Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted is Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s pick to succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate.

Ohio’s crowded Republican Senate race has been all about one man: Donald Trump.

Several Republicans competing for the party’s nomination to run for U.S. Senate in Ohio are facing scrutiny for their ties to Russia as the country intensifies its war against Ukraine.

FILEIn this file photo from Oct. 6, 2020, Jane Timken, the Chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party, speaks at the Hamilton County Board of Elections during early voting in Norwood, Ohio. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster, File)COLUMBUS, Ohio – Republican Josh Mandel, a Marine veteran and former state treasurer, says he will make a third run for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, taking a pro-Trump message in a bid for the seat being vacated by the GOP’s Rob Portman. AdMandel abruptly abandoned his last Senate campaign in January 2018, citing unspecified health issues being experienced by his then-wife, Ilana. He personally backed her takeover of the state party four years ago from a state chair allied with then-Gov. He has about $4.3 million remaining in his Senate campaign account, and about $500,000 in a leadership PAC.

FILEIn this file photo from Oct. 6, 2020, Jane Timken, the Chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party, speaks at the Hamilton County Board of Elections during early voting in Norwood, Ohio. Timken, who has been linked closely to Donald Trump, stepped down Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 as the party's chair, a signal of her interest in running for the U.S. Senate for the seat being left by the GOP's Rob Portman. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster, File)CINCINNATI – An Ohio Republican linked closely to Donald Trump stepped down Friday as the party’s chair, a signal of her interest in running for the U.S. Senate for the seat being left by the GOP’s Rob Portman. With Trump’s backing, Jane Timken took over the party leadership from a state chair allied with former Gov. In her last Tweet before her announcement, Timken criticized Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, an Ohio Republican, for voting for Trump's impeachment.