Ohio Republican Senator Matt Dolan spoke to supporters at a Logan County GOP lunch on Monday. Dolan hopes to replace Sherrod Brown as Ohio’s next U.S. Senator. But first he has to go up against two other Republican candidates in the Ohio primary election on March 19. (EXAMINER PHOTO | SHARYN KOPF)
With an emphasis on being candid, state Republican Senator Matt Dolan presented his case for being Ohio’s next U.S. senator to a room of voters. And he didn’t shy away from calling out Sherrod Brown, who has held the seat since 2007.
“Twenty twenty-four could be the year we retire Sherrod Brown from Ohio politics,” Dolan began while speaking at a Logan County GOP luncheon on Monday, Feb. 12. Later, he added, “I’m running against someone who makes your life harder.”
First, though, Dolan has to win the Ohio primary election on March 19, where he will be up against Republicans Frank LaRose and Bernie Moreno. That winner will then take on the incumbent, Brown, a Democrat, in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Dolan’s main argument centers around a promise of consistency, something he doesn’t see in his fellow candidates. He admitted he’s watched Moreno’s stance on illegal immigration change over the last five years and described LaRose as “reinventing himself.”
“Again,” Dolan said, “consistency matters.”
With that in mind, he addressed two sensitive topics he believes the GOP will have to be strong about during this election cycle: the border and abortion.
Regarding the first, his stance is strong and sure. “We need to look at our border. It’s a disaster. It needs to be secured. It needs to be sealed. We need to get Mexico City to work with us to beat those cartels. And we need to talk about the realities of an Ohio with an open border.”
In that respect, he addressed Brown’s soft response to wide-open borders, something Dolan believes the majority of Ohioans are against. Dolan wants politicians to take ownership of their problems rather than blaming someone else. Taking ownership, he contended, is the only way to get things done.
Dolan referred to the border as a “patient bleeding on the table.” He added, “We can’t talk about reconstructive surgery until we stop the bleeding.” For him, that includes halting all government aid to illegal immigrants and giving those funds to the farmers, workers and other citizens in need of help.
“When Americans are secure, America will be strong,” Dolan stated.
He also tackled the “uncomfortable issue” of abortion.
“I’m pro-life and proud of my pro-life record,” he said. “But if Republicans don’t recognize the different opinions on this, we’ll lose. And we know Sherrod Brown will run on abortion.”
Dolan’s stance allows for three exceptions: rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk. He told the audience abortion is down 37 percent in Ohio since he took office. He also voted to protect women’s sports.
“I fight and I get results,” Dolan, who serves as chairman of the Ohio senate finance committee, affirmed. “I approach issues by asking, ‘how does it make Ohioans lives better every day?”