Although he has yet to decide whether to seek the seat of retiring Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, next year, swashbuckling conservative Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, appears in a strong position to win the all-important GOP primary in May.
A day after Portman made his surprise announcement Monday he would not seek a third term in 2022, the Republican widely considered the strongest contender for his seat announced he would not run.
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, easily one of the Buckeye State's best known conservative Republicans, told reporters he preferred to run for governor — which means he is going to seek re-election to the state's second highest office and, assuming fellow Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is re-elected next year, will run for governor himself in 2026 (when DeWine is termed out).
Jordan is considered a solid conservative and, sources told Newsmax, will not only have the support of Donald Trump's Ohio organization but of Trump himself.
The former president has a fervent following among Ohio Republicans and twice carried its electoral votes. As president-elect 2017, Trump himself made calls on behalf of supporter Jane Timken to be state party chairman and help her depose then-Chairman Matt Borges (a close ally of Trump antagonist, then-Gov. John Kasich).
The only other Republican exploring the Senate race beside Jordan is Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, a past chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. While Stivers backed Trump more than 98% of the time in Congress, the Columbus-area lawmaker lacks the close identification with Trump that Jordan has and is considered closer to the GOP "establishment."
"Steve is clearly in a different lane than Jim," retired Ohio Supreme Court Justice and 1982 Republican Senate nominee Paul Pfeifer told Newsmax.
Seeking to recruit a first-rate Senate candidate themselves, Ohio Democrats are already focusing on the possibility of Jordan as the Republican nominee. In a just-released fund-raising letter, Columbus City Attorney and liberal Democrat Zach Klein wrote: "Say no to Sen. Jim Jordan. We can't have him representing Ohio in the Senate. Donate now because Ohio deserves better."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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