Trump’s Upcoming Wellington Rally Spotlights GOP’s ‘Nasty,’ ‘Hunger Games’ Senate Primary
June 25, 2021
Cleveland, OH — Donald Trump’s upcoming rally in Wellington on Saturday is shining a spotlight on Ohio Republicans’ “nasty” Senate primary.
In recent days, both HuffPost and The Hill have highlighted how Republican Senate candidates have spent months attacking each other over their support for Trump:
- “J.D. Vance…is already on the receiving end of an anonymous text-message campaign informing Republican voters in Ohio about Vance’s numerous disparaging comments about Trump during the 2016 race, including a time he called Trump an ‘idiot.’”
- “Mandel has not always been a Trump loyalist… During the 2016 campaign, he appeared to be hedging his bets, declining to mention Trump’s name at a July 2016 speech to Republican state leaders”
- “Conservative activists have rallied against Jane Timken, the former chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party, for her own alleged failure to toe the Trump line. Timken initially defended Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R), one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in January, before reversing herself and calling on Gonzalez to resign.”
Catch up quickly on the divisive primary that’s already been defined by bitter messy infighting:
- POLITICO: Trump’s secret sit-down with Ohio candidates turns into ‘Hunger Games.’ “What ensued was a 15-minute backroom backbiting session reminiscent of Trump’s reality TV show. Mandel said he was “crushing” Timken in polling. Timken touted her support on the ground thanks to her time as state party chair. Gibbons mentioned how he’d helped Trump’s campaign financially. Moreno noted that his daughter had worked on Trump’s 2020 campaign.”
- AP: Republicans vie for Trump’s blessing in Ohio Senate primary. “The U.S. Senate primary in Ohio is still a year away, but Republican contenders already are working furiously to cast themselves as Trump’s favorite in the open race. That work can be awkward and far from subtle.”
- Cleveland.com, Brent Larkin: A Trump-tinged GOP Senate primary in Ohio unlike any other – and not in a good way. “Before it’s over – the date of the spring 2022 primary is not yet set – it will be a nasty affair filled with wild accusations, crazed conspiracy theories and enough nauseating and disqualifying embraces of Donald Trump’s lies to make millions of rational Ohioans reach for a barf bag.”
- NBC News: Competition for ‘Trump lane’ heats up in Ohio Senate race. “Hours after Timken’s announcement Thursday, Mandel tweeted an old photo of her embracing Kasich, signaling how he will move aggressively to frame her as insufficiently loyal to the Trump cause.”
“Donald Trump’s upcoming visit is sure to continue the division we’ve seen and increase the level of vitriol in the already nasty Republican Senate primary. As the Republicans fight among themselves, it will be another reminder to voters why they can’t be trusted to represent Ohioans’ interests in the Senate,” said Matt Keyes, spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.