The race for former President Trump’s endorsement in Ohio’s GOP Senate primary is putting several candidates on a collision course that some Republicans fear could hobble the party in the 2022 midterm elections.
Former state Treasurer Josh Mandel touts himself as the first statewide official in Ohio to have backed Trump’s presidential aspirations. Jane Timken, the former Ohio GOP chair, boasts that she was “hand-picked” by the former president to run the state Republican Party. And J.D. Vance, the venture capitalist and author who was highly critical of Trump in 2016, has cast himself as something of a convert to Trump and his political movement.
Trump has yet to hint at which candidate could receive his endorsement, and those in his orbit say a decision isn’t likely to come soon. But that hasn’t stopped the GOP hopefuls in Ohio from fighting for the title of Trump acolyte — a fight that has become increasingly bitter and confrontational.
“It’s early and there’s still time for them to sort this out,” one Ohio Republican said. “But as much as we can say that Ohio’s a red state now, I think the right Democrat can compete. At some point you have to stop making the race about other Republicans and make it about what the Democrats are doing.”
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