Democrats can’t kick out Auditor Dusty Rhodes, so they declare him ‘not in good standing’

Hamilton County Democrats can’t kick Auditor Dusty Rhodes out of the party.

Instead, on Saturday, the Hamilton County Democratic executive committee declared the conservative Democrat from Delhi “not in good standing.”

The vote was 65-0 with two abstaining, sources told The Enquirer. 

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

The Hamilton County Executive Committee voted to withdraw support from Rhodes, whose controversial comments on social media, defense of former President Donald Trump and support of Republicans for office has run afoul of local Democratic leadership.

Hamilton County Democratic Chair Gwen McFarlin told The Enquirer a committee in the past year looked into Rhodes behavior. Rhodes declined to speak with the committee, she said. He also did not attend Saturday’s meeting, which was virtual. 

McFarlin supported the measure, which as far as she knew, was unprecedented for Hamilton County Democrats. 

“The Democratic Party has always had a large tent,” McFarlin said. “It takes a lot by an individual to be removed from that tent. It takes unusually a lot. That’s where the concerns came. He continued to do what he was doing.”

Rhodes and Britt Born, who chaired the committee to make the recommendation, did not return messages seeking comment. 

Rhodes did respond on Twitter. 

“Now how will they “categorize” their previously endorsed candidates who are in jail or under indictment?” Rhodes tweeted Saturday morning. “Are they still “in good standing” with the party?”

One of the final straws came in June 2020. Rhodes tweeted in response to the Black Lives Matter Mural painted in June 2020 in front of Cincinnati City Hall.

“Just wondering when they are going to paint “Black Lives Matter” on Auburn Avenue, you know, in front of that building where they terminate black lives and white ones, too, almost every day of the week.” He was referring to a Planned Parenthood clinic.

Chair Gwen McFarlin responded by saying the party would not endorse Rhodes in the future and she’d initiate a proceeding to censure him.

Rhodes also endorsed Republican Bruce Hoffbauer for Hamilton County Sheriff in 2020. 

All these examples were cited at the meeting for reasons to take action against Rhodes, Democrats told The Enquirer. 

Democratic bylaws don’t allow for them to remove Rhodes from the party from the executive committee, officials told The Enquirer. But the action taken by the Democrats on Saturday means he will lose any access and support not guaranteed by the party rules. That includes not endorsing him in 2022 when he’s up for re-election.

Rhodes is the longest-serving Democrat currently in office. He was first elected in 1990. At the time he was the only Democrat serving countywide in Hamilton County. Since then, like many urban counties across the country, Democrats now dominate politics.

The Enquirer will update this story. 

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Democrats can’t kick out Auditor Dusty Rhodes, so they declare him ‘not in good standing’