Matt Dolan

Matthew John Dolan[1] (born January 12, 1965) is an American attorney and politician who is a member of the Ohio Senate from the 24th district, since 2017. He previously was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2005 to 2010.

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

Matt Dolan
Member of the Ohio Senate
from the 24th district
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
Chardon, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
RelativesLarry Dolan (father)
Paul Dolan (brother)
Charles Dolan (uncle)
EducationBoston College (BA)
Case Western Reserve University (JD)

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 lost the Republican primary, coming in third. On January 17, 2023, he announced his candidacy in the 2024 United States Senate election in Ohio.[5]

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.

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 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 J. D. 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.[18]

References
  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. "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". 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.
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