Newly declared candidate for the U.S. Senate, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, widened his lead in the race to unseat Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in 2024 in a new poll conducted by Louisiana-based Causeway Solutions for Leadership for Ohio Fund.
The poll obtained by the Washington Examiner details that among Republican primary voters surveyed, LaRose is leading the three-way race by 17 points, up from a 13-point advantage in a previous statewide survey conducted in May.
The poll shows that Republican State Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) garnered 11.1 percent of the vote, and Republican businessman Bernie Moreno who has received the most support and endorsements from influential politicians such as former President Donald Trump and U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) sits at only 5 percent of the vote. Eighteen percent of those polled wanted someone else, and 39.8 percent of respondents indicated undecided.
Causeway Solutions says that it polled 1,500 registered voters ending on June 29th. The company did not detail the margin of error or how many Republicans, Democrats, and Independents it polled.
The poll memo notes, “Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is currently the preferred choice of GOP Primary voters and likely the best candidate to take on Brown in the General Election as well.”
LaRose announced his candidacy on Monday after telling The Ohio Star several times that he was considering running to unseat Brown in 2024.
LaRose assumed office as Ohio Secretary of State in 2019, and his current term ends in 2027. He was a Republican in the Ohio State Senate, representing District 27 from 2011 to 2018. LaRose earned his B.S. in Consumer Affairs and Business from Ohio State University in 2007. His professional experience includes working as a consulting firm’s business manager and project lead. He served in the United States Army from 1998 to 2007 and reached the rank of Sergeant First Class.
According to LaRose, he is the only proven conservative candidate in the race.
“I’m the only battle-tested, proven conservative candidate in the race. Ohioans clearly want a leader they know and trust to take on one of the most liberal members of Congress. Sherrod Brown doesn’t represent their voice or their values, and after 48 years of talking like Ohio and voting like California, it’s time to go,” LaRose said.
As previously reported by The Star, Secretary of State LaRose said that his party must nominate a candidate who can definitively win against Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland, who has previously declared his intention to run for office again in 2024. In the increasingly red state, his seat will be viewed as a prime Republican pickup opportunity.
The Democratic Party currently holds a narrow 51-49 majority in the upper chamber.
A primary target for the GOP in 2024 will be Brown’s seat, along with those held by U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV.), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who is retiring.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Frank LaRose” by Frank LaRose.
