COLUMBUS (WCMH) –The newest Republican to enter the race to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate is the only GOP candidate who is not trying to win the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.
Ohio Senator Matt Dolan said the only endorsement he needs is that of Ohio voters.
Hours after Dolan announced his candidacy, Trump publicly said he will never endorse Dolan because his family owns the Cleveland Indians, and Trump does not support the pending name change to the Cleveland Guardians.
Dolan told NBC4’s Colleen Marshall if the former president looked at his voting record in the Ohio Senate, he would see Dolan supports policies that closely align with the Trump agenda.
Dolan also said he is the only current office holder on the Republican ballot and stands alone on a number of key issues, including infrastructure.
“Infrastructure is a huge part of Ohio’s economy,” Dolan said. “Senator Portman negotiated a streamlined bill for infrastructure only. I’m the only one supporting that bill. How can you say you are fighting for Ohio when you can’t even support infrastructure dollars? I am the only one who said to both President Trump and President Biden that if I were in the United States Senate, I would not have pulled out of Afghanistan because I think the United States, where we are, is a stable force.”
Dolan will be facing five other Republicans who are fighting to replace Rob Portman:
- Former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel
- Former Republican State Party Leader Jane Timken
- Author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance
- Cleveland businessmen Bernie Moreno and Mike Gibbons