On August 3, voters in Ohio's 15th CD will head to the polls to nominate candidates in the November 2 special election to succeed former NRCC Chair and GOP Rep. Steve Stivers, who resigned May 16 to lead the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. And, the critical GOP primary has turned into a proxy war between former president Trump and Stivers, a moderate who voted to certify President Biden's win.
Early voting began July 7, and eleven Republicans and two Democrats are on the ballot in their parties' primaries. But the GOP side has distilled into a two-way race: in early June, Stivers endorsed former Fairfield County sheriff's deputy and state Rep. Jeff LaRe to succeed him. A week later, Trump endorsed longtime coal lobbyist Mike Carey, who is running as an "outsider" and "Trump conservative."
The winner of the GOP primary will be the heavy favorite in the November special, considering this central and southern Ohio district voted for Trump 56 percent to 42 percent last fall. But Democrats have a credible candidate in suburban Columbus state Rep. Allison Russo,
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