A new poll conducted for the Ohio Senate Republican primary shows Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who has not entered the race yet, with a lead over the already declared Republican candidates.
The poll, obtained by the Washington Examiner, was conducted by the Lousiana based firm Causeway Solutions for Leadership for Ohio Fund, a group that supports election integrity and LaRose’s work as secretary of state. According to the Columbus Dispatch, LaRose has also raised money for the group.
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Among Republican voters surveyed, LaRose is at 24%, a 13-point lead over Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan, who sits at 11%, and wealthy Ohio businessman Bernie Moreno sits at 6%. 17% of respondents said they wanted someone else, and 42% remained undecided.
Causeway Solutions polled 1,639 registered voters between May 19-27 with a margin of error of 2.5%. It surveyed 526 Republicans, 535 Democrats, and 578 independents.
“LaRose benefits from his history of running, and winning, statewide four times (twice in the GOP Primary and twice in the General Election),” the polling memo reads. “Voters know him and like him, which is evidenced by his ability to build coalitions of supporters across the state.”
LaRose has not announced his candidacy but has been teasing jumping into the race for a while. On May 9, NBC News reported that LaRose was alerting donors he was going to hop in the race “soon,” but almost a month later, he still hasn’t.
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Each of the three have run for statewide office in the past, but LaRose is the only one who has won. Dolan ran for Senate in 2022 but came in third in the primary. Moreno also ran in 2022 but dropped out after having a private conversation with former President Donald Trump. LaRose is currently holding a statewide office as secretary of state.
Whoever wins the Republican Primary will face Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who has held the seat since 2007. Ohio has been trending Republican over the past decade, having gone for former President Donald Trump in the past two presidential elections. Since 2011, Brown has been the only statewide elected Democrat in Ohio outside the state Supreme Court justices.