State Sen. Matt Dolan, a Republican candidate for Senate in Ohio, is trying to rise above the fray of the contentious and crowded primary in the state, arguing voters want substance, not style.
In the midst of what he has called a “No Nonsense” tour, Dolan is making the case to voters that he is the only candidate in the field with legislative experience that includes working to balance the state’s budget and crafting anti-abortion legislation that withstood court challenges.
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In remarks to voters on one stop in Grove City, a Columbus suburb, Dolan said that at a recent candidate debate, he was the only one to raise his hand when asked if it was time for Republicans to move on from claims about the 2020 election being stolen.
Recent polls of Ohio’s Senate race have shown Josh Mandel, Mike Gibbons, and JD Vance at the top of the field or close to it. Those polls will likely change as Vance recently received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. The race has grown increasingly nasty, with backbiting from Vance’s rivals over the Trump endorsement. And at one candidate forum, Mandel and Gibbons nearly came to blows amid a heated argument over foreign policy.
The Senate seat is open because Republican Sen. Rob Portman is retiring after 12 years in office. Senate Republicans need to net one seat to take the majority in a chamber that is now split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting tiebreaking votes for Democrats and giving the party its majority.
Dolan is a part owner of the Cleveland Guardians team in Major League Baseball. He’s increasingly trying to distinguish himself from GOP primary rivals.
Without naming names, Dolan dismissed his rivals as those seeking to gain attention by parroting the style of Trump rather than working to implement aspects of his agenda he said would benefit Ohio, such as tightening border security as part of a strategy to combat the opioid epidemic.
“As Republicans, do we want someone to go to Washington to confront today’s crisis caused by the Biden administration?” he asked during his remarks. “If you want that, you need me. If you want to look backward … and just make a lot of noise, and get nothing done, then you have many choices.”
“I think they ran a campaign for one person. They were all running for President Trump’s endorsement,” Dolan told the Washington Examiner at the event. “What they’re missing is they’re all trying to emulate President Trump’s style, but not just focus on the substance of what President Trump did. I’m the only one trying to act on the Republican agenda.”
Dolan was optimistic about his chances in the Republican primary, arguing that because there are so many candidates in the field offering similar perspectives and planning to split the same swath of voters, those looking for someone who “can execute an agenda” will support him.
“I think what’s going to happen is that they’re going to recognize there’s a clear difference between me and everyone else in this race,” Dolan said. “They’re going split the people who are voting, the people who want style. The people who want substance are going to go with me.”
One such supporter is Grove City Mayor Richard “Ike” Stage, who told the Washington Examiner that he would support Dolan for his “character, work ethic, and understanding of government.”
Stage, mayor of a city of about 42,000 people, blamed social media as partly responsible for the “antagonistic” primary.
The attendees of the event held at Lilly’s Kitchen Table ranged from those who came to hear Dolan to those looking for a Friday morning breakfast.
One Ohio voter, Denice, who asked to be identified by just her first name, told the Washington Examiner that she would support Dolan because she feels he will put Ohio before Republicans, citing his “positive” television advertisements.
“To me, he just stands out,” she said.
Others in the diner told the Washington Examiner they were still undecided, with several expressing disillusionment or disgust with the contentious primary. One said she would support Josh Mandel, arguing he would “take care of what’s going on in our schools.”
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A pair of diners, Jim and Don, said they come to the restaurant every morning, and the event bumped them from their usual table. They said they remain undecided in the May 3 contest but are looking for a candidate who will address infrastructure needs and oppose “government handouts” for those without disabilities.
