In the Ohio GOP Senate area code, Trump is the kingmaker

Donald Trump faces the Ohio Senate race as Republican candidates vie for support and urge the former president to overlook past opposition to his leadership.

JD Vance, the venture capitalist and author who entered the Republican primaries on Thursday as a populist Trump supporter, did not vote for the 45th president in 2016 and was initially critical of his administration. Bernie Moreno, a wealthy businessman who once called Trump a madman, and Mike Gibbons, the other wealthy businessman in the race, previously lamented the “personality cult” surrounding Trump in the GOP.

Even Jane Timken, the former Ohio Republican Party leader and a Trump loyalist, has come under fire. Your sin? Ohio MP Anthony Gonzalez to be critical enough after voting in the flagging days of his administration to sue the former president at the Capitol on alleged guilty of the January 6 riot. Only Josh Mandel seems to be free from Trump problems. Of course he’s the front runner.

“It’s everyone’s race – and likely Trump’s choice if he approves it,” said a senior Republican from Ohio.

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Senator Rob Portman decided to retire in 2022, sparking a fierce battle for the Republican nomination. Ohio saw a red trend in the Trump era, with the former president winning big there in 2016 and 2020. Trump remains popular with grassroots Republicans in the state despite his re-election as President Joe Biden, giving him tremendous leverage in the developing Senate primary. Initially, this competition centered on Mandel and Timken battling over who the pro-Trump is.

Mandel entered the race with a large war chest left over from his abandoned Senate campaign in 2018. His populist style goes well with the Republican base in Ohio, and he’s known from past nationwide campaigns. But personal weaknesses could sink Mandel’s campaign. Just recently, some of his campaign workers quit, citing a toxic work environment related to a romantic relationship the candidate has with a top financial advisor.

The story goes on

“Josh is the most conservative candidate in the race and the pro-Trump candidate in the race. We have a lot to do, but we are in a strong position, ”said Mandel campaign spokesman Ethan Zorfas. He declined to comment on the campaign’s potentially troubling human resources issues.

Timken is focused on building a nationwide campaign and assembling a grassroots army of foot soldiers in all of Ohio’s 88 counties. Their campaign has appointed a chairman in each district and seeks support from a congressman, four state senators, 22 state officials, 11 mayors, 26 district commissioners, 18 GOP chairmen, and 38 members of the Ohio State GOP Central Committee.

Primary school is not until April next year. But the Timken campaign has already generated more than 200,000 voter contacts, with about 10% being socialized during a “Super Saturday Day of Action” where more than 300 volunteers knocked on doors and made phone calls. “Jane Timken is the base candidate in this race,” read a campaign memo from June 29th.

Gibbons and Moreno both come as heirs to Trump’s political legacy and present themselves as outsiders in a field of traditional politicians. And Moreno has the support of Kellyanne Conway, a former White House adviser to the 45th President and campaign manager in his 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton. But Hillbilly Elegy author Vance could do more than anyone but Mandel to help Claim coat of the ultimate Trump culture fighter.

For example, Vance raged against large tech companies when announcing its Senate bid, proposing to raise taxes on companies “that move our jobs overseas.” Republican insiders in Ohio wave Vance’s burgeoning campaign, criticizing the candidate as a fictional populist who failed to meet with grassroots party leaders. The $ 10 million super PAC set up for Vance by Republican mega-donor Peter Thiel is further evidence of what’s wrong with Vance, critics say.

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Vance comes from the small town of Ohio and grew up in a modest family. Although he left the state to study in the Ivy League and worked in finance while living mostly on the West Coast before moving to the Cincinnati area, Republicans who know him say he has gone through a profound political transformation, realizing the impact of certain federal policies on working-class communities in Ohio, including the one he grew up in.

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Keywords: News, campaigns, 2022 elections, Ohio, Donald Trump

Original author: David M. Printer

Original location: In the Ohio GOP Senate area code, Trump is the kingmaker

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