Ohio GOP Senate battle: Timken showcases her fight against critical race theory

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EXCLUSIVE: A candidate in the bruising GOP Senate primary in Ohio is going up with a new TV commercial statewide that spotlights her credentials in battling critical race theory, which this year has become a hot-button issue for conservatives.

In the ad, which was shared first with Fox News on Thursday, former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken vows she "will fight to stop" what she claims is "the liberal indoctrination of our children and ban critical race theory."

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The release of the spot comes two days after Republican Glenn Youngkin’s gubernatorial election victory over former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in Virginia, where the GOP hadn’t won statewide in a dozen years. Youngkin’s victory – and the major gains he made with suburban voters who fled the Republican Party during the 2018 and 2020 elections – was fueled in part by his tapping into the anger of parents over decisions by their local school boards.

Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin gestures a he talks with supporters during a rally in Culpeper, Virginia, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (AP )

Youngkin also took aim at critical race theory to energize Republican base voters. Critical race theory, once an obscure, decades-old academic theory, has become a catchall by conservatives to describe the teaching of America's long history of race relations and racism.

"Joe Biden and the Left are teaching our kids to hate America," Timken chargers in her ad. "America is not a racist country. We're the land of opportunity. Let's stop the socialist agenda and teach our kids to be patriots!"

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Timken’s campaign told Fox News that "Jane has been leading on these issues to empower parents and stand up for kids since day one of her campaign. In May, Jane launched an education-focused listening tour across Ohio, speaking to many concerned parents."

The campaign showcased that Timken has held "over two dozen different listening sessions with moms and dads showing she will always be an advocate for parents’ voices."  And it added that Timken supported frustrated parents who decided to run in this week’s elections for their local school boards in Ohio.

Timken is part of a crowded field of 11 contenders vying to win the GOP nomination in the 2022 race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman. The Republican primary race – from its start at the beginning of the year – has been a battle among most of the major contenders to showcase their support for former President Trump, who remains very popular and influential with Republican voters and politicians as he continues to play a kingmaker’s role in party politics and repeatedly flirts with another White House run in 2024.

"I’m a Trump conservative," Timken touts in the spot, which her campaign says is part of an ongoing, six-figure ad buy.

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The Republican field also includes former Ohio treasurer and former two-time Senate candidate Josh Mandel; best-selling author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance; Cleveland businessman and luxury auto dealership giant Bernie Moreno; 2018 Ohio Republican Senate candidate Mike Gibbons, a Cleveland entrepreneur, real estate developer and investment banker; and Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan, whose family owns Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians. Longtime Rep. Mike Turner, who represents the state's 10th Congressional District, has taken steps toward launching a GOP campaign.

The winner of next year's Republican primary may face off against longtime Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan of northeastern Ohio. Ryan, who declared his candidacy for the Senate in April, is considered the favorite for the Democratic nomination in a primary field expected to be much smaller than the large GOP roster of contenders. Progressive Morgan Harper, a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau senior adviser and 2020 congressional candidate, announced her candidacy over the summer.