After former President Donald Trump on Friday approved the author of “Hillbilly Elegy” JD Vance in the highly contested Republican primary in the Ohio Senate, he received so many phone calls that he avoided receiving them for the rest of the day, the Post reported. Trump – who easily beat Ohio in 2016 and 2020 – decided to back Vance despite advisers and associates pushing him against other candidates in the race, such as former Treasurer Josh Mandel, businessman Mike Gibbons, the former President of the Republican Party Jane Timken. and State Sen. Matt Dolan, among others. The contest has been a tough one in recent months, as candidates have sharpened their messages ahead of the May 3 GOP run-off, seeking the favor of the Conservative legions that bolstered Trump’s victories during the two presidencies. His campaigns and have shifted Ohio to the right after years of running as the quintessential Midwestern swing state. Vance’s candidacy was supported by more than two dozen local GOP leaders across the state. the group last week wrote a letter to the former president in an attempt to repel an approval. “While we worked hard in Ohio to support you and make America Great again, JD Vance was actively working against your candidacy,” the letter said, according to Politico. Dave Johnson, chairman of Columbiana County Republican Party and a staunch supporter of Trump, told The Post that he did not want Vance’s support to return and haunt the former president. “I do not want him to make a mistake for his sake,” Johnson told the newspaper. “I think he will have a boomerang on Trump and if he is a candidate in 2024, I want Ohio to remain a strong Trump country.” The president “received so many calls that he stopped receiving them on Friday,” according to an adviser who spoke to The Post. A March Fox News poll found Gibbons ahead of the GOP qualifiers with 22% of the vote, followed by Mandel with 20%, Vance with 11%, Timken with 9% and Dolan with 7%. Former President Donald Trump. Scott Olson / Getty Images Vance had previously been widely criticized by Trump – with the Republican calling himself a “Never Trump guy” and accusing the then-Republican presidential candidate of being “stupid” during a 2016 interview with the former journalist. of PBS, Charlie Rose – but has since done so. statements. “Like many people, I criticized Trump in 2016,” Vance told Fox News in an interview last July. “And I ask people not to judge me based on what I said in 2016, because I was very open that I said these critical things and I regret it and I regret that I was wrong with the press.” Before Trump backed Vance, he had already received support from the former president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and billionaire businessman Peter Thiel. According to a Trump adviser who spoke to The Post, the former president was willing to support Vance because he felt he could pass the candidate to the finish line for the first time. Trump echoed the sentiment by announcing approval, where he also acknowledged that Vance had criticized him in the past. “In the Greater Ohio State, the most qualified candidate ready to win in November is JD Vance. We can’t play games. The point is to win!” said in a statement the former president. He continued: “Like some others, JD Vance may have said some not-so-great things about me in the past, but he understands now, and I’ve seen it in the sticks. It’s our best chance of winning something that could be very difficult fight “. Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who is stepping down after the November midterm elections, backed Timken in February. The winner of the GOP competition will most likely face MP Tim Ryan, the leader in the Democratic primary. A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
