It’s a tight race in the Buckeye State as multiple candidates are running to be Ohio’s Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in this fall’s midterm elections.
The hotly-contested and widely-watched battle has become the most expensive primary in the state’s history.
Polls show the race to be extremely close.
One key factor is former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of one of the candidates.
A crowded GOP Senate primary field has prominent members of the party, including Trump, taking different paths ahead of Tuesday’s primary. It could be a litmus test of the impact of the former president’s backing in upcoming races.
“I want to pick somebody that’s going to win and this man is going to win,” Trump said. “Come on up J.D.”
J.D. Vance, a former Trump critic, surprised many when he got picked from a packed GOP Senate field where many sought the former president’s blessing.
“The president is right,” Vance said. “I wasn’t always nice, but the fact of the matter is he’s the best president of my lifetime.”
Vance beat out former Ohio treasurer Josh Mandel, businessman Mike Gibbons, former state party chair Jane Timken, and Ohio State Sen. Matt Dolan in getting Trump’s support.
Each has traditional conservative stances on issues like the 2nd amendment, abortion, and immigration. There are also other high-profile endorsements from the likes of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for Mandel, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) for Gibbons, and retiring Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman for Timken.
Dolan is now gaining some momentum by staying away from Trump and calling for the party to move forward and not to look back.
“This is really a test of President Trump’s political power in red states like Ohio,” said The Hill’s National Political Reporter Julia Manchester. “And we’ll also see that power play out in placed like Alabama and Pennsylvania where President Trump has made endorsements that have somewhat divided the Republican Party.”
Polls still show the Ohio primary as a toss-up, suggesting Trump’s word might not be the final one when it comes to midterm elections
“What we’re learning is that Trump’s endorsement can be helpful in primaries but it’s not sufficient,” said Nathan Gonzales, the editor of and publisher of Inside Elections. “It’s not the only thing and it’s up to the candidates to take that endorsement and turn it into fundraising dollars, to communicate that message to voters and to build on it rather than just rely on it.”
The primary is expected to be close and since Ohio doesn’t have runoffs, the winner just needs to outdo the rest of the field.
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