Ohio Senate race: Jane Timken touts support from Corey Lewandowski after harassment claims

U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken held a little-advertised event this week to boast support from a former Donald Trump adviser who was accused of sexual harassment and cut out of Trump world. 

The telephone town hall Wednesday night featured the former Ohio Republican Party chair and her latest campaign hires: Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie, who served as deputy campaign manager for Trump in 2016. A prominent Trump donor told Politico last year that Lewandowski repeatedly touched her and made inappropriate comments at a charity event.

The allegations prompted Trump allies to remove Lewandowski from the former president's super PAC and create another fundraising group to keep him out of the fold. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who endorsed Timken in the Ohio Senate race, also cut ties with Lewandowski. 

"They know I’ve been in the trenches fighting for President Trump, and I’m thrilled to have their bold leadership on my side," Timken said of Lewandowski and Bossie on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Timken's campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the allegations and decision to hire Lewandowski. The campaign would not confirm that the town hall was happening before the event. 

Lewandowski also did not respond to questions about the town hall.

"The fact that Jane Timken has chosen to tout Mr. Lewandowski's support at this stage in the campaign sends a clear message to Republican voters, and women across Ohio, that she holds political hacks in higher regard than fighting for a safer and more secure future for Ohio families," said state Sen. Matt Dolan, who is also running in the GOP Senate primary.

Timken's Trump ties

Lewandowski and Bossie are the latest Trump allies to join Timken's campaign as she seeks to curry favor with supporters of the former president. Timken last month hired former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, who had been working for businessman Bernie Moreno until he dropped out of the race. 

She also earned the support of retiring Sen. Rob Portman, forcing her to juggle the establishment and MAGA wings of the Republican Party. Trump himself has been reluctant to endorse Timken in the primary after she briefly defended U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez for voting to impeach him over the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Lewandowski and Bossie vehemently defended her Trump credentials during Wednesday's town hall.

"We would not be on this call supporting Jane Timken if she was not the true Trump supporter in this race," Lewandowski said.

The trio answered voter questions about immigration, the economy and term limits, as well as education issues that Timken has made a hallmark of her campaign. They also touted her efforts as party chair to rally support for Trump in 2016 and 2020, noting the former president won Ohio both years.

Timken accused Democrats of trying "every shenanigan which way to Sunday to rig the vote" in the 2020 election. Like her opponents, she's cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election and said she wouldn't have voted to certify the results on Jan. 6, 2021. 

There's no evidence of widespread fraud.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.