U.S. Senate candidate Matt Dolan (R., Chagrin Falls) made his pitch to the Toledo business community on Wednesday, meeting with leaders from around the area to share his plan for Washington and what he can do to be an effective legislator for the business sector.
One of seven candidates seeking the Republican nomination, his Toledo visit at the Oliver House came less than a week before the Tuesday primary election in which early voting is under way.
Mr. Dolan, a state senator, has touted his work in helping bring a balanced budget to Ohio, and wants to do more of the same in Washington. He expressed a desire to lead the Senate Finance Committee, if elected.
Getting people back to work has also become a priority for not just area businesses, but Mr. Dolan as well.
“You can’t have federal programs that disincentivize private sector work,” Mr. Dolan said. “You can’t shut down pipelines and drilling and excavating when those workers are providing a chance for our country to be energy independent, you can’t shut that down right away.”
The roundtable covered all sectors of work, including acknowledging the challenges that the health care industry has faced.
Brian Perry, vice president of government relations for ProMedica, said that he hopes the U.S. Senate continues to place focus on the health care system, especially with the likelihood that federal funding will decrease as the country eases out of the pandemic. Even still, he expects the hiring struggle to continue after the pandemic has completely ended.
“Health care in the next 10 to 15 years is going to look completely different, just based on the things being thrown at us right now in response to COVID,” he said.
Mr. Dolan also expressed the need to lower the corporate tax rate to help bring back American manufacturers.
“At the end of the day, we all live in the real world about getting work done. [Mr. Dolan has] got a history of, kind of reaching across the aisle,” said Bill Rudolph, chairman of Rudolph Libbe Group. “I think he’s a thinker. He understands business, cares about people, and he’s his own person.”
Mr. Dolan hit home many of the same messages that he’s taken with him on the campaign trail: taking on China, supporting infrastructure initiatives, and securing the southern border, while at the same time exploring pathways to improve the legal immigration process.
“I have no ulterior motives for going to Washington,” Mr. Dolan said. “I don’t need the title, I don’t need the money, but I like doing the work. I like working on public policy and the biggest challenges we’re facing, our border, our economy, our debt. Those are the issues I want to go work on.”
Mr. Dolan is up against a crowded field of GOP challengers hoping to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio). Republicans on the ballot with Mr. Dolan include former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance, investment banker Mike Gibbons, former state GOP Chairman Jane Timken, and businessmen Mark Pukita, and Neil Patel.
In November, the winner of the GOP primary will face one of three Democrats seeking the U.S. Senate nomination in Ohio. They are U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D., Youngstown area), consumer protection attorney Morgan Harper, and information technology executive Traci “TJ” Johnson.
First Published April 27, 2022, 7:44 p.m.
