Drafting Drew Carey in Ohio

A group of libertarian-minded conservatives are attempting to draft television star Drew Carey into the Ohio Senate race against Sherrod Brown.

With no clear-cut Republican contenders having emerged yet for the contest, conservative activist Josiah Schmidt took it upon himself a little more than a week ago to construct a website and Facebook page to kick off the draft effort.

While Carey, who is from Cleveland but currently lives in Los Angeles as host of "The Price is Right," has not yet commented on the movement, Schmidt told POLITICO the Reason Foundation has already agreed to reach out to the television star about the possibility.

UPDATE @12:20: The Reason Foundation said they never agreed to reach out to Carey about a Senate race and Carey's publicist told POLITICO Wednesday he had no plans to run for office.

Reason, a libertarian think tank, partnered with Carey on a documentary series on the plight of Cleveland last year.

"Carey's outspoken libertarian-conservative policy advocacy, most notably through the Reason Foundation, has proven his credentials as someone who could be trusted to spare no sacred cows in his fight to reduce the size and role of government back to what it was originally intended to be. Furthermore, his name recognition, personal wealth, affability, and status as Ohio's favorite son would be a huge asset in an election," said Schmidt.

"Drew's increasing activism in local Ohio politics certainly gives us no reason to think he's uninterested in running for office. Also, his recent slimming down, the fact that he is in the last year of his five-year contract with Price Is Right, and the fact that he maintains a residence in Cleveland would all match up well with a 2012 Ohio Senate candidacy," he argued.

Right now, the movement is backed by a handful of fiscal hawks and activists in search of their own "Rand Paul to nominate" and 700 Facebook fans, but Schmidt said he's been reaching out to Republican party and elected officials to gauge interest.

Other potential candidates being mentioned are Rep. Jim Jordan, State Treasurer Josh Mandel and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor.

But Chris Littleton, who heads a tea party group in western Ohio said he's been told by people close to Mandel and Jordan that neither of them will likely run.

"Jordan has said that he has a great opportunity to make a difference from the House in Republican Study committee and influencing leadership, therefore he wants to focus on this opportunity. Mandel is too new and has personal commitments to family," Littleton said.