Ganley to Challenge Portman for Open Ohio Senate Seat

Tuesday, June 30th at 9:32PM EST

7 Comments

As I noted previously, and as Politics Extra notes today, it looks like Rob Portman will have competition in the GOP primary to replace George Voinovich:

Former congressman and Bush administration Rob Portman has a boatload of money and the support of the Ohio Republican Party establishment in his 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate. He even has the endorsement of the man he wants to replace, retiring Sen. George Voinovich.

But it looks as if he won’t get a free ride in the GOP primary next spring. Word is that Tom Ganley, a car dealer from northeast Ohio, will announce his candidacy Wednesday in Cleveland.

The Columbus dispatch has more, including quotes:

Cleveland-area auto dealer Tom Ganley will announce Wednesday his Republican candidacy for the U.S. Senate, setting up a potentially expensive 2010 primary election against former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman of Cincinnati.

Although he has never served in elected office, Ganley, 65, said today that he thinks he can win the seat to be vacated at the end of next year by retiring Republican Sen. George V. Voinovich.

“I have a great passion to see this through to a conclusion, to a victory,” said Ganley, who will kick off his campaign with a speech in his hometown of Brecksville.

A millionaire, Ganley indicated that he is willing to spend a considerable chunk of his fortune to win the GOP nomination against Portman.

“The campaign will be well-funded,” Ganley said. “It will be very well-funded.”

By virtue of his auto dealerships’ heavy advertising, Ganley said he has “tremendous name recognition in northern Ohio.”

I plan to attend the announcement/press conference tomorrow so be sure to check back tomorrow afternoon for the details (including video, I hope).

7 Comments Leave a comment

As they say, if you want to go into politics, open a car dealership.

icbm (Diary) Tuesday, June 30th at 10:10PM EST (link)

n/t

Thanks to recent actions...

Moe Lane (Diary) Tuesday, June 30th at 10:37PM EST (link)

…by Treasury there’s certainly enough annoyed, out-of-business, and Republican dealership owners to run for office.

Umm, oops?

The Kim Kardashian of blogging.

Check out my blog at http://moelane.com/.
http://moelane.com/filthy-lucre-filthy-lucre/
http://twitter.com/moelane

My (combined) wish list.

Car dealership owners Call To Arms Campaign

JLenardDetroit (Diary) Wednesday, July 1st at 5:17PM EST (link)

let us hope…. There are certainly plenty of areas where we could use a good amount of pissed off Republicans to rise up and run for Offices.

Regards from NoMoTown (the MOTORlessCITY)
“Liberals, looking to do for^? America what they’ve done for^? Detroit! which is DESTROY IT!”
“I think, therefore I am Conservative”
“Conservative by choice, Republican by necessity”
“You can lead a Liberal to the Truth/Facts, but you cannot make them THINK!”
“Romney [No, not my first choice] does NOT have a MORMON problem. He has a, far too many Americans; these days; are MORONS problem!”
Follow @JLenardDetroit

(RS:Help) (JLD) (Hollyweird) (Brain-deads) (SPIN-cycle) (Obamaocare) (Party of kNOw) (Conservatism) (TEApeats) (respectful) (message) (Warning: Children Will Die!!)
Heil “O” Hell No Obamao is NOT MY PRESIDENT! “No U won’t”
I want “O” to FAIL (here, here, & whole Diary (Ofail) here, is why)
“The first Liberal was Satan” – a Rush caller (other Quotes)

I hope he's aggressive

DerKrieger (Diary) Tuesday, June 30th at 10:21PM EST (link)

I want some candidates that are ready to play rough like the Dems and go for the jugular. This isn’t a gentleman’s game any longer, if it ever was, it’s war.

“In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” – Thomas Jefferson

“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.” – James Madison

Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience.” — John Locke, 1690

Good Lord, I had to take him to court once...

KeepOhioRed (Diary) Tuesday, June 30th at 11:01PM EST (link)

one of his dealerships ripped me off and ended up settling.

This Joker Could Throw The Dems This Senate Seat

DavidSage (Diary) Wednesday, July 1st at 2:48AM EST (link)

On either side of the aisle, I’ve always resented people who thought they could cut to the front of the line when it comes to running for higher office.

If you want to be a US Senator, great, but run for some smaller elected positions first. Run for mayor, or be a local state representative first. Being a bored millionaire doesn’t qualify you to be a US Senator.

If Portman gets hammered with a few million in negative ads from a bruising primary, he’ll be damaged goods by the time the general election rolls around.

The Republican establishment needs to nip stuff like this in the bud.

torn down the middle in whether to agree or not

JLenardDetroit (Diary) Wednesday, July 1st at 5:14PM EST (link)

We have had so much “concern” and “issues” with “Republican establishment” as you put it that it makes my first thought (gut-reaction) to be to disagree. I do NOT know anything about either of these folks so I won’t formulate a reasoned thought on either until I do, but I generally don’t mind when folks (if Conservative) finally step up, but yes going straight to U.S.Senate is a big grab. Yet another BUT, though, is that if they are both “good” candidates that we’d love to have it fits, IMO, the appropriate and proper model of: using Primaries to build up future candidates. You hit the appropriate point/concern of whether the Primary gets HOSTILE (be respectful (the Diary) see Reagan’s 11th section) amongst the Republicans in that Primary damaging both (see the great potential in FL to hand that seat to the Democrats due to in-fighting).

If done right, it can set him up as a viable and ready Candidate for another Office as you suggest…. Again, I don’t know anything about these folks yet so I’m certainly not going to take any side for/against either of them yet.