CLEVELAND — Editor's Note: The above video aired on February 18, 2021
Former President Donald Trump was apparently set to give his endorsement to Jane Timken for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat in 2022, but was talked out of the move by key advisors, according to a report from Axios on Monday.
Timken, the former chair of the Ohio Republican Party, is one of two candidates who have announced their bid to replace Rob Portman, who announced he would not seek a third term in the Senate earlier this year. Former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel is also running.
According to Axios' Alayna Treene, Trump discussed endorsing Timken last week during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago with RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, but top advisers — including Donald Trump Jr. — urged him to wait.
During their meeting, Trump asked McDaniel what she thought about Timken and wondered whether McDaniel thought Timken is "loyal" to him, two sources familiar with their conversation told Treene.
“Chairwoman McDaniel is good friends with Jane Timken and thinks highly of her. But, Chairwoman McDaniel did not make any recommendations on endorsements to President Trump and remains neutral in the primary,” RNC spokesperson Mike Reed told Axios.
Treene added that Trump later spoke with Timken and discussed the race.
Although his advisors urged Trump to hold off on endorsing a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, the former president has already put his seal of approval behind his former aide Max Miller, who will be running against Rep. Anthony Gonzalez in the GOP primary in Ohio's 16th Congressional District next year.
Miller announced his candidacy last Friday.
"Max Miller is a wonderful person who did a great job at the White House and will be a fantastic Congressman," Trump said in a statement that was shared on Miller's Twitter page. "He is a Marine Veteran, a son of Ohio, and a true PATRIOT. Current Rep. Anthony Gonzalez should not be representing the people of the 16th district because he does not represent their interest or their heart."
More headlines:
- Trump teases White House bid, all but explicitly announcing 2024 run
- "It's become a Trump party, it's not a party of reason"; Sen. Sherrod Brown discusses partisanship in Washington after House vote on COVID-19 relief
- Rep. Anthony Gonzalez facing likelihood of multiple GOP challengers in 2022 primary
- GOP U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken says widespread voter fraud 'swept under the bus'
- Former Ohio treasurer Josh Mandel claims 2020 election was 'stolen from President Trump'
Editor's Note: The below video aired on February 10, 2021