Written by
Sun Tzu observed that all warfare is based on deception.
In the Republican primary for Ohio’s 86th House District, candidate Ben Weber has executed this principle against the voters of Marion and Union counties, attempting to mask the true origins of his campaign finances behind a smokescreen of establishment proxy money.
However, the deception has been brought into the light. The battle for HD86 recently escalated from a quiet primary into a public reckoning when Ohio Gun Owners (OGO) took the unprecedented step of openly rescinding Weber’s “AQ Rating.”
Following the revocation, OGO released a public video indictment—a digital flare that bypasses the bureaucratic red tape of the Ohio Secretary of State’s filings and directly broadcasts the names of Weber’s financial handlers to the electorate.
In the broadcast, OGO explicitly names Columbus power brokers Abe Jacob and Mike Toman, labeling them as the gun-control lobbyists flooding Weber’s campaign with cash.
A source-verified audit into Weber’s financial disclosures reveals the specific architecture behind this funding, exposing a historical effort by Columbus-based institutional PACs to buy Republican primary seats and slowly dilute constitutional rights from the inside.
The Establishment Architects: Toman and Jacob
To understand the threat this poses to the district, voters must look at the historical nature of how these lobbyists operate. Toman and Jacob are not grassroots activists; they are the upper echelon of the Columbus lobbying class.
Mike Toman is a leading figure at The Success Group, an elite public affairs firm representing massive corporate and government association interests. Abe Jacob operates with Kallner & Associates, navigating high-level corporate maneuvering and statehouse economic development. These individuals represent the deep pockets of the Columbus uniparty—the very same establishment that routinely views strict constitutionalist platforms as an obstacle to business-as-usual politics.
Historically, the lobbying factions represented by Toman and Jacob do not finance candidates to protect the Second Amendment.
They finance candidates to ensure compliance. They strategically inject thousands of dollars into rural, conservative primaries to install “moderate” Republicans. Once in office, these establishment-backed legislators are expected to compromise on critical rights—including yielding to Red Flag laws or universal background checks—to maintain the favor of their Columbus handlers.
The Trojan Horse Strategy
Because explicit gun-control advocates cannot openly fund a Republican in a district as fiercely conservative as HD86 without causing immediate outrage, the strategy shifts. The money is washed through institutional and trade PACs.
By accepting stacks of campaign cash from these elite lobbyists, Ben Weber has signaled exactly who he intends to serve if elected.
Organizations like OGO enforce internal controls on their endorsements because they recognize this exact historical pattern: candidates funded by the Columbus Cartel do not fight for the constitutional rights of their constituents when the pressure is on. They fold.
The release of the OGO broadcast is a devastating tactical strike against Weber’s carefully curated image. By putting the names of high-dollar establishment lobbyists on screen, OGO has stripped away Weber’s ability to claim ignorance. This is not a clerical error; it is a documented financial pipeline.
The Transparency Deficit
The core philosophy of public service must be transparency and accountability. Yet, the Weber campaign relies entirely on the hope that voters will not look at the names on the financial disclosures.
This financial alignment stands in stark contrast to his May 5th primary opponents, Wezlynn Davis and Stephen Wolfe, who have maintained their high OGO ratings and kept their donor bases grounded in the actual district.
The voters of Marion and Union counties are not just choosing a candidate; they are deciding whether they will allow historical proxy-funders to purchase their representation.
The documentation is public, the origin of the money is clear, and the state’s foremost gun-rights organization has sounded the alarm. Ben Weber is attempting to purchase HD86 using the same establishment money that has historically worked to dilute the rights of Ohioans from the inside