Businessman Mike Gibbons is rising in early polls of Ohio’s crowded Republican Senate primary, and he is seeking to introduce himself to voters as the pro-Trump candidate in the race, according to a new advertisement campaign he will launch Tuesday.
Former President Donald Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman, but several Republican candidates are actively courting that endorsement in a race that has largely been driven by the candidates’ level of fealty to Trump. Author J.D. Vance recently promoted an endorsement from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a controversial freshman lawmaker from Georgia who is a close ally of Trump.
A pair of polls showed Gibbons making significant gains with voters in recent days. One internal campaign poll showed him in the lead with 23%, with Josh Mandel, the former Ohio treasurer and the party’s 2012 Senate nominee, trailing him at 10.8%. An independent poll from Co/Efficient also found Gibbons in the lead but with Mandel in closer proximity.
NEW: @coefficientpoll (R)
2022 #OHSen GOP Primary
Mike Gibbons 20%
Josh Mandel 18%
Matt Dolan 7%
Jane Timken 6%
J.D. Vance 5%
Mark Pukita 1%
Someone Else 9%
Undecided 34%613 LV | 2/6-2/8https://t.co/R2vaOAztZM
— PPUSA (@PollProjectUSA) February 11, 2022
Another recent poll by the Trafalgar Group showed Mandel in the lead but with a quarter of respondents still undecided.
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In the new advertisement campaign, Gibbons took aim at rivals Vance and Jane Timken as “Washington wimps,” highlighting their past comments critical of Trump, and calling himself “Trump tough.” Vance has dipped in recent polls, while Timken has made incremental gains.
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A spokesperson for the Gibbons campaign told the Washington Examiner the advertisement is part of a larger $10 million ad buy through the primary on May 3.
