Current:Home > InvestRepublican Matt Dolan has landed former US Sen. Rob Portman’s endorsement in Ohio’s Senate primary-LoTradeCoin
Republican Matt Dolan has landed former US Sen. Rob Portman’s endorsement in Ohio’s Senate primary
View Date:2024-12-23 21:06:41
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Matt Dolan has landed the endorsement of former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman in the fractious three-way primary to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall, a potentially important boost in the final run-up to the contest.
In a letter addressed to fellow Ohioans, the Cincinnati Republican and his wife, Jane, said they decided that Dolan’s “conservative record of accomplishment and his commitment to continue to focus on achieving results in the U.S. Senate set him apart” from his rivals, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Trump-endorsed Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno.
The Portmans said LaRose and Moreno were also “good people, who care deeply about our state,” but that Dolan, a Cleveland-area state senator, was their choice.
“America faces tremendous challenges,” they wrote, “and it is more important than ever that we elect leaders who embody conservative values and principles and have a track record of getting things done.”
All three Senate contenders had sought Portman’s backing. He’s a moderate with a strong reputation in Republican circles, including for his skill at bipartisan dealmaking. He helped negotiate the $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by Democratic President Joe Biden in 2021.
A former federal budget director and U.S. trade representative to Republican President George W. Bush, Portman served in the Senate from 2011 to 2023. He announced his retirement in 2021, lamenting the partisanship and dysfunction in Washington. Portman launched a center focused on civility at the University of Cincinnati last year.
Dolan had hopes of securing Portman’s endorsement when he first ran for Senate in 2022, after fashioning himself a moderate pragmatist in Portman’s mold. But that was not to be. Portman instead endorsed Jane Timken, a former chair of the Ohio Republican Party, who started strong but ultimately finished fifth in the crowded field — with less than 6% of the vote. Former President Donald Trump’s endorsement fueled author and venture capitalist JD Vance to victory in that contest.
Dolan competes in a smaller field this year, where he’s jockeying with LaRose for the votes necessary to outperform the Moreno campaign’s support among Ohio’s strong Trump coalition.
Portman’s strong name recognition in southwest Ohio could be beneficial to Dolan as the state’s March 19 primary nears.
Dolan is best known in Cleveland, where his family owns baseball’s Cleveland Guardians, but that is also Moreno’s stronghold. LaRose hails originally from Akron, but has lived in the Columbus area since taking statewide office. Ohioans have twice elected him statewide, and he enjoys the strongest name recognition in the race by virtue of his high-profile job as the state’s elections chief.
Dolan praised Portman for his public service in a statement, saying he “showed that a good public servant not only delivers results, but also safeguards the inheritance of future generations.”
veryGood! (312)
Related
- Queen Elizabeth II's Final 5-Word Diary Entry Revealed
- Head of Radio New Zealand public radio network apologizes for pro-Kremlin garbage
- U.S. says Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia will likely take a long time and come at a high cost
- A Harry Potter TV Series Is Reportedly Coming: All the Magical Details
- In an AP interview, the next Los Angeles DA says he’ll go after low-level nonviolent crimes
- Police appeal for photos and video after American arrested in fatal attack near German castle
- Former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon released after arrest amid financial probe
- The Reba Cast Just Reunited at Reba McEntire's Hollywood Bowl Concert
- 'Yellowstone' premiere: Record ratings, Rip's ride and Billy Klapper's tribute
- Relive the Kardashian-Jenners' Most Epic Pranks
Ranking
- Armie Hammer Says His Mom Gifted Him a Vasectomy for His 38th Birthday
- Love Is Blind's Bliss Got Into a Fight With Irina Over Grilled Cheese That Didn't Make the Show
- Pope Francis out of hospital 9 days after abdominal surgery: Better than before
- Maralee Nichols' New Photos of Her and Tristan Thompson's Son Showcase True Happiness
- Falling scaffolding plank narrowly misses pedestrians at Boston’s South Station
- Blac Chyna Adds New Title to Her Résumé After Receiving Her Doctorate
- Why Jon Gosselin Has No Fear Reconciling With His 6 Estranged Kids
- Hundreds more missing after migrant boat capsizes off Greek coast
Recommendation
-
Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline
-
Amid A Megadrought, Federal Water Shortage Limits Loom For The Colorado River
-
Soldiers arrested after executions of 5 men near U.S. border, Mexico's president says
-
Flood Deaths Are Rising In Germany, And Officials Blame Climate Change
-
Garth Brooks wants to move his sexual assault case to federal court. How that could help the singer.
-
U.K. police say man arrested over apparent triple murder in Nottingham
-
Gigi Hadid's Signature Scent Revealed
-
Summer House Trailer: Carl Radke & Lindsay Hubbard's Engagement Causes All Hell to Break Loose