Jordan-linked group buys ads
WASHINGTON — A political action committee with ties to U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan has bought at least $187,000 worth of broadcast television ads to support Liberty Township Trustee Melanie Leneghan’s bid to replace Rep. Pat Tiberi.
Tiberi, a Genoa Township Republican, stepped down in January, leaving in his wake a crowded race to replace him. Ten Republicans and seven Democrats are running, and Leneghan has placed herself firmly to the right of the GOP field. The district has been considered safely Republican since Ohio Gov. John Kasich won the seat in 1982.
House Freedom Action, a super PAC that primarily supports candidates who seek to join the House Freedom Caucus, made the ad purchase in the Columbus area from Thursday through April 29, according to a firm that tracks political TV ad buys. Jordan, a founder of the House Freedom Caucus, has endorsed Leneghan.
House Freedom Action appears to be the second outside group to purchase air time for the 12th District race; earlier, Defending Main Street, a group that bills itself as representing the “governing” wing of the Republican Party, launched a six-figure ad buy on digital and cable outlets supporting state Sen. Troy Balderson, a Zanesville Republican. Defending Main Street is the political arm of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group that Tiberi was involved in. Tiberi is expected to endorse a candidate in the next few days, but sources say it will not be Leneghan.