Janice R. Andrews
Frank LaRose, the secretary of state of Ohio, was virtually forgotten in the contest when his once-promising Senate candidacy ended in a third-place finish. LaRose’s support began to wane as he tried to negotiate the changing dynamics of the Republican Party. He had entered the contest as the front-runner with impressive polling numbers and name recognition.
LaRose’s demise can be attributed to a number of calculated errors, one of which was her coerced support of former President Donald Trump’s unsuccessful quest for a return. LaRose tried to portray himself as a candidate who could work with both the old Republican establishment and the MAGA movement, but in the end, he was unable to secure a sizable amount of support from either group.
LaRose’s attempts to unite with the MAGA crowd proved unsuccessful in the primary, which turned into a proxy fight between Trumpism and conventional politics. This resulted in a stunning defeat with less than 17 percent of the vote. In the meantime, state senator Matt Dolan and opponent Bernie Moreno used their separate support networks to seize the initiative.
Even though LaRose’s loss represents a major blow to his political career, he still has over three years left in his term as secretary of state and is a well-known figure in Ohio politics. His handling of the approaching 2024 election and his success in the Senate contest are expected to have a significant impact on his future political trajectory.
While LaRose mulls his next course of action, his support for Moreno’s Senate candidacy indicates that he is clearly aligned with Trumpism and recognizes the president’s ongoing influence within the Republican Party. LaRose’s political career is far from done, as many Republicans continue to see him as a gifted politician with a promising future in GOP politics, despite the setback.
