Carroll stated that Indiana could lead in liberty like Florida and Texas.
COLUMBUS (OH) — Tuesday’s multi-state election will see Ohio voters choose their nominees for governor and U.S. Senate, while Indiana voters decide if they want to make their legislature more conservative.
The race, especially in Ohio, may offer a new window into the influence of former President Donald Trump among party faithful. He was particularly involved in Ohio’s Senate primaries, which have been marred by Republican divisions and campaigns for the U.S. House secretary of state.
A potential threat to Shontel Brown, the incumbent U.S. Rep. in Cleveland, is of great interest to Democrats. Brown faces Nina Turner, a progressive challenger and former state senator who served as a surrogate for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign campaigns. After losing to Brown last year’s special elections, Turner is back in the race against Nina Turner, a progressive challenger and surrogate for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns.
Watch out for the Ohio and Indiana primaries:
WHO WILL SUVIVE OHIO’S NASTY SENATE PRIMARY?
In Tuesday’s Republican contest for the vacant U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Republican Rob Portman, seven candidates are listed. Trump-endorsed “Hillbilly Elegy”, author JD Vance and Josh Mandel are among them. Jane Timken, former Ohio Republican Chair Jane Timken and state senator Matt Dolan, who is the family owner of the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, as well as Neil Patel and Mark Pukita, entrepreneurs, are also on Tuesday’s Republican ballot.
There was much jockeying between top candidates for Trump’s endorsement, over $65 million in radio and TV spending, and dozens of debates. One of the most publicized incidents was a physical confrontation between two candidates.
Vance is riding high on Trump’s endorsement. Other candidates who campaigned on Trump loyalty are hoping that strong ad spending and strong ground games will help them win. Dolan was the only candidate to run as a Portman-like centrist. Timken won Portman’s endorsement.
The winner will face the winner in a three-way Democratic primary. This includes former consumer protection lawyer Morgan Harper, Traci Johnson, and Traci Johnson, a Columbus activist and tech exec.
ISN’T A TRUMP ENDORSEMENT A SLAM DUNK IN OHIO
Trump twice won Ohio by over 8 percentage points. Many saw getting his nod for the Senate race as crucial to winning the crowded Senate primaries. It divided the state when Trump chose Vance instead.
Vance opponents, Mandel, Gibbons, and their allies had air months of ads highlighting Vance’s anti-Trump past statements. Tea party Republicans protested a rally that featured Vance on April 23. One conservative group, Ohio Value Voters, asked its supporters to boycott the event or heckle Vance as he entered the stage. Deep-pocketed Club for Growth has used TV to attack Trump for his decision.
Trump has also backed two Republican congressional candidates: Max Miller (his former White House and campaign aide) in the new 7th District in northeast Ohio and Madison Gesiotto Gilbert, Akron’s 13th District. He is also backing Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who will be facing John Adams, a former state representative and a Trump supporter.
WILL A WOMAN BREAK THRU IN OHIO’S GUBERNATORIAL RACE?
Nan Whaley, a Democrat, is running to become the first woman to be nominated for governor by a major party in Ohio. Former Dayton Mayor John Cranley is in a close race against the former mayor of Cincinnati, who has been endorsed by Gloria Steinem.
While they see each other on major issues such as guns and abortion rights, Whaley repeatedly noted that Cranley recently stated that he was pro-choice. She has also the support of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, the top Democrat in the state.
Both candidates are not well-known in Ohio. Both candidates have struggled to attract attention because so much of Ohio is focused on the contentious U.S. Senate race, ongoing redistricting battle, and other issues.
The biggest question for the first-term Republican Governor is Mike DeWine’s big question is how many conservative voters will punish his aggressive shutdowns and mandates during the pandemic.
DeWine, who has a 40-year history in Ohio politics, is well-known and is in a strong position to win the GOP nomination for a fourth-year term. Although his two main opponents have capitalized on the anger about the governor’s COVID-19 policy, they are likely to split far-right voters.
DeWine isn’t taking chances. He spent millions on advertising in the weeks leading up to the primary. It will be interesting to see if those same conservative voters who were angry with DeWine will return to him in November.
WILL CONFUSION AFFECT OHIO’S PRIMARILY CALENDAR RESULTS
The state’s 2022 election calendar has been disrupted by a long-running battle over Ohio’s legislative and congressional maps. It looked for a while like the May 3 primary would be postponed due to all the legal wrangling. It happened suddenly.
Campaigns, voter advocates, and political parties are stepping up their efforts to spread the word about early voting. Participation in early voting has fallen by 40% compared to four years ago.
Tuesday’s ballots won’t list any state legislative races. These will be decided in a second primary later in the year. Next week is the deadline for Ohio Redistricting Commission to draw district lines that are not partisan gerrymanders and that can be considered constitutionally sound. A federal court has ordered that the panel fail to succeed and will order an Aug. 2 primary with one of the invalidated maps.
The map used to determine the congressional races has been rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court. The ongoing litigation could lead to a new map being created before the 2024 elections.
IS INDIANA’S LEGAL SYSTEM CONSERVABLE ENOUGH?
Over a dozen Indiana House Members are trying to stop Republican primary challengers. They argue that the GOP-dominated Legislature isn’t aggressive enough on issues ranging from trying to ban abortion to overturning COVID-19 regulations that were ordered to them by the Republican governor.
These challengers claim they are tapping into the frustration of conservative voters and want the Legislature to move further to the right in a state that has Republicans controlling all statewide offices and having enjoyed legislative supermajorities for the last decade.
In Tuesday’s primary, it will be clear whether the challengers are able to defeat incumbents supported by Republican leaders’ multimillion dollar campaign fund.
Republican legislative leaders claim that the “no compromise” stances of many challengers aren’t practical. They also point out the state’s low taxes, unemployment, and large private school voucher program as some of its conservative successes.
Brittany Carroll is a family lawyer running for a central Indiana seat. She believes Indiana lawmakers should push issues like the Texas ban on abortions within six weeks.
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Davies reported from Indianapolis. This report was contributed by John Seewer, an Associated Press writer from Toledo, Ohio.
