Trump-backed Vance wins Ohio’s GOP Senate nod

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Author JD Vance has won Ohio’s contentious and competitive GOP Senate primary, buoyed by Donald Trump’s endorsement in a race widely seen as an early test of the former president’s hold on his party as the midterm season kicks into high gear.

Vance had been behind in the polls before Trump waded into the race less than three weeks ago, endorsing him despite Vance’s history as a staunch Trump critic. He will face Democrat Tim Ryan, the 10-term Democratic congressman who easily won his three-way primary Tuesday night.

While the timing of Trump’s endorsement — less than three weeks before Election Day and as early voting was already underway — may have dulled its impact, it was a major blow to former state treasurer Josh Mandel, Cleveland investment banker Mike Gibbons and former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, who had all gone to elaborate lengths to court Trump and his voters.

Tuesday marks the first multistate contest of the 2022 campaign. Trump on Tuesday reminded Ohio voters of his stake in the race.

Calling into a Columbus radio show, Trump praised all the candidates seeking the GOP nomination, but said he chose to endorse Vance despite his past Trump criticism because he believes he is best positioned to win the seat in November.

Ryan, a 10- term Democratic congressman, has tried to distance himself from the national Democratic Party ahead of what is expected to be a brutal November for Democrats.

During his acceptance speech, Ryan said, “I am absolutely in my bones certain that we can do this if we come together, and it’s not about finding our differences. It’s not about hate.”

Also in Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday won his party’s nomination for a second term in office and will face Democrat Nan Whaley this fall after he overcame conservative anger of his strict pandemic policies and notable rifts with Trump.

DeWine fought off three far-right challengers in the GOP primary and will be a favorite again in November against Whaley, a former Dayton mayor who has far less name recognition in a state that hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since 2006.

Whaley thinks having a woman at the top of the ticket will be an advantage for Democrats this time, pointing out that the party has fared better with female voters in states that have nominated women for leadership roles.

Ohio has elected just one Democrat to be governor in the past three decades. Since then, the state has shifted to the right, especially in recent years under Trump’s hold.

The former president did not choose sides in the Republican contest for governor.

DeWine, who easily won the state’s top office four years ago, was careful to say he’s still a supporter of Trump’s but without fully embracing him. He also dismissed Trump’s false claims of a stolen 2020 election.

Trump-backed Secretary of State Frank LaRose won his party’s nomination for another term, beating conservative challenger John Adams, who questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election. LaRose will face Democrat Chelsea Clark, a suburban Cincinnati City Council member and businesswoman, in November’s general election.

In the House, Republican Max Miller, a former Trump aide, locked up the Republican nomination in a new district in northeast Ohio despite being accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham. He has denied the charges.

Democratic U. S. Rep. Shontel Brown beat former state Sen. Nina Turner for the second time since last summer’s special election primary. A former Democratic Party county chair, Brown has only been in Congress a matter of months but came into the rematch with the power of incumbency.

The Cleveland district where Brown and Turner squared off is heavily African American and solidly Democratic, making Brown heavily favored to retain her seat in November’s general election.

A leading surrogate for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, Turner was endorsed by the Vermont senator and top progressive groups, who had hoped for a second-try upset.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Indiana, former state Sen. Erin Houchin topped eight other Republicans, including former U. S. Rep. Mike Sodrel, for the party’s nomination in the state’s only open House seat and will be heavily favored in November. GOP Rep. Trey Hollingsworth isn’t seeking reelection in his southern Indiana district as he hints at running for governor in 2024.