CINCINNATI (AP/WCMH) — Former Chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party, Jane Timken, has announced she will be running for the U.S. Senate seat being left by the GOP’s Rob Portman.
“Today I am announcing my run for U.S. Senate. I simply can’t sit on the sidelines and watch Joe Biden and the Socialist left rollback all the progress we’ve made under President Trump,” Timken released on Twitter.
With Trump’s backing, Timken took over the party leadership from a state chair allied with former Gov. John Kasich, a Republican opponent of Trump. State Republicans have done well during her four years, and while untried as a statewide candidate herself, she is well-connected and wealthy.
Portman’s surprise announcement Jan. 25 that he would not seek a third term has whipped up a storm of interest among potential contenders — both Democratic and Republican — for what could have been a tough race against a well-funded GOP incumbent. A dozen or so Ohio politicians have already expressed interest in the 2022 Senate race, and some Democrats are advocating for the party to field a candidate who is a person of color, a woman or both.
Several Republican U.S. House members have expressed interest, along with current and past statewide officeholders.
