Jane Timken

Jane Eileen Murphy Timken (born November 5, 1966) is an American attorney who served as chair of the Ohio Republican Party from 2017 to 2021. She was a candidate in the 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio.

Early life and education
Timken was born Jane Eileen Murphy in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of John and Eileen Murphy. Her father was a law professor and her mother was a Scottish-born nurse. Timken graduated from Walnut Hills High School.

Timken graduated from Harvard College with a degree in psychology and played rugby while she was there. She received her Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C.

Career
She was elected vice chair of the Stark County Republican Party in May 2010. In 2016, she had initially supported Governor of Ohio John Kasich's candidacy the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Timken hosted a fundraiser attended by Donald Trump weeks after he secured the party's nomination in 2016.

Timken was elected as the first female chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party in January 2017. She ousted incumbent chair Matt Borges, an ally of Kasich who refused to endorse Trump in the 2016 election.

While serving as chair, Timken refused to sign a pledge stating the GOP would not use hacked information in campaigns.

2022 Senate election
Timken remained chair until resigning in February 2021 to run for U.S. Senate in the 2022 election, following the announcement that incumbent Republican Rob Portman would not seek re-election.

During the race, she sought to present herself as a Donald Trump loyalist, mirrored his talking points and said she would "advance the Trump agenda". In her announcement speech for the 2022 campaign, she attacked former Governor Kasich, whose presidential candidacy she had supported in 2016.

Timken lost the primary election to J. D. Vance, ultimately coming in fifth place in a field of seven candidates. She received less than 6% of the vote in the statewide Republican primary. Timken over-performed in her home county of Stark County, where she came in fourth place with 15% of the vote.

Personal life
Timken lives in Stark County, Ohio with her husband Ward J. "Tim" Timken Jr., the former chairman, CEO, and president of TimkenSteel. She has two children. Her uncle-in-law, William R. Timken, is a former United States ambassador to Germany.