Early speculation that Ohio politician Josh Mandel’s name recognition would give him a big lead in the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman got a shock today when a new poll showed former state GOP chief Jane Timken gaining on the former state treasurer.
The survey tested six candidates and found Timken surging the most since September. Her six-point gain put her in second place in the 2022 race behind Mandel at 17% to his 21%. The poll showed Mandel had dipped a point since September.
The poll, released by Timken’s campaign, also showed that no other candidate improved more than one point in the race, including Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance.
It found that Republican primary voters are largely unsure of who to back in the race despite voter forums already held in the state, including one on Monday. Some 32% did not choose or know the candidates. But that is 5 points less than in September, a change nearly identical to Timken’s gain.
The survey showed that Timken’s favorability increased as more voters got to know her — a 10-point shift for the pro-Trump conservative.
“We are working hard every day, traveling to all corners of Ohio talking and listening to Ohio families with a relentless focus on fighting for parents and stopping the disastrous agenda of Joe Biden and the Left,” said Timken in a statement shared with Secrets.
“I’m incredibly excited that voters are responding to my record as the only authentic fighter for Ohioans and the America First agenda who will combat inflation, keep Critical Race Theory out of our schools, end the Fauci lockdown madness, and stop the Socialist Left,” she added, laying out issues that GOP voters are tuned into.
Her campaign told us that she is running TV ads and has contacted 750,000 voters so far.
And she is playing up issues that appeared to give Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin his surprise victory over longtime politician Terry McAuliffe last month. For example, she has conducted a “Parents First” tour and steered to economic issues.
The survey is just the latest sign that the race is heating up. This week, another candidate, Bernie Moreno, started to air ads targeting President Joe Biden as a Jimmy Carter clone.
