COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken has been appointed to an open seat in the state Senate. The Northeast Ohio district has been without representation since Kirk Schuring, the three-decade-long serving legislator, died in November.
Schuring was beloved by members on each side of the aisle.
RELATED: Longtime state senator from Stark County, Kirk Schuring, dies at 72
Timken, raised in Cincinnati but lives in the Canton area, is currently the RNC Committeewoman for Ohio and is the former chair of the Ohio Republican Party.
"I'm incredibly honored to represent Stark County and the 29th District, and to follow in the footsteps and legacy of accomplishments left by my good friend Kirk Schuring," Timken said in a press release sent by the Ohio Senate GOP.
Timken also served the state party for years as the vice chair. She also worked as a magistrate in the Stark County Court of Common Pleas. She ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, being endorsed by former Sen. Rob Portman.
She was most recently considered for the open U.S. Senate seat previously held by Vice President JD Vance. The appointment, instead, went to Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.
I reached out to Timken and am awaiting a response.
"Jane has big shoes to fill replacing the legendary Kirk Schuring, but I have no doubt that she will be a fantastic senator for the 29th District," Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said in a statement. "Jane Timken is a proven conservative who brings a unique skillset of economic development, public policy and politics to the Senate. I'm confident she will be an outstanding advocate for all Ohioans."
She went to Harvard before earning her J.D. at American University Washington College of Law.
The Timken's are a big name in Northeast Ohio. Her husband is the former CEO of Metallus, previously known as TimkenSteel, the major steel manufacturing company based in Stark County.
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