The Big Question from the Ohio Senate Primary: What Happens to the Dolan voters?

Donald Trump still controls the Republican party.  Any doubt was erased by last night’s US Senate primary where JD Vance won the Republican nomination after polling well behind until two weeks ago, when he was anointed with Donald Trump’s coveted endorsement.

The Republican party remains the party of Trump.  That said, not all who cast ballots for Republicans were Trump supporters.  Consider the candidacy of Matt Dolan.

Dolan, a former Ohio State Senator and Prosecutor received nearly 250,000 votes- over 23% of the total votes cast for Republicans.  Ohio is an open primary state, thus his tally includes voters registered as Republican, Democrat, and Independent.

State Senator Dolan’s message was unique in the Republican field:

·       There was no election fraud in 2020.  Joe Biden is our legitimately elected President, and the former President should stop pushing “lies about the outcome” of the 2020 election

·       January 6th was an “attack on American democracy, our Constitution and the rule of law.”

Every other Republican candidate stressed their ties to Trump, a mere flawed man that they would like to anoint as King.

But not Matt Dolan.  He never sought Trump’s endorsement, and while he supports some of Trump’s policies, he flatly rejected the right’s lies that the election was fraudulent, and that the January 6th insurrectionists were just tourists.  In other words, he chose to support the foundations of American democracy over the Republican party line.  He put America first.

I’m relieved that Dolan did so well in Ohio.  It shows that many who cast Republican ballots still see themselves as Americans first, placing loyalty to country over a party that has been hijacked by lies.

When the midterms happen in November pollsters expect significant Republican gains in both the House and the Senate.  I can only hope that these newly elected Republicans will truly put America First.