By Justin Reutter
May 7, 2021
CHILLICOTHE – Former Ohio GOP Chair Jane Timken describes herself as one who always wants to “tackle a problem head-on.”
“I think it’s important that we stand up and fight for our freedoms and our families and our communities — fight for the America First agenda,” she said.
The Cincinnati native and Canton-area resident launched her bid to succeed fellow Republican Senator Rob Portman two months ago and has been touring the state to meet with voters, especially Republican women.
The candidate visited Chillicothe Thursday night to speak at the Lincoln Day Dinner held by the Republican Women of Ross County.
Timken served as Ohio Republican Party Chair from 2017-2021, where she delivered conservative victories up and down the ballot in the 2020 election, including congressional seats, statewide officeholders, the majority in the Ohio Statehouse, and even flipping several county commissioner seats across the state.
Most importantly, Timken delivered Ohio to former President Donald Trump by an eight-point margin.
“I recognized that when I became chair of the party, the party was divided,” she said in an interview with the Gazette. “I unified the party, I cleaned up the Kasich regime and their mess, I stood up in support of President Trump, and made the party into a well-oiled machine.”
Trump endorsement is potentially a key to the race
The former Republican Party Chair emphasized that she is the only candidate who was endorsed by the former president to be the chair of the Republican Party, and has spent the last four years and 150,000 miles crossing the state to talk to voters.
Trump reportedly helped Timken oust former Ohio GOP candidate Matt Borges in early 2017. Borges, who has since been charged in a $60 million bribery scandal but maintains his innocence, was backed by former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has been an outspoken critic of the former president.
When Timken in turn resigned to run for Senate, she was replaced by former Trump Ohio campaign chair Bob Paduchik.
Three other Republicans are running to succeed Portman: Cleveland investment banker Mike Gibbons; former state Treasurer Josh Mandel, and Westlake auto dealer and tech investor Bernie Moreno. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a suburban Warren County Democrat, is also running for the soon-to-be-open seat.
“I would welcome President Trump’s endorsement, but obviously it’s the voters of Ohio who make the decision as to who the nominee will be,” said Timken. “I plan on winning this race, but I’ve been the one in the trenches fighting for the America First agenda, obviously I delivered Ohio by over eight points for President Trump, and I’m proud of that accomplishment.”
While Timken acknowledged that Joe Biden is president, she repeated the claim that there were “irregularities” in the 2020 election, in states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania.
“I think going forward we have to focus on election integrity, it’s important to our democracy. People have to have faith in their vote and know it counts.”
In the weeks following Trump’s loss in the 2020 election, the Trump campaign filed 86 lawsuits contesting election processes, vote counting, and the vote certification process in multiple states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Nearly all the suits were dismissed or dropped due to lack of evidence, some of which were dismissed by judges Trump himself appointed while in office.
Legislative Goals
While in office, Timken said she would oppose President Joe Biden’s spending plans, which equal around $6 trillion in covid relief, infrastructure, and support for families such as access to education and support for women in the workforce, as reported by the New York Times.
“I’m all for targeted taxpayer spending when it’s appropriate, but this is irresponsible,” she said.
Timken also said she would oppose Democratic Party initiatives such as statehood for D.C., the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline, and packing of the U.S. Supreme Court.
She said she would also work to fight for tax cuts if President Joe Biden succeeds in raising corporate tax rates from 21% to between 25 and 28% as part of his plan to pay for the American Jobs plan.
Timken also emphasized workforce development. “As I travel across Ohio, the biggest complaint I hear from small businesses to large businesses across the spectrum from health care to franchising to coffee shops, they can’t find enough people to work, specifically, they need the skills.”
Timken aims to emphasize education and skill development for American workers.
This week, the former GOP chair will kick off a “listening tour” to hear the concerns of parents over what Timken refers to as a “woke agenda” in education.
“As a mom, I am very concerned about the effects of Critical Race Theory and other leftist teachings that are being forced on our education system in Ohio and across the country,” she said. “Moms, dads, and teachers know what is best for our kids in the classroom – not partisan propagandists in Washington pushing a political agenda.”
Specifically, Timken mentioned the 1619 project, which “aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the United States’ national narrative,” according to the project website.
Timken argues that curriculum like the 1619 project only serve to “encourage a racial divide.”
“We can talk about our history and the great things that have happened and some of the tragic things that have happened in this country, but not through a filter of everything is race,” she said. “…I think we recognize some of our failings in this country and that should be taught, but not the entire focus on what our curriculum should be.”
The 54-year-old is attempting to become the first woman to represent Ohio in the U.S. Senate. She was previously the first woman to lead a major political party in the state.
“Ohioans need someone who’s going to be a fighter for their families, their freedoms, their jobs, I’m that person, I’ve always been the fighter, I’ve always stood up for the America First agenda, that’s what Ohioans want, that’s why they voted for President Trump by over eight points,” she said. “I’m the one that’s been out advocating for that, and I’m the one that’s going to be in the US Senate advocating for Ohioans.”