The most remarkable thing about the 2022 Ohio GOP Senate primary to date is that no one has really taken off. The latest poll from Trafalgar shows five different candidates polling between 10 percent and 21 percent:
Josh Mandel: 21 percent
Mike Gibbons: 16 percent
J.D. Vance: 14 percent
Matt Dolan: 10 percent
Jane Timken: 10 percent
A plurality of voters, 25 percent, remain undecided in the Trafalgar poll. That’s why retiring GOP Senator Rob Portman’s endorsement today of Jane Timken could be a big deal. “I am confident in her ability to win both the primary and the general elections, ensuring that this Senate seat remains Republican with a 50-50 Senate, and so much at stake,” Portman said in a statement.
The campaigns of Josh Mandel and J. D. Vance have gotten the most attention from the media, but in a five-way race it’s not hard to see a path to victory for Timken in the May 3 primary.