for her resignation, including Ohio Republican Party Chairman Jane Timken and Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.
Keller has announced plans to start a podcast in collaboration with Patriot America. In addition, the group will hold another event on March 20, which will include GOP Senate candidate and former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel.