This article is about the Ohio politician. For the English football (soccer) player, see Matthew Dolan (footballer).
Matt Dolan
State senateOhio
District24th
Term startJanuary 1, 2017
Term endDecember 31, 2024
PredecessorTom Patton
SuccessorTom Patton
State house 1Ohio
District 198th
Term start 1January 1, 2005
Term end 1January 19, 2010
Predecessor 1Tim Grendell
Successor 1Richard Hollington
Birth nameMatthew John Dolan
Birth dateJanuary 12, 1965 (age 61)
Birth placeChardon, Ohio, U.S.
PartyRepublican
ParentsLarry J. Dolan (father)
RelativesCharles Dolan (uncle)
Paul J. Dolan (brother)
James L. Dolan (cousin)
EducationBoston College (BA)
Case Western Reserve University (JD)

Matthew John Dolan[1] (born January 12, 1965) is an American politician and lawyer who most recently served in the Ohio Senate from 2017 to 2024, representing the state's 24th district. Prior, he served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2005 to 2010.

Dolan's father Larry J. bought the Cleveland Guardians 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

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

Ohio House of Representatives

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

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.

Term-limited and having lost his 2024 U.S. Senate primary bid, Dolan's second term in the Ohio Senate ended on December 31, 2024.

2022 U.S. Senate bid

On September 20, 2021, Dolan declared his bid in the 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio.[4] He ran as a traditional Republican whom Ohio Republicans have tended to elect in statewide elections including Rob Portman, George Voinovich, and Mike DeWine. Dolan was the only candidate who 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

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 positions

Abortion

Dolan is opposed to abortion. However, 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 because of the absence of exceptions.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Matthew J. Dolan". Archived September 20, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  2. ^ Perkins, Olivera (November 22, 2017). "The Dolans known for Indians and Cablevision: PD 175". cleveland. Archived July 29, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. 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. ^ "Ohio's GOP Senate primary offers a choice of Trump-lite or the full deal". MSN. Archived May 4, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. 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 September 23, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "The Forbes 400 2021". Forbes. Archived May 20, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  8. ^ "Matt Dolan". Archived January 18, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  9. ^ Johnston, Laura (February 9, 2010). "Former state Rep. Matt Dolan officially declares candidacy for county exec". The Plain Dealer. Archived July 7, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 20, 2010.
  10. ^ "Matt Dolan announces bid for Ohio Senate". February 3, 2015. Archived November 15, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  11. ^ "Dolan announces candidacy for Ohio Senate District 24". April 23, 2013. Archived January 5, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. 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 June 21, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. 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 May 4, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  15. ^ "Vance leads, Dolan surging in last-minute Ohio GOP Senate poll". WDTN.com. May 3, 2022. Archived May 26, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  16. ^ "Ohio Primary Election 2022: Live Results, Map, and Analysis". The New Yorker. May 3, 2022. Archived May 3, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. 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