{"id":3508,"date":"2018-02-10T14:29:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-10T19:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajcongress.org\/jewishpoliticalguide\/?page_id=3508"},"modified":"2024-03-14T14:34:16","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T18:34:16","slug":"jewish-insider-ohio-senate-primary-a-clash-between-two-different-gop-foreign-policy-visions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ajcongress.org\/jewishpoliticalguide\/jewish-insider-ohio-senate-primary-a-clash-between-two-different-gop-foreign-policy-visions\/","title":{"rendered":"JEWISH INSIDER: Ohio Senate primary a clash between two different GOP foreign policy visions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Matthew Kassel<\/a>, Jewish Insider<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the closely watched Republican Senate primary in Ohio determining the challenger to Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) enters its final stretch, two leading rivals who represent opposing ideological factions within the GOP are locked in an increasingly tight race for the nomination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The election next Tuesday is expected to be a key early test of the traditional conservatism espoused by Matt Dolan, a state senator from Cleveland who has risen<\/a> to the top of the polls in recent days, even as he has continued to express skepticism of former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In confronting the ascendant populism animating his party, Dolan<\/a>, 59, is hoping to defy an outspoken MAGA enthusiast, Bernie Moreno<\/a>, who successfully landed an endorsement from Trump in December. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the nod, which last cycle helped propel Sen. J.D. Vance<\/a> (R-OH) to first place in a crowded field, Moreno has failed to secure a decisive lead. One poll has shown that Dolan and Moreno are locked in a battle for first place, with Frank LaRose<\/a>, the secretary of state who has walked a middle ground between his top rivals, lagging behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump, for his part, appears to have recognized the stakes, revealing on Monday<\/a> that he will headline a Moreno rally near Dayton this weekend, in an effort to energize his base just days before the primary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The race to challenge Brown, a vulnerable Democrat in a purple state that has trended red in recent years, could ultimately decide the balance of power in the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it will also prove consequential in shaping the direction of the Republican Party, particularly on key foreign policy decisions, as several top GOP Senate recruits<\/a> have embraced an uncompromising strain of neo-isolationism<\/a> that has rejected aid to Ukraine while stymying efforts to fund Israel as it battles Hamas in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ohio primary has been a vivid showcase of an emerging intra-party debate between establishment figures like Dolan, who has vocally backed Ukraine in its war with Russia, and populist rivals such as Moreno, who has voiced \u201cunequivocal\u201d opposition to supporting the Ukrainians while also expressing resistance to furnishing Israel with additional aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even as Moreno, 57, has cast himself<\/a> as a staunch defender of the Jewish state, the Colombian-born Cleveland businessman has objected to providing increased funding to Israel amid its ongoing war, arguing instead<\/a> that the U.S. should \u201cexpedite the weaponry that\u201d Israel has \u201calready paid for,\u201d as he said<\/a> days after the Oct. 7 terror assault. \u201cWe don\u2019t need to give Israel more money.\u201dhttps:\/\/jewishinsider.com\/2023\/04\/bernie-moreno-senate-candidate-maga-donald-trump-ohio\/embed\/#?secret=Z69ZQF7wcI#?secret=vIxQvWub0K<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His remarks have faced<\/a> attacks<\/a> from Dolan and LaRose, who have both pledged to aid Israel, though a spokesperson for Moreno\u2019s campaign suggested on Wednesday that his thinking has evolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBernie stands strongly with our greatest ally, Israel, and supports giving them the resources to fight the war with Hamas,\u201d Reagan McCarthy, a communications director for Moreno\u2019s campaign, said in a statement to Jewish Insider<\/em>. \u201cIsrael can no longer coexist with the Hamas terrorists and they must be eliminated. America needs to give Israel the space to make that happen. Bernie has a long history of supporting Israel, including by investing in Israeli companies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCarthy said that while Moreno opposed a $95 billion foreign aid package to fund Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, which passed the Senate last month with support from 22 Republicans<\/a>, he \u201cwould have supported\u201d a stand-alone Israel aid<\/a> bill introduced earlier by Vance, who has endorsed his campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBernie believes that funding for Israel and Ukraine are two separate issues and that funding votes should happen accordingly,\u201d McCarthy told JI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreno, who had once embraced<\/a> a more hawkish approach to international engagement, has leaned aggressively into his isolationist positions, while a super PAC aligned with his campaign has run ads hitting<\/a> Dolan over his support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But his approach has risked alienating key constituencies in Ohio, which is home to sizable populations of both Ukrainian and Jewish voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, Moreno\u2019s rhetoric has been viewed with skepticism by some pro-Israel leaders who say they have found Dolan\u2019s positions<\/a> more reassuring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brad Kastan, a prominent Republican donor in Columbus, said that he is backing Dolan because the state lawmaker \u201chas really shown moral clarity in his support for Israel,\u201d even as he added a caveat that Moreno and LaRose both have solid pro-Israel records and boast \u201cgood ties\u201d with Jewish leaders in Ohio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut during this time,\u201d Kastan clarified, \u201cMatt has been much more vocal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after the Oct. 7 attacks, Dolan wrote<\/a> in the The Columbus Dispatch<\/em> that \u201cunwavering support for Israel is not just a matter of policy but a moral and national security imperative,\u201d while calling on Americans to \u201cremain steadfast in our commitment to Israel\u2019s security and stand by them in the face of unprovoked attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dolan, who is backed by Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, and former Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), has generally aligned with the establishment wing of his party. https:\/\/jewishinsider.com\/2023\/01\/matt-dolan-senate-ohio-republican-election-sherrod-brown\/embed\/#?secret=iLhsIVOmNG#?secret=V8exiFoRuW<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in a sign of how issues such as border security have taken precedence in GOP campaigns, he broke with some conservative hawks in stressing that, like Moreno, he would have opposed the foreign aid package, albeit for different reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have said repeatedly that any national security supplemental must include substantive policy reforms that seal the border,\u201d Dolan said in a statement shared with JI on Wednesday. \u201cWhile the Senate bill does include some defense measures along with much-needed assistance for allies abroad such as Israel and Ukraine, it lacks far too many safeguards that would end the current crisis, prevent amnesty and protect taxpayer money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dolan added that the Senate \u201cshould immediately get to work with the House to incorporate elements of\u201d a hardline border bill known as H.R. 2, which he said \u201cwill seal the border, stem the flow of illegal immigrants and end the present crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For his part, LaRose, who has struggled<\/a> to make a name for himself in the race, would also have voted against the Senate bill, a campaign spokesperson, Ben Kindel, confirmed on Wednesday. LaRose, 44, opposed the package, Kindel said, because he has vowed<\/a> not to send more funding to Ukraine until \u201cwe secure our U.S.-Mexican border.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrank thinks that America can lead with American strength,\u201d Kindel said of LaRose, a former Green Beret who led a NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo in the early 2000s. \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean you send unaccountable money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for the Republican Jewish Coalition declined to weigh in on the race, citing a general policy of not taking sides in contested primaries. Dolan<\/a> and Moreno<\/a>, both of whom ran for Senate last cycle, are listed on the group\u2019s online political portal, which allows members to donate to their campaigns, but the spokesperson said their inclusion does not imply official support. The RJC\u2019s national chairman, Norm Coleman, has endorsed<\/a> Moreno.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Howie Beigelman, the executive director of Ohio Jewish Communities, which represents the state\u2019s eight Jewish federations, said the three candidates \u201cagree on the need to support Israel and strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance,\u201d adding that they have all \u201chelped Israel in a material way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJewish Republicans in Ohio are seeing three candidates they like,\u201d he told JI on Wednesday. \u201cIn different electoral lanes, each one answers different needs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Matthew Kassel, Jewish Insider As the closely watched Republican Senate primary in Ohio determining the challenger to Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) enters its final stretch, two leading rivals who represent opposing ideological factions within the GOP are locked in an increasingly tight race for the nomination. The election next Tuesday is expected to be… more JEWISH INSIDER: Ohio Senate primary a clash between two different GOP foreign policy visions<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":3509,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3508","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nJEWISH INSIDER: Ohio Senate primary a clash between two different GOP foreign policy visions - Jewish Political Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ajcongress.org\/jewishpoliticalguide\/jewish-insider-ohio-senate-primary-a-clash-between-two-different-gop-foreign-policy-visions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"JEWISH INSIDER: Ohio Senate primary a clash between two different GOP foreign policy visions - Jewish Political Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Matthew Kassel, Jewish Insider As the closely watched Republican Senate primary in Ohio determining the challenger to Sen. 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