CINCINNATI (AP)U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, bolstered by the backing of President Donald Trump, gained Tuesday's Republican major to problem Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio this fall.
Renacci, 59, is in his fourth time period in Congress and is a longtime businessman and former mayor of Wadsworth. He left the governor's race to marketing campaign for Senate and emerged victorious in a five-way contest.
Also within the race have been Cleveland funding banker Mike Gibbons, Marysville small-business proprietor Melissa Ackison, Cincinnati-area monetary administration firm founder Daniel Kiley and retired public administrator Don Elijah Eckhart, of Galloway.
Renacci mentioned he switched to the Senate race with White House encouragement after Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel withdrew due to his spouse's well being. Mandel had misplaced to Brown in 2012, after Brown unseated then-Sen. Mike DeWine in 2006. Brown was unopposed Tuesday for the Democratic nomination.
Brown, 65, is a former congressman and Ohio secretary of state. He has lengthy usual himself as a champion of the working class and brought tough-on-trade positions. He praised Trump's transfer this yr to enhance tariffs on imported metal and aluminum.
Brown's profession in Ohio politics spans 4 a long time.
Renacci featured Trump prominently in his marketing campaign advertisements, with the president praising Renacci throughout Ohio visits and endorsing him by tweet final month. Trump posted that he wanted Renacci "very badly to assist our agenda" and mentioned he "has my full endorsement!"
Gibbons, who raised cash for Trump's presidential marketing campaign and was endorsed by Citizens for Trump, depicted himself because the "conservative outsider" within the race, working a marketing campaign advert exhibiting Trump and pledging to assist the president "drain the swamp."
Gibbons, 66, final week sued Renacci for what he calls false and defamatory statements together with that Gibbons is anti-Trump. Renacci's marketing campaign spokeswoman discounted that lawsuit as "unhappy and determined."
Renacci's run for Senate opened his 16th District seat, spurring primaries for each main political events.