Photo: Alamy
It was a good night for President Trump-endorsed candidates during GOP primaries in Ohio and Indiana, with victories across the board, most notably in the Republican Ohio Senate primary in which Trump-endorsed candidate J.D. Vance won a commanding victory over a crowded field of contenders.
Vance, who came to fame with his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, received the endorsement from the 45th president two and a half weeks before Tuesday’s primary.
The Trump endorsement appears to have been the turning point as Vance went from trailing in the race to taking the lead, a lead that he held on to Tuesday night.
Vance defeated a crowded field of opponents, which included former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel and former Ohio State Sen. Matt Dolan, to advance to November’s Senate election in which Vance will take on 10-term Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, who easily won the Democrat primary for the Senate on Tuesday night.
The Ohio GOP primary was seen as a bellwether race for President Trump’s influence on the party heading into November’s midterm elections.
Vance, who was once a critic of President Trump, said he was wrong in his past criticism of the 45th president, and had a change of heart and pledged his support for Trump’s America First agenda.
In his endorsement of Vance, President Trump said, “It is time for the entire MAGA movement, the greatest in the history of our country, to unite behind J.D.’s campaign … he will put America First. In other words, J.D. Vance has my Complete and Total Endorsement. He will not let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump endorsed several other candidates in Ohio, and all won, which is a replication of Trump’s own personal success in the Buckeye State. Trump won Ohio by eight points in both 2016 and 2020.