CLEVELAND, Ohio (WDTN) — On Monday, the top five Republican candidates vying to replace longtime Ohio Sen. Rob Portman faced off in a debate ahead of the upcoming primary.
WJW’s Fox 8’s Joe Toohey asked all five candidates whether they thought it was time for Donald Trump to stop talking about the 2020 election and move on — and only one candidate raised their hand: Matt Dolan.
“Elections are a state issue,” Dolan said. “In Ohio, we have very secure elections. There have been two audits done and it showed that it had no problems.”
Former President Trump continues to claim that voter fraud occurred during the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
A poll released at the end of 2021 by the University of Massachusetts found that 71% of Republicans doubt the legitimacy of President Biden’s electoral victory. Only 21% said that he was either “probably” or “definitely” the winner.
Trump’s claims have been rejected by state and federal judges who’ve dismissed more than 50 lawsuits across the United States, according to Reuters.
Dolan said that, over his time in office, he’s helped to lower Ohio taxes and regulations, invested in mental health and Ohio water for economic development, provided parents with the option for school choice, and supported the police. All things Dolan believes that Republicans and Trump want.
Dolan has worked over this campaign to distance himself from former President Trump. He is a Republican Ohio state senator and former state’s assistant attorney general. He’s also the only candidate that doesn’t expect an endorsement from Trump, and he’s ok with that.
When asked if he could win the U.S. Senate primary election without Trump’s endorsement, Dolan responded, “Of course, I can win.”
“Since I’ve been in this race, I’ve made it all about Ohio and make sure Ohio is strong, make sure America’s strong,” He continued. “The irony of this whole thing is that I’m only one on this stage who’s actually implemented Republican Trump ideas.”
Former President Trump has publicly said that he would not endorse Dolan, as well as criticized the Dolan family’s decision to change the Cleveland Major League Baseball’s team name from Indians to Guardians in July 2021.
The Dolan family has owned the baseball club since 1999. In 2018, the team stopped wearing the Chief Wahoo logo on jerseys and hats.
“Anybody that changes the name of the once storied Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians should not be running for the United States Senate representing the Great People of Ohio,” Trump released in a statement. “I know of at least one person in that race who I won’t be endorsing.”
A February poll from Emerson College and The Hill showed 39% of Ohio Republican primary voters are undecided. At the time, Dolan and Jane Timken were tied with 6% each.
After Monday night’s debate, another poll taken by the Nexstar Media Group’s Ohio stations showed over 35% of responders believed Dolan won the Republican U.S. Senate primary debate.
“I know that Ohioans at the end of the day are going to support someone who can execute Republican ideas,” Dolan said.
“As a Republican, we’ve got to take on the Biden administration,” Dolan added. “We’ve talked about gas price inflation, insecurity and weakness in the world. That is what I’m going to Washington to focus on. To make sure that we stop the Biden agenda, but also set the agenda to what we as Republicans, stand for: Getting your jobs back, lower your taxes, being strong in the world, defending our allies all over the world, including Taiwan.”
For more information on Matt Dolan’s campaign for U.S. Senate, click here.
Watch the candidates response from the debate.
