Senator Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, speaks to members of the media as he walks through the Senate Subway at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.
Sarah Silbiger | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A group of power brokers in Ohio have approached businesses across the state to try to recruit them to run for Republican Sen. Rob Portman in 2022, in an effort to stop Trump candidates from winning the contest, according to people. familiar with the matter.
Some of those who have started working with potential candidates include donors and business types close to former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich, according to these people.
Kasich is one of the most prominent GOP critics of former President Donald Trump. He was one of a handful of Republicans who appeared at the Democratic National Convention during the summer to endorse Joe Biden.
The possibility of trying to win a Republican by-election in a divided party leads to some executives not wanting to act. Those approached from the Republican and Democratic sides include the CEO of a central business group in Ohio, a venture capitalist, and a CEO for digital marketing.
Several people are reluctant to take part in the race because a Republican primary would involve a fight for the party’s base and probably an endorsement by Trump himself. If he endorses, Trump is likely to support someone who is more in line with his agenda, as opposed to a more traditional Republican.
House Freedom Caucus member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, will not be eligible for Portman’s seat, his office recently announced. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Said in a statement yesterday that the former president, after meeting with Trump, “is committed to aiding the Republican election in the House and Senate in 2022.”
GOP politicians loyal to Trump, who are allegedly in the mix to possibly get going, include Rep. Steve Stivers and Jane Timken, chairman of the Republican Party in Ohio.
Political strategists say they are not surprised by the attempt to find a business-minded candidate. This is the latest sign that the Republican primary for Portman’s seat will be expanded.
“Will probably be a big field in the GOP primary, with all ideological streaks,” Charlie Black, a former Kasich strategist, told CNBC. It is “to be expected,” Black said of business leaders being recruited, “but there will be conservative candidates who are not married to Trump.”
Portman announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election in 2022 because it “has become increasingly difficult to break the party grid and make progress on substantive policies,” he said. Portman was a Republican lawmaker who voted to uphold the results of the Electoral College, confirming Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
The celebrities have said that the executives with Republican ties who have already made efforts to adapt in the race include Alex Fischer, president and CEO of The Columbus Partnership, and Mark Kvamme, a venture capitalist who has been more than a decade in Ohio. .
One of these people said that Nancy Kramer, founder of the digital marketing agency Resource / Ammirati in Ohio, is another manager who was driven as a candidate on the Democratic side. Kramer’s firm was acquired by IBM in 2016.
Fischer’s Columbus Partnership is a business group for the city of Columbus and central Ohio. Fischer was also publicly acknowledged that he kept the MLS football team, the Columbus Crew, in town when they considered moving to Texas.
Kvamme and Fischer told CNBC that they were not interested in running for the Senate, even though they were approached. Kramer, who is currently at IBM iX in Columbus, did not return a request for comment.
“Yes, some people called me. I was flattered,” Kvamme told CNBC. “Maybe one day I will enter the political arena, but my time is better spent demonstrating to my friends in California that Ohio and the Middle East are the next great place to create and build technology businesses.”
Fischer, who was previously the deputy governor of Tennessee before moving to Ohio, said he was not interested in running despite discussions in political circles.
“No, I’m not considering it private or positioning. Obviously, there’s a lot of discussion in political circles,” Fischer told CNBC. “In my conversations, there is a greater frustration about the general political environment, the inability to solve problems and to work together between political parties. There is also a desire to see business leaders become more actively involved. touch, “he added.
On the Democratic side, Axios reported that Amy Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, could also be in the mix. Former Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman has said he is considering running for office. Rep. Tim Ryan, a former presidential candidate, said he was “looking seriously” at the candidate.