Ohio Republicans are divided on candidates for the open U.S. House seat, as former President Donald Trump's choice is competing with candidates backed by other conservative leaders, an anti-abortion group and Trump's own former allies.
The winning candidate will succeed former U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers, who resigned in May to lead the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
Trump's selection for the GOP-leaning 15th Congressional District race is Mike Carey, who was described by Trump's Save America PAC release to "be a courageous fighter for the people and our economy, is strong on the Border, and tough on Crime."
Though Trump won Ohio twice by wide margins, Carey faces at least nine other contenders for the position, some of whom have received support from strong former Trump allies or other organizations.
The 15th Congressional District is gerrymandered to include all or part of 12 Ohio counties including parts of Columbus, and will have the special election primary on Aug. 3.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below:
Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has also been crossing the district to campaign for Carey.
Stivers, himself a National Guard major general, is supporting first-term state Rep. Jeff LaRe, a former deputy sheriff and security services company executive, to represent Ohio's 15th district. LaRe is running on a pro-law enforcement platform that includes tough talk on border control, immigration policy and the need to continue to tackle the opioid crisis and a pledge to keep Ohioans safe.
LaRe is among one former and three sitting state lawmakers running in the Republican primary, the others being state Sens. Stephanie Kunze and Bob Peterson and former state Rep. Ron Hood.
On the Democratic side, state Rep. Allison Russo, a health policy expert, faces Greg Betts, a former Army officer and decorated combat veteran, for the party's nomination.
Kunze has the backing of the GOP in the district's largest county, Franklin, and of the Value In Electing Women PAC founded to elect Republican women to Congress.
"Ohio hasn't had one Republican woman in its congressional delegation in nearly a decade," its executive director, Julie Conway, said. "Stephanie Kunze is not only the right person to represent the 15th district, but she'll be a principled conservative and a powerful advocate for the needs of all constituents."
Peterson's campaign has focused on his farming background and his service in the Statehouse where he's been either in the Ohio House or Senate since 2011. The powerful Ohio Right to Life PAC, the political arm of the state's oldest and largest anti-abortion group, has endorsed him.
Hood, meanwhile, has snagged the endorsement of a key Trump ally: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. In a tweet, Paul called Hood "a proven constitutional conservative who will stand for the entire Bill of Rights and for an America First foreign policy."
If that were not enough to divide the district's Trump-supporting base, another Trump ally, conservative activist Debbie Meadows, wife of former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, has backed Ruth Edmonds in the Republican race. Edmonds is on the advisory board to Ohio's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
Meadows' Right Women PAC said Edmonds, who is Black, "will be a powerful voice in Congress, countering the growing BLM/Marxist movement." It said Edmonds' "life experiences, her Biblical worldview, and her Christian faith have uniquely prepared her to stand up against the race-baiting bullies of the radical Left."
Influential New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, who founded Elevate PAC, formed to promote female Republican candidates, opted against backing Edmonds or Kunzesticking instead with Trump's man, Carey.
In a statement, Stefanik, who now chairs the House Republican Conference, said she was standing by Trump's pick because "to defeat the socialist Democrat agenda and fire Nancy Pelosi in 2022, we need more proven conservative fighters in the House Republican Conference."
For his part, the first-time candidate Carey hasn't campaigned on being "a proven fighter," but on Trump's twice-winning label of "outsider." He has never held elective office, but has lobbied the state Legislature.
Carey represented a company named in an indictment of a former House speaker and others allegedly involved in an elaborate bribery and dirty tricks scheme to pass a sweeping piece of energy legislation, House Bill 6. That firm, Murray Energy, is cited as "Company B" in the federal indictment. The company has not been accused of any crimes.
Other Republican candidates include: John Adams, owner of a chemical business; Eric M. Clark, a nurse at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; former Perry County Commissioner Thad Cooperrider; golf club owner Thomas Hwang; and attorney Omar Tarazi, a member of the Hilliard City Council.
The winners of the primaries will face off on Nov. 2.
See the article here:
Donald Trump Allies Break With Ex-President on Supporting Ohio House Candidate - Newsweek
- Donald Trump Returns to Capitol Hill for First Time Since Jan. 6 Riot - The Wall Street Journal - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Opinion: Donald Trump's advice on drinking and drugs is 'Don't start.' So what's wrong with that? - Yahoo! Voices - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Jeffrey Katzenberg Is Bidens Secret Weapon Against Trump - The New York Times - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Behind Closed Doors, Trump Disparages Milwaukee, Host of His Party's Convention - The New York Times - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Trump's Campaign Was Just a Scammy Money Grab All Along - The New Republic - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Opinion | The American flag isnt another Trump property. Time to reclaim it. - The Washington Post - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Republicans host 'pep rally' with Trump in his first visit to Capitol Hill since Jan. 6 attack - NBC News - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Trump met with GOP lawmakers in Washington to rally support, push for unity - NPR - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- A second Trump term: from unthinkable to probable - The Economist - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Donald Trump on Capitol Hill for first time since Jan 6 riot - BBC.com - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Elections 2024 live updates: Trump touts 'tremendous unity' after GOP meetings on Hill - The Washington Post - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Who Is Favored To Win The 2024 Presidential Election? - FiveThirtyEight - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Trump slams Justice Department in meeting with congressional Republicans - The Washington Post - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Bitcoin miners at Donald Trump's closed-door event say he thinks bitcoin can help win AI arms race - CNBC - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- The problem with Donald Trump's advice on drugs and alcohol - Los Angeles Times - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Trump Returns to Washington With Renewed Grip on the G.O.P. - The New York Times - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Opinion | J.D. Vance on Where Hed Take the Republican Party - The New York Times - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- How Donald Trump's criminal conviction boosted his campaign fundraising machine - CNBC - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Donald Trump's Message to Milwaukee - The Atlantic - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Reportedly Questions Taylor Swifts Support for Joe Biden in Meeting With House Republicans: Why Would She Endorse This Dope? - Variety - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- How One Move Illustrates Trump's Tactics - The New York Times - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Pulls Off Shock Lead in State GOP Has Not Won in 36 Years - Newsweek - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Donald Trump's 'Unhinged' Email Has Critics Asking: 'Is He Out Of Control?' - Yahoo! Voices - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- JB Pritzker, the Democrat Who Isnt Afraid to Call Trump a Felon - The New York Times - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Opinion | In calling out Trump, Harris finds her mission - The Washington Post - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- A Brief History of the Phrase 'No One Is Above the Law' - The New York Times - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Jr. moves to be MAGA's new kingmaker - Axios - June 13th, 2024 [June 13th, 2024]
- Opinion | Media should stop calling Donald Trump a 'felon' - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Donald Trump tries to court pivotal 2024 voters after guilty verdict - USA TODAY - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Opinion | Trump has been convicted, but maybe hold the champagne - The Washington Post - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Democratic, GOP strategists on problems Biden and Trump face with undecided voters - PBS NewsHour - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Trump's New York gun permit to be revoked following conviction: Sources - ABC News - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Trump asks to have gag order lifted in New York criminal trial - CBS News - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Is Plotting His Next Crime - Democracy Docket - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Trump Gets a Fund-Raiser in Silicon Valley - The New York Times - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Donald Trump: Unless there is a death penalty for drug dealers, you will never solve the problem - Fox News - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- DNC to unveil new billboard calling Trump a "convicted felon" - CBS News - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Trump's Vows to Prosecute Rivals Put Rule of Law on the Ballot - The New York Times - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Will the Supreme Court nullify Trump's conviction? - Vox.com - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- What's next for Donald Trump after hush money conviction - The Associated Press - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Is Donald Trump Really a Male Icon? I Hope to God Not. - The Nation - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Opinion | Trump Is Blocking Out the Sun: Three Writers on the Politics of the Guilty Verdict - The New York Times - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Looming over Trump's conviction: reversal by the '13th juror' - POLITICO - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Both Sides of a Breakup: He Didn't Think Trump Was So Bad - The Cut - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Trump asks judge to lift gag order in hush money case after guilty verdict - Axios - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Court Delays Trump's Georgia Case, and U.N. Warns of 'Climate Hell' - The New York Times - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Republican Election Clerk Takes on Trump and His Supporters - The New York Times - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Trump surrogate Byron Donalds hearkens back to Jim Crow era when 'the Black family was together' - NBC News - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Donald Trump to speak at private CEOs meeting, weeks after conviction - CNBC - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Trump's conviction prompts election-year debate among Democrats: How much to focus on the verdict? - The Associated Press - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Georgia appeals court temporarily halts Trump's 2020 election case in Fulton County - CBS News - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- Suddenly Trump's got nothing to say about Hunter Biden - POLITICO - June 6th, 2024 [June 6th, 2024]
- 'Donald Trump Did This': How to Beat MAGA on Border Security - The Bulwark - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Potential Trump running mate JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. have become so close that they text or talk on a 'nearly ... - Business Insider - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Trump Second Term: How the World and U.S. Allies Can Prepare for the Election - Foreign Policy - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Poll: Biden and Trump supporters sharply divided by the media they consume - NBC News - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Master Calendar of Trump Court Dates: Criminal and Civil Cases - Just Security - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Donald Trump's Sleepy, Sleazy Criminal Trial - The New Yorker - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Trump, GOP seize on campus protests to depict chaos under Biden - The Washington Post - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- UK briefing: How Donald Trump plans to survive hush money trial with his campaign intact newsletter - The Guardian - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Opinion | We Are Talking About the Manhattan Case Against Trump All Wrong - The New York Times - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Election 2024: Biden jokes, Trump still leads and updates from the Sunday shows. - The New York Times - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Pans White House Correspondents' Dinner: 'Colin Jost BOMBED' - The Daily Beast - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Trump's Trial Could Bring a Rarity: Consequences for His Words - The New York Times - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Bemoans Really Bad WHCD, Biden & Colin Jost After All Mock Much Indicted Ex-POTUS - Deadline - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- The Supreme Court's epic failure in dealing with Trump's cases - The Hill - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Donald Trump: In America's most important swing state, a key Biden group wants to hand the presidency to Trump. - Slate - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Is Being Ritually Humiliated in Court - The New Yorker - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Joe Biden trails Donald Trump in new national poll on 2024 election - USA TODAY - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Amid Cases on Abortion and Trump, Roberts Reflects on Supreme Court's Work - The New York Times - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Is Used to the Finer Things in Life. At the Courthouse, 'He's Miserable.' - The Wall Street Journal - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- How Trumps Rhetoric at Rallies Has Escalated - The New York Times - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- The Supreme Court Appears Poised to Protect the Presidencyand Donald Trump - The New Yorker - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- The Supreme Court seems divided over Donald Trump's immunity - The Economist - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- John Dean Says 1 Thing 'Keeping Me On The Edge Of My Seat' In Trump Trial - Yahoo! Voices - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Five Moments That Have Defined Donald Trump's Trial So Far - The New York Times - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- How Trumps trial is playing, politically - The Washington Post - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Opinion | The Ukraine aid vote helps, but U.S. allies complacency would be unwise - The Washington Post - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Hey, SCOTUS your hypocrisy is showing - The Hill - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Bill Barr Is Happy to Debase Himself for Donald Trump Again Mother Jones - Mother Jones - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]