With the May 3 primary election less than a month away, candidates of their respective parties are making the final pushes to win over voters. On Saturday, United States Senate candidate Jane Timken visited Delaware County for a “Back the Blue” campaign event at the Delaware County Republican Party headquarters in Delaware.
Timken was joined by former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik and a host of local law enforcement officials as she discussed the importance of supporting law enforcement as a primary focus of her campaign.
A Cincinnati native and current resident of Canton, Timken became the chairwoman of the Stark County Republican Party in 2o10 before taking over the Ohio Republican Party in 2016 with the backing of former President Donald Trump.
Timken decided to run for the open Senate seat at the urging of current Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who announced last year that he would not seek a third term in 2022. Timken said she had an “inkling” of how bad she believed Joe Biden and the Democrats would “run the country into a ditch,” but it’s been “beyond terrible for the average Ohio family.”
“Inflation is skyrocketing, crime is skyrocketing. Our border is, quite frankly, I’d say it’s burning,” Timken told The Gazette. “We have thousands and thousands of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border, and tons of illegal drugs coming across the southern border. And then we see Russia, China, and Iran emboldened by Biden’s weakness. We need leaders who understand these things and are going to stand up and fight for Ohio families.”
Timken said she defines a true leader as someone who is willing to listen rather than talk, and she believes there are a lot of “show horses” currently running in the Senate race.
“I’m a workhorse. I’m going to roll up my sleeves and get things done. That’s what Ohioans want in leadership in the U.S. Senate,” she said. “I’ve spent a lot of time on a lot of topics that are really important to Ohioans, not only doing parents-first tours talking about what’s happening in our schools, whether it be mask mandates, critical race theory, or sex education, but also a lot of time doing ‘Back the Blue’ rallies.
“We’ve seen the Democrats push their ‘defund the police’ and soft-on-crime policies that have led to our communities being less safe. I’ve been doing ‘Back the Blue’ rallies because we’ve seen police be demoralized by this. Their recruitment is down. They’re afraid to do their jobs.”
Speaking specifically about Delaware County, Timken said the soft policies on crime that are found elsewhere are not an issue for local residents in the county.
“In Delaware County, the criminals know that if they get caught, they’re going to jail. That’s not the case in Franklin County,” she said.
Timken went on to say, “These officers are putting their lives on the line every day for us, and I think it’s important when you have the voice as a Senate candidate to stand up and support the men and women in blue.”
In addition to her stance on the need for more support for law enforcement, Timken said bringing manufacturing jobs home is also among her key focuses.
“Ohio is a strong manufacturing state,” she said. “We need policies that will produce those jobs, and that means good energy policy, good regulatory and tax policies to grow these jobs here, and good trade policies. These are all the policies I supported when President Trump was in office and as the Republican chair in Ohio.”
As her campaign continues to trudge down the home stretch, Timken said she feels “pretty good” about where she stands in the race.
“This is going to be about turning out our voters,” Timken said. “People who know and have met me, they like my message and are sticking with me. I think it’s critically important that we nominate the right person who is going to defeat (Democratic candidate) Tim Ryan and keep this seat.”
For more information on Timken and her campaign, visit www.janetimkenforohio.com.
