Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, speaks to members of the media as he walks the Senate subway at the United States Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.
Sarah Silbiger | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A group of power brokers in Ohio have been looking for business leaders across the state to try to recruit them to run for Republican Rob Portman in the Senate in 2022 in an effort to prevent pro-Trump candidates from winning the competition, according to with the people. familiar with the subject.
Some of the people who started getting involved with potential candidates include donors and entrepreneurs close to former Ohio Republican governor John Kasich, these people said.
Kasich is one of the most prominent Republican critics of former President Donald Trump. He was one of a handful of Republicans who attended the Democratic National Convention over the summer to support Joe Biden.
The possibility of trying to win the Republican primaries in what appears to be a divided party is leading some executives to choose not to enter. Among those approached by the Republican and Democratic sides are the CEO of a business advocacy group in central Ohio, a venture capitalist and digital marketing executive.
Several people are hesitant to enter the race because a Republican primary will involve a battle for the party base and likely an endorsement by Trump himself. If he endorses it, Trump will likely support someone more aligned with his agenda as opposed to a more traditional Republican.
House Freedom Caucus member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, will not run for Portman’s chair, his office recently announced. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Said in a statement yesterday that after meeting with Trump, the former president is “committed to helping elect Republicans in the House and the Senate in 2022.”
The loyal Republican Party politicians who are supposed to be in the mix to run include Congressman Steve Stivers and Ohio Republican Party President Jane Timken.
Political strategists say they are not surprised by the effort to find a candidate with a business mind. It is the last sign that the Republican primaries for Portman’s chair will be expansive.
“It will probably be a huge field in the Republican Party primaries, with choices of all ideological hues,” Charlie Black, former Kasich strategist, told CNBC. It is “expected,” Black said of recruiting business leaders, “but there will be conservative candidates not married to Trump.”
Portman announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election in 2022 because “it has become increasingly difficult to break the party impasse and make progress in substantive politics,” he said. Portman was a Republican lawmaker who voted in favor of the Electoral College results, confirming Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
Executives with Republican ties who have already tried to corner them for the race include Alex Fischer, The Columbus Partnership president and CEO, and Mark Kvamme, a venture capitalist who has been in Ohio for more than a decade, said well-known people. .
Another executive who has been considered a candidate by the Democratic side is Nancy Kramer, founder of the Ohio-based digital marketing agency Resource / Ammirati, said one of those people. The Kramer company was acquired by IBM in 2016.
Fischer Columbus Partnership is a business advocacy group in the city of Columbus and central Ohio. Fischer also received public credit for helping to keep the MLS football team, the Columbus Crew, in town when they were considering moving to Texas.
Kvamme and Fischer told CNBC that they are not interested in running for the Senate, although they have been approached. Kramer, who is currently on the IBM iX in Columbus, did not return a request for comment.
“Yes, some people called me. I’m flattered,” Kvamme told CNBC. “Maybe one day I will enter the political arena, but my time will be better spent demonstrating to my friends in California that Ohio and the Midwest are the next big place to start and build tech companies.”
Fischer, who was once Tennessee’s vice governor before moving to Ohio, said he is not interested in running, despite discussions in political circles.
“No, I am not considering this or a private position. Obviously, there is a lot of discussion in political circles,” Fischer told CNBC. “In my conversations, there is growing frustration with the general political environment, the inability to solve problems and to collaborate between political parties to work together. There is also a desire to see business leaders become more actively involved, ”he added.
On the Democratic side, Axios reported that Amy Acton, a former Ohio Department of Health director, could also be in the mix. Former Columbus mayor Mike Coleman said he is considering running. Congressman Tim Ryan, a former presidential candidate, said he was “seriously thinking” about running.