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Rep. Jim Jordan says he won’t run for Senate in 2022 after Sen. Rob Portman announces retirement

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In the wake of Ohio Sen. Rob Portman (R) announcing that he would not seek reelection in 2022, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan (R) has dispelled rumors that he plans to run for the position.

Jordan “is solely focused on representing the great people of Ohio’s Fourth District, and will not be running to fill the seat of retiring Senator Rob Portman,” a spokesperson for his office told Cleveland.com Thursday.

“Mr. Jordan believes at this time he is better suited to represent Ohioans in the House of Representatives, where as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, he can advance an America first agenda, promote conservative values, and hold big government accountable,” the spokesperson added.

This statement puts to rests rumors and speculation that Jordan, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, would try to run for Portman’s seat, someone who has generally been seen as part of the Republican establishment and not part of the Trump wing of the GOP. Portman was first elected in 2010 and reelected in 2016.

Ever since former President Barack Obama won Ohio in 2008 and 2012, the Buckeye State has been shifting rightward, with Trump winning the state in 2016 and 2020. It should be noted that the only statewide Democrat is Sen. Sherrod Brown.

In his retirement announcement, Portman pointed to the increasing partisan gridlock at the national level as the country moves further to the political extremes.

“We live in an increasingly polarized country where members of both parties are being pushed further to the right and further to the left, and that means too few people who are actively looking to find common ground,” he said.

With Ohio still considered a battleground state and the U.S. Senate split 50-50, the 2022 Senate race in Ohio will very likely be a contentious one and will help determine which of the two major parties control the upper chamber for at least until 2024.

With Jordan out of the picture, other Ohio GOP congressmen have reportedly expressed interest in running, according to The Hill—such as Reps. Reps. Mike Turner, Steve Stivers, Brad Wenstrup and David Joyce.

Likewise, there are some Democrats whom The Hill reports have not ruled out a 2022 Senate run, most notably Reps. Tim Ryan and Joyce Beatty.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

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RFK Jr. announces lifelong Democrat, advocate of left-leaning causes, CA native as running mate

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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced Tuesday that attorney and tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan will be his vice presidential running mate in the upcoming election. The Independent candidate announced his choice for the 38-year-old Oakland, California native by praising her insight into “how Big Tech uses AI to manipulate the public,” her athletic ability, and willingness to be a “partner” in a number of policy areas, including on securing the border.

Fox News writes that Shanahan is a philanthropist with a long history of donating to Democrat and left-leaning causes, including supporting President Biden in his 2020 election bid before switching to Kennedy when he launched his own run for the Democrat nomination last year.

She is the founder and president of Bia-Echo Foundation, a private firm that describes its mission as focused on “new frontiers in reproductive longevity & equality, criminal justice reform and a healthy & livable planet.”

Fox News reports Shanahan initially dropped her support for Kennedy after he decided to run as an independent, but later got behind him again by giving $4 million to the super PAC that boosted his candidacy with a John F. Kennedy-themed campaign ad that ran during the Super Bowl in February.

Shanahan also previously donated to Democrat presidential candidates Marianne Williamson and Pete Buttigieg during the 2020 presidential race, and threw more than $150,000 behind progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon’s 2020 election bid.

Shanahan, a life-long Democrat, told the crowd that she was leaving the party.

“The Democratic Party is supposed to be the party of compassion. It is supposed to be the party of free speech, and most importantly, the party of the middle class and the American dream,” Shanahan said.

“While I know many Democrats still abide by those values…I do believe they’ve lost their way in their leadership,” she continued.

And she urged “disillusioned” Democrats and Republicans to support Kennedy’s independent White House bid.

 

 

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