Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, speaks during an event about the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex, Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

By Marty Schladen

Special to The Times

As President Donald Trump’s war of choice in the Middle East wore into its fourth day on Tuesday, none of three men running for an Ohio U.S. Senate seat appeared to give the controversial effort a firm endorsement.

One said he prayed for service members and looked forward to being briefed further. Another said the war was endangering Ohioans and that Trump should focus instead on bringing down the cost of groceries, health care and electricity.

A third candidate called for Trump to be impeached.

With little or no consultation with Congress — or with allies other than Israel — Trump launched a bombing attack on Iran on Saturday. Fighting has now spread across the region, killing six American soldiers, at least 11 Israelis, eight in other Gulf states and 787 in Iran.

Trump and his administration have given inconsistent answers when asked why they attacked and what their ultimate goals were. After repeated promises that he wouldn’t repeat a war of choice in the Middle East, Trump is now saying the current war could last five weeks or longer.

Polls taken so far find between 27% and 43% of Americans approve of the attacks. So Trump could have difficulty in an election year persuading the public that he acted wisely.

As he tries, those running in a special election for an Ohio U.S. Senate seat are being asked to weigh in.

Jon Husted, a Republican, was appointed to the seat by Gov. Mike DeWine in January 2025 after JD Vance became vice president.

His office was asked on Tuesday whether Husted supported the attack, whether he believed Congress was properly consulted, what the goal should be, and whether he believed U.S. ground troops should be committed to the fight.

In an email, a spokeswoman said Husted wouldn’t have “additional comment until he’s briefed” beyond what he said in a Saturday post on X.

“For 47 years, the Iranian regime had ample opportunity to be a productive member of the global community,” Husted said.

“Instead, it chose to export death, terrorism, extremism, and instability against America and our allies. It did all of this while brutally oppressing its own people, who yearned for the freedom and prosperity that they deserve but the regime has refused to deliver.”

Husted added, “Today, the President took action to address the threat Iran poses to America and global stability. I look forward to being briefed and learning more from the administration in the coming days.”

On Wednesday, Husted voted against a bill that would have forced Trump to seek approval from Congress to continue the war.

Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, had occupied Ohio’s other U.S. Senate seat until being beaten by Bernie Moreno in 2024.

Asked the same questions as Husted, Brown said the government had the wrong priorities.

“Ohioans are struggling with the rising costs of their groceries, health care, and electric bills,” Brown said in an email.

“Meanwhile, Washington is determined to bring us into another conflict that puts our country’s safety and security at risk. We should be focused on bringing down prices and putting money back into the pockets of Ohioans — not waging another war in the Middle East.”

A Libertarian candidate for the seat had an even more negative take on Trump’s actions of the past several days.

In an emailed statement, Bill Redpath said that Trump ignored the legal requirement that he consult Congress, nor had he bothered to make a case to the public before unleashing the dogs of war.

“It is too late for the Congress to assert its war powers in this conflagration, but it needs to do so in the future,” Redpath said.

“In the interim, it needs to impeach President Donald J. Trump in the U.S. House and convict him in the U.S. Senate of the high crime of conducting wars — against however reprehensible the regime, such as (Ayatollah Khamenei’s) murderous regime — without the approval of the Congress.”

Original story can be found at https://ohiocapitaljournal.com