Ohio Republican Senate Primary Polling Shows Close Race 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As early voting in Ohio’s Republican Senate primary draws closer to its end, two candidates have emerged as the clear favorites for their party’s nomination.

J.D. Vance, a Trump-backed venture capitalist, held a slight lead over former Ohio treasurer Josh Mandel in polling conducted by Fox News. The Fox News Poll is conducted under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). Investment banker Mike Gibbons, Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan and former Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken were shown to significantly trail their opponents Vance and Mandel in polling.

Vance was backed by 23% of primary voters while Mandel was backed by 18% of voters in the Fox News poll, although Vance’s lead margin was within the survey’s margin of sampling error. RealClearPolitics has Vance leading by 3.5 percentage points in their latest average.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose released data this week showing 182,496 absentee ballots were requested and that 100,809 votes have been cast statewide as of Tuesday. Early voting information was gathered by LaRose’s office informally via a survey of Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections.

The two favorites in the race, Vance and Mandel, represent contrasting sects of the Republican Party that are each vying for broader representation in Congress. Mandel has received endorsements from Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., as well as Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., and the free-enterprise advocacy group Club for Growth.

In addition to former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Vance’s candidacy has been backed by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Reps. Jim Banks, R-Ind., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., as well as Ohio Right to Life. The candidates are each contending for the seat of retiring Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, The Well News previously reported.

In the Democratic primary, polling data shows Rep. Tim Ryan as the clear leader to face the winner of the Republican primary in the November general election. Races for the state House, Senate and Central Committee are on hold while Ohio’s ongoing redistricting battle unfolds. 

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