U.S. Senate hopeful Mike Gibbons speaks to Oregon Republicans
2/2/2018
Mike Gibbons, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to Oregon Republican Club at Bay Park Promedica Hospital Friday, February 2, 2018.
THE BLADE/TOM TROY
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Wealthy investment banker Mike Gibbons said if elected to the U.S. Senate he would bring a no-nonsense voice to Washington to represent all Ohioans.
“I am a practical solution, common-sense guy. It is not based on my gut-feel. It is based on principles. Anything I propose will be within those principles,” said Mr. Gibbons, a Republican who is running for his party’s nomination to challenge Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown in November.
Mr. Gibbons, 65, of Cuyahoga County, is making his first run for elected office but has a record of donating heavily to Republican candidates. He spoke Friday night in a town hall meeting sponsored by the Oregon Republican Club.
“I am not an establishment guy. Although I donated to many Republicans and they certainly like it when I was donating to the party,” he told The Blade before the meeting at the Great Lakes Conference Center,
Mike Gibbons, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to Oregon Republican Club at Bay Park Promedica Hospital Friday, February 2, 2018.
A supporter of President Trump in last year’s election, he co-chaired the campaign’s fund-raising efforts in Ohio. He was backed by the state’s biggest and most organized Tea Party group, We the People, from Portage County. He has received endorsements from the Franklin County, Defiance County, Clermont County, and Knox County Republican parties.
His opponent in the May 8 primary is U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci (R., Wadsworth).
A political conservative, Mr. Gibbons said he opposes government regulations on business and industry and advocates for lower tax rates on companies to spur job growth and the economy.
“Whether we like it or not, we are a free enterprise country and we operate under a free enterprise system,” he said. “The government doesn’t create jobs. The only thing it can do is take jobs away.”
Mr. Gibbons, the senior managing director of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company, a Cleveland investment firm, said he was inspired to run for office after his son began training to be a naval aviator.
He said he supports enforcement of existing laws on immigration and opposes creating a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
“But we don’t do that. Maybe it is not the law we want so that should be changed,” he said.
A Roman Catholic, Mr. Gibbons said he is pro-life, but believes the Roe v. Wade court decision is the “law of the land.”
“We have to change the hearts and minds of young women who have to make those decisions. I think we are doing that. We are winning the battle,” he said.
Mr. Gibbons said he supports the 2nd Amendment.
“The 2nd Amendment is about hunting. It is about self defense. It is a God-given right. I believe that is one of the reasons why we are a 200-year-old democracy,” he said. “The 2nd Amendment was put in the Constitution because our forefathers were very wise.”
Contact Mark Reiter at: markreiter@theblade.com or 419-724-6199