Ohio Senate candidate Jane Timken’s (R) campaign launched a six-figure ad campaign on Friday, kicking off with an ad targeting Anthony Fauci on the issue of masks.
The Hill was the first outlet to report on the news of the ad campaign.
The 30-second spot, titled “Fire Fauci,” features footage of a young boy crying while someone puts a mask on him.
“No mask mandates, no vaccine mandates,” Timken, the former Ohio Republican Party chair, says in the ad. “Let’s Fire Fauci and take back our freedoms.”
The ads will run statewide in Ohio over the next eight weeks.
Timken is one of more than six candidates running in the Buckeye State’s Republican Senate primary in the race to replace outgoing Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). The field includes Timken, Ohio state Treasurer Josh Mandel, author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance, investment banker Mike Gibbons, state Sen. Matt Dolan and businessman Bernie Moreno.
The GOP contest has largely been defined by the candidates tying themselves closely to former President Trump.
Most polls show Mandel leading the Republican pack. An internal poll conducted by Mandel’s campaign last month showed him with 37 percent support, followed by Vance at 13 percent support, and Gibbons at 8 percent. Timken came in fourth with six percent.
However, a poll conducted by Protect Ohio Values PAC, which is supporting Vance in the race, showed a tightening race with Mandel at 19 percent support and Vance at 16 percent. Turner came in at 7 percent support, while Timken came in at 4 percent.