COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — “Hillbilly Elegy” author JD Vance defeated Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan for an open U.S. Senate seat in Ohio on Tuesday in a blow to Democrats who viewed it as one of their best chances nationally to flip a seat.
Vance, 38, a venture capitalist and newcomer to politics, benefited from a last-minute push by Donald Trump. The former Republican president had endorsed Vance in a crowded, ugly Republican primary — despite Vance having once declared himself a “never-Trumper” — and then rallied for him twice, most recently on election eve.
Vance and Trump successfully linked Ryan to the national economic climate he blamed on President Joe Biden, while Ryan failed to make stick his narrative that Vance’s Ivy League education and time in the San Francisco tech industry meant he was out of touch with Ohio values.
Vance’s victory was a devastating turn for Ryan, a 10-term congressman whose well-executed, well-funded campaign had buoyed his party by remaining within the margin of error of most polls since summer. That, despite Trump having twice won Ohio by 8 percentage points.
Ryan, 49, claimed to represent the “exhausted majority” of America, and sought to cast himself in the mold of moderate incumbent Republican Rob Portman, who decided to retire due to the dysfunction he has experienced in Washington.
But Portman — and a long list of prominent conservatives, including Sens. Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham and Donald Trump Jr. — got behind Vance to bring out a GOP coalition in the one-time bellwether state that’s looking increasingly invincible.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections
Why AP called Ohio Senate for JD Vance
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican JD Vance won 80 of Ohio’s 88 counties and performed similarly to former President Donald Trump two years ago in the state.
That’s what led the Associated Press to declare Vance the winner over Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan.
Vance had the backing of former President Donald Trump, who won the state twice, though their relationship has been complicated. Vance had been a “Never Trumper” before Trump became president.
Ryan has served 10 terms in Congress and sought to connect with working class voters who had been moving away from the Democratic Party in some races.
___
Mike Catalini can be reached at https://twitter.com/mikecatalini
___
Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. Follow AP’s coverage of the 2022 midterm elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections