Ohio Republican State Central Committee Members Pushing for Early Endorsement of Candidates in Contested Primary?

BY JEFF SKINNER 

STATEWIDE - Sources have informed TOR that members of the endorsement committee in the Ohio Republican State Central Committee for the GOP are planning on meeting this Friday to push for an early endorsement of candidates in two highly contested primaries in a move allegedly aimed at shutting down competition within the primary.

According to a source with knowledge of the events, The Ohio republican state central committee will meet this Friday, February 20, where some members are planning to push conversations to provide early endorsement of two candidates, Robert Sprague, who is running for Ohio Secretary of State, and Kristina Roegner, who is running for Ohio Treasurer. The move comes among tightly contested races with outsider candidates like Marcell Strbich, a retired Air Force Intel Officer and Combat Veteran who is running for Secretary of State against Sprague in the primary, and Jay Edwards, who J.D. Vance has endorsed for Treasurer in Ohio. 

According to the source, the move is aimed at shutting down local county parties who have made endorsements already for Strbich and Edwards and to solidify funding behind Sprague and Roegner, whom Vivek Ramaswamy has endorsed, in opposition to J.D. Vance. 

Strbich, who is running for Secretary of State, has already been endorsed by Warren, Butler, Brown and Monroe county Republican parties. Should the State Central Committee endorse any candidate prior to the primary, it would effectively halt local community endorsements from continuing and solidify state GOP funding behind candidates prior to a vote of the people.

Party members can find information on their State Central Committee members by visiting https://ohiogop.org/state-central-committee/ should they wish to voice their opinion on the planned vote push.