Posted on 08/10/2021 6:53:36 AM PDT by RandFan
Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) is throwing his support behind venture capitalist J.D. Vance in the competitive Ohio Senate race, as a number of Republicans jockey for the seat being vacated by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio).
Banks, the chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, told Axios that Vance “isn't afraid to stand up to the woke elites and will always put middle- and working-class Ohioans first.”
Former Senate candidate Mike Gibbons, former state Treasurer Josh Mandel, businessman Bernie Moreno and former Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken are all also running to be the Republican nominee for the upper chamber in 2022.
Mandel reportedly holds a lead in the primary polls, according to recent internal surveys reviewed by Axios, but Vance’s positioning has increased among the five candidates.
Tony Fabrizio, who has been conducting polling for Vance’s super PAC, wrote in a memo to the committee that his July survey of 800 likely Ohio GOP primary voters found that Vance has 12 percent support, which was up from his 4 percent in June and 6 percent in April, Axios reported.
Vance, however, is still tracking far lower than Mandel in the polls, even though the support for the latter has slipped in recent months. Mandel attracted 21 percent support in July, after receiving 22 percent in June and 25 percent in April.
Vance has had to overcome one particularly large obstacle throughout the campaign — his previous comments criticizing former President Trump.
Vance criticized Trump on Twitter in 2016, saying he would not vote for the then-Republican nominee and instead opt for Evan McMullin. At one point, Vance called Trump “reprehensible,” according to deleted tweets discovered by CNN.
Vance last month said he regrets posting those tweets, contending that he was “wrong about the guy.”
“I think he was a good president, I think he made a lot of good decisions for people, and I think he took a lot of flak,” Vance said.
The primary race in Ohio has become somewhat of a competition for Trump’s support, with the candidates working to prove their allegiance to the former president and in turn win the backing of his followers.
Axios noted that Vance has been receiving positive coverage from conservative media outlets, which may be bolstering his support
I thought his book was interesting.
But is his book why he is being considered?
If he tweeted anti Trump, then that’s the end of it. Reconsidered opinion based on wind direction does not redefine him to be other than swamp creature.
He doesn’t have to be pro Trump. But he does have to be pro Build the Wall, Drain the Swamp and America First In All Things.
Who is Mandel and how MAGA is he?
There were a couple of questionable lines in his book like his friendship with David Frum.
We need to give him our total support for at least one term. He’ll be much better than Portman(goes without saying). He says the issue with these families is not money so would he cutback on the drug of public assistance?
Anything to keep Josh Mandel from becoming a Senator.
Mandel has the only proven track record as a conserrvative. MAGA if you insist.
Vance is a Trojan Horse. Big name recognition, no record. Timken is a RINO. Don’t know the others, and I live and vote in Ohio.
There is a lot of outside interest in Vance’s candidacy. I dont know why but he seems to be talked about a lot and Peter Thiel is behind him as well ($$$$$)
I like the fact he is an outsider and has never held office.
J.D. Vance is a RINO because he doesn’t agree with me on water pricing along the Cayuga River. Therefore I’m not voting for him next year - I’d rather have a Democrat in power! You know, to ‘teach the GOP a lesson’.
We would not be having this discussion if the incumbent were a better senator. Plus we would not be having this discussion if Jim Jordon was running. Do you think 219 house republicans will vote for him to be speaker?
In case we don’t know those seats are good or gone for 6 years. We gotta get it right and not enough is happening. Having said that we got it right in Maine with Susan Collins-use your head.
The Hill certainly isn’t conservative.
neither is RSC
Who is Jim Banks?? and why should we care?
Who is Trump going to endorse?
at least Portman is leaving
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