Campaign tactics abound in mid-Ohio state Senate primary

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Republican primary for a state Senate district in north central Ohio has featured a string of dramatic campaign tactics, including lawsuits and secret recordings.

Cleveland.com reports the campaign for Ohio’s 26th Senate District features state Rep. Bill Reineke, a car dealer from Tiffin, against Marysville businesswoman Melissa Ackison. The election is Tuesday.

This is Ackison’s second time trying to parlay a 2017 visit to President Donald Trump’s White House for an anti-Obamacare event into her first political office. She also made an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate in 2018.

It’s also the second spirited challenge for Reineke in recent years. The representative turned back a re-election challenge in 2018 by Democrat Rachel Crooks, a woman who has accused Trump of forcibly kissing her.

Ackison’s efforts have included trying to bring former Ohio State University wrestlers to a GOP fundraiser in Marion County where U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan was a featured speaker. Ackison said she was kicked out of the meeting. The men have alleged Jordan knew about the abusive environment promoted by now-dead team doctor Richard Strauss. Jordan denies being aware of any abuse by Strauss.

Reineke has run a more traditional campaign, casting himself as a trusted conservative.