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Matt Dolan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Ohio politician. For the English football (soccer) player, see Matthew Dolan (footballer).

Matt Dolan
Dolan in 2024
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 24th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byTom Patton
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 98th district
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 19, 2010
Preceded byTim Grendell
Succeeded byRichard Hollington
Personal details
Born
Matthew John Dolan

(1965-01-12) January 12, 1965 (age 59)
Chardon, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
RelativesLarry Dolan (father)
Paul Dolan (brother)
Charles Dolan (uncle)
EducationBoston College (BA)
Case Western Reserve University (JD)

Matthew John Dolan[1] (born January 12, 1965) is an American politician and lawyer who has served in the Ohio Senate since 2017, representing the state's 24th district. Prior, he served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2005 to 2010.

Dolan's father Larry bought the Cleveland Guardians (then Cleveland Indians) in 2000 and gave Matt a partial stake in the Major League Baseball team.[2] Prior to his election victory in 2016, Dolan was part of the team's front office, overseeing the budget and also running the team's charity program.[3]

On September 20, 2021, he announced his candidacy in the 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio.[4] He ran as a traditional Republican and was the only candidate that did not put his full support behind Donald Trump during the campaign. He lost the Republican primary, coming in third place, receiving 23% of the vote. On January 17, 2023, he announced his candidacy in the 2024 United States Senate election in Ohio.[5] He lost the Republican primary again, coming in second place with 32% of the vote.

Early life and career

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Dolan was born and raised in Chardon, Ohio, and is a graduate of Gilmour Academy. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Boston College and a Juris Doctor from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law.[6] Forbes ranked the extended Dolan family as the 54th richest in the United States in 2015, with most of its wealth attributed to his uncle Charles' investments in cable television.[7]

An attorney, Dolan is a former chief assistant prosecutor for Geauga County and assistant attorney general for the State of Ohio. He is a partner at the law firm of Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan.[8] Matt's cousin James Dolan is the owner of New York Knicks of the NBA.

Politics

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Ohio House of Representatives

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In 2004, Dolan was elected to represent the 98th District in the Ohio House of Representatives, and was re-elected in 2006 and 2008. He resigned in January 2010 to focus on a run for Cuyahoga County Executive.[9] On November 2, 2010, he lost to Lakewood Mayor Ed FitzGerald.

Ohio Senate

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After taking a break from politics to work in the Indians' front office, in 2016, Dolan opted to make a comeback by running to succeed state Senator Tom Patton, who was term-limited that year after serving in the Senate for over eight years.[10] A competitive seat on paper, the 24th District had been held by Republicans for over thirty years, which created a competitive primary.[11] For the Republican nomination, Dolan faced sitting state Representatives Nan Baker and Mike Dovilla. However, his name recognition and large personal wealth put him over the edge, and he won the nomination with 44% of the vote, to Baker's 29% and Dovilla's 27%.[12]

While the general election was at first deemed competitive, it did not prove to be in the end. Facing Emily Hagan, an assistant county prosecutor and the niece of former Cuyahoga County commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Tim Hagan, Dolan won with over 58% of the vote.[13] He was sworn into office on January 3, 2017. In 2020, Dolan was reelected with 54% of the vote, beating Democrat Tom Jackson.

2022 U.S. Senate bid

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On September 20, 2021, Dolan declared his bid in the 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio.[4] He ran as a traditional Republican that Ohio Republicans have tended to elect in statewide elections including Rob Portman, George Voinovich, and Mike DeWine. Dolan was the only candidate that did not put his full support behind Donald Trump during the campaign, but he was sure to explain that he voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. On March 21, 2022, during a debate between the Republican candidates running for Senate in 2022, Dolan was the only candidate to raise his hand when they were asked if Trump should "stop talking about the 2020 election".[14] Despite Dolan's poll numbers surging during the last days of the primary campaign,[15] Dolan ultimately lost the primary. He came in third (behind venture capitalist JD Vance and former state Treasurer Josh Mandel) with 23.3% of the vote, carrying only three counties: Cuyahoga (his home county), Geauga, and Franklin.[16]

2024 U.S Senate bid

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On January 17, 2023, Dolan announced his bid for the 2024 United States Senate election in Ohio, challenging incumbent Sherrod Brown.[17] Dolan has said that his reasoning for announcing his campaign early is to get more name recognition. Dolan was defeated in the primary with about 33% of the popular vote.[18]

Political postions

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Abortion

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Dolan is pro-life. He supports exceptions for rape, incest, and health of the mother. During his time in the legislature, he opposed a bill that banned abortion in Ohio after six weeks due to lack of exceptions.[19]

Electoral history

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Republican primary results, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Dolan 7,406 60.87%
Republican Doland F. Welker 4,761 39.13%
Total votes 12,167 100.00%
Ohio's 98th House of Representatives district general election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Dolan 36,243 65.21%
Democratic Dan Dombek 19,336 34.79%
Total votes 55,579 100.00%
Republican hold
Republican primary results, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Dolan (incumbent) 8,455 100.00%
Total votes 8,455 100.00%
Ohio's 98th House of Representatives district general election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Dolan (incumbent) 26,518 56.69%
Democratic Raymond Ku 20,257 43.31%
Total votes 46,775 100.00%
Republican hold
Republican primary results, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Dolan (incumbent) 9,761 100.00%
Total votes 9,761 100.00%
Ohio's 98th House of Representatives district general election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Dolan (incumbent) 42,806 100.00%
Total votes 42,806 100.00%
Republican hold
Cuyahoga County commissioner general election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ed FitzGerald 188,474 45.73%
Republican Matt Dolan 124,719 30.26%
Independent Ken Lanci 47,110 11.43%
Independent Tim McCormack 33,760 8.19%
Independent Don Scipione 11,897 2.89%
Green David Ellison 6,193 1.5%
Total votes 412,153 100.00%
Democratic win (new seat)
Republican primary results, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Dolan 24,844 44.41%
Republican Nan Baker 16,241 29.03%
Republican Mike Dovilla 14,860 26.56%
Total votes 55,945 100.00%
Ohio's 24th Senate district general election, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Dolan 107,500 58.14%
Democratic Emily Hagan 77,383 41.86%
Total votes 184,883 100.00%
Republican hold
Republican primary results, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Dolan (incumbent) 18,161 100.00%
Total votes 18,161 100.00%
Ohio's 24th Senate district general election, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matt Dolan (incumbent) 112,609 54.3%
Democratic Tom Jackson 94,633 45.7%
Total votes 207,242 100.00%
Republican hold
2022 United States Senate election in Ohio, Republican primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican JD Vance 344,736 32.22%
Republican Josh Mandel 255,854 23.92%
Republican Matt Dolan 249,239 23.30%
Republican Mike Gibbons 124,653 11.65%
Republican Jane Timken 62,779 5.87%
Republican Mark Pukita 22,692 2.12%
Republican Neil Patel 9,873 0.92%
Total votes 1,069,826 100.00%
2024 United States Senate election in Ohio, Republican primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Bernie Moreno 557,626 50.48%
Republican Matt Dolan 363,013 32.86%
Republican Frank LaRose 184,111 16.67%
Total votes 1,104,750 100.00%

References

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  1. ^ "Matthew J. Dolan". Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  2. ^ Perkins, Olivera (November 22, 2017). "The Dolans known for Indians and Cablevision: PD 175". cleveland. Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  3. ^ "Matt Dolan's Cleveland dream - 3rd Rail Politics.com". Archived from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Ohio's GOP Senate primary offers a choice of Trump-lite or the full deal". MSN. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  5. ^ "Ohio Sen. Matt Dolan to announce 2024 U.S. Senate bid against Sherrod Brown". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  6. ^ Gomez, Henry J. (July 25, 2010). "Cuyahoga County executive candidate Matt Dolan branches out from family tree, touts moderate views". cleveland. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "The Forbes 400 2021". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  8. ^ "Matt Dolan". Archived from the original on January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  9. ^ Johnston, Laura (February 9, 2010). "Former state Rep. Matt Dolan officially declares candidacy for county exec". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
  10. ^ "Matt Dolan announces bid for Ohio Senate". February 3, 2015. Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  11. ^ "Dolan announces candidacy for Ohio Senate District 24". April 23, 2013. Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  12. ^ "Govt & Politics: Matt Dolan and Emily Hagan face off for state senate seat - Chagrin Valley Today". October 17, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  13. ^ "Matt Dolan wins Republican State Senate (24th District) race". Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  14. ^ Allison, Natalie (April 29, 2022). "Republican who refuses to bend the knee to Trump surges in Ohio Senate race". Politico. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  15. ^ "Vance leads, Dolan surging in last-minute Ohio GOP Senate poll". WDTN.com. May 3, 2022. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  16. ^ "Ohio Primary Election 2022: Live Results, Map, and Analysis". The New Yorker. May 3, 2022. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  17. ^ Gomez, Henry J. (January 16, 2023). "Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown draws his first GOP challenger in key 2024 race". NBC News. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  18. ^ "Ohio Sen. Matt Dolan to announce 2024 U.S. Senate bid against Sherrod Brown". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  19. ^ "3 Ohio Republicans want to take on Sherrod Brown. Where do they stand on the issues?". The Columbus Dispatch.
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