CNN
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Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Monday formally entered the state’s Republican primary to take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown next year.
“It’s official: I’m running,” LaRose said on Twitter. “I’m on a mission to give back to the state that has given me so much. To continue to serve the country I love and fight to protect the values we share. That’s why I’m running to serve as your next United States senator.”
The Buckeye State, which backed former President Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections, has become increasingly conservative over the past decade. Brown, a progressive with a populist streak, is vying for a fourth term but is considered one of the cycle’s most vulnerable incumbents.
Ohio Republicans are now preparing for an expensive and potentially nasty primary, much like the contest in 2022 that ultimately sent J.D. Vance to the Senate, ahead of an even more costly general election campaign. Two unsuccessful candidates from that 2022 primary – state Sen. Matt Dolan, whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians, and Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno – announced challenges to Brown earlier this year. Both are sitting on vast sums of personal wealth, while LaRose is expected to be a prolific fundraiser.
LaRose, who is currently serving a second term as Ohio’s top elections officer, is a decorated Iraq War veteran and previously spent eight years in the state Senate. After narrowly winning the secretary of state office in 2018, he was reelected last year by 20 points.
This story is breaking and will be updated.