Ohio Senate candidate turns focus to fentanyl crisis in ad featuring father who lost son to overdose

EXCLUSIVE — Ohio Senate candidate Matt Dolan is turning his focus to the fentanyl crisis at the southern border in a new ad that features a father who lost his son in an overdose caused by a counterfeit fentanyl pill.

In a new ad released Thursday and first obtained by the Washington Examiner, Ohio resident Joe Percun shares his experience of losing his son Adam in 2022 after taking a pill he believed would ease his trouble sleeping. Percun pointed to the influx of fentanyl being smuggled across the southern border, adding that his story is not unique among families across the country.

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"Parents are losing children daily because of fentanyl," Percun said in the 60-second ad. "No one in Washington is doing anything. Matt Dolan is the only candidate that is addressing the fentanyl problem. He knows we need to crack down on the cartels. We need to stop this poison from pouring across the border."

The latest commercial is part of a seven-figure ad campaign launched by the Dolan camp to call attention to the rise of illegal immigration at the southern border and the influx of fentanyl and other narcotics being brought into the country. The campaign highlights Dolan's previous work as a state senator to crack down on the smuggling of drugs into the United States that eventually make their way into Ohio communities.

While in office, Dolan, a Republican, voted to designate Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and to increase the penalties for drug trafficking and other offenses if the substance involved with the crime is deemed a fentanyl-related compound. Dolan also helped establish $180 million in additional funding to address the opioid crisis in the Buckeye State and voted to implement enhanced penalties for drug traffickers who sell products on the premises of or near addiction service providers.

“Standing shoulder to shoulder with members of Law Enforcement, I have witnessed first-hand how Joe Biden’s border crisis impacts everyday life in Ohio," Dolan said in a statement. "In the U.S. Senate, I will take the necessary steps with infrastructure, civilian and military personnel to stop the flow of fentanyl into the country, save lives and restore our nation’s sovereignty."

Customs Border and Protection seized more than 27,000 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border during fiscal 2023, a stark increase from the 14,600 pounds recorded in fiscal 2022, according to recent data. The latest numbers have prompted an outcry from national Republicans who repeatedly have called on President Joe Biden to take executive action on the southern border.

The latest ad comes just over two months before Ohio hosts its primary elections on March 19, during which Dolan faces two other GOP competitors seeking to challenge incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for his seat. A recent poll showed a tight race among Dolan, business executive Bernie Moreno, and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

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Moreno narrowly leads the field with 23% support, followed closely by LaRose with 19% and Dolan with 18%, according to the December 2023 poll conducted for the Moreno campaign. However, that survey showed that 40% of primary voters were still undecided, meaning the race is still up in the air.

Whoever wins the GOP nomination will face off against Brown in November in a race that is expected to be one of the most competitive of the 2024 cycle. Brown is among the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents in the Senate, as he is running in a state that former President Donald Trump won by 8 percentage points in 2020. The race has been deemed a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, and Republicans have been eyeing the seat for months as a prime pickup opportunity to help flip control of the upper chamber next year.