Ohio GOP: Trump's J.D. Vance Endorsement a Betrayal

Once again things are heating up in the politically crucial state of Ohio. In the wake of former President Donald J. Trump’s ill-advised questionable endorsement of J.D. Vance in the Ohio Senate race, more than 30 Ohio delegates who represented Trump in 2016 at the Republican National Convention (RNC) have penned an open letter urging him to withdraw his support for Vance.

Thirty three 2016 Ohio Trump delegates have signed a letter urging the former president to reconsider his endorsement of JD Vance for Senate.

"This endorsement of JD Vance is a betrayal to not only your Ohio supporters but Trump supporters across our great nation!" pic.twitter.com/y3hs9028q7

— Andrew Tobias (@AndrewJTobias) April 20, 2022

In the letter, the delegates made clear to Trump that they “are not your typical Republicans in Ohio” but are “the original and proud ‘Trumpers'” who supported him from the beginning. “We are the ones you trusted to stand and deliver for you in 2016!” the delegates wrote. “And we did it against the Ohio Swamp and many in the establishment! We did it in the face of ‘NeverTrumpers’ like J.D. Vance, who has former Team Kasich members serving on his campaign.”

It doesn’t get any swampier in Ohio than Team Kasich. As PJ Media’s Paula Bolyard reported, not only does Vance have Kasich cronies working for his campaign, but Vance is also “a big proponent of Kasich’s failed Medicaid expansion in the state. Indeed, as Republicans were poised to vote on replacing Obamacare with their own American Health Care Act, Vance bashed the legislation, fearing cuts to Medicaid entitlements.” That doesn’t sound very Republican now, does it? In fact, it sounds downright leftist.

According to The Washington Times, the Vance campaign flatly dismissed the delegates’ letter. “Conservative outsiders like Donald Trump and J.D. Vance will always be fought by the Republican establishment and party insiders,” said Vance campaign spokesman Taylor Van Kirk. “We look forward to winning them over like President Trump did.” Did you notice that? That’s the same tactic the left uses. The left accuses its adversaries of being what the left actually is. In other words, Vance just accused the delegates of being establishment when he is the one who has Kasich establishment-cronies on his campaign.

The delegates see through Vance. “We would respectfully request you reconsider your endorsement of J.D. Vance to show your supporters in Ohio and across our great states why we first believed in you back in 2016,” reads the letter that was released on Wednesday. “That it really was about the We the People, America First and Making America Great Again not supporting a political chameleon and snake oil salesman like J.D. Vance!”

Related: Was Trump’s Endorsement of J.D. Vance for Senate a Mistake?

Meanwhile, PJ Media reached out to each of the additional Ohio Republican candidates in the primary race for U.S. Senate. Some of the candidates gave statements regarding Trump’s endorsement of Vance and Vance’s record.

Jane Timken — “Ohio’s base is rightfully upset because if J.D. Vance had his way, Hillary Clinton would have been President,” Timken spokeswoman Mandi Merritt told PJ Media on Wednesday. “While J.D. Vance was in Silicon Valley and cable news studios calling President Trump ‘America’s Hitler’ and bashing the MAGA movement as ‘racist,’ Jane Timken was traveling 150,000 miles across Ohio doing the important work to dismantle the Kasich establishment and turn Ohio into a pro-Trump, conservative stronghold. Ohio voters know who was there and who wasn’t — Jane Timken was there and J.D. Vance was not.”

This race is about who you can trust to advance the America First agenda. Ohio conservatives can trust me because I've been there and delivered. pic.twitter.com/mGl0UkFSiq

— Jane Timken (@JaneTimkenOH) April 18, 2022

Mike Gibbons — “Ohioans want a real leader that will fight for them, put America first, and will help get our country back on track in the U.S. Senate,” candidate Mike Gibbons told PJ Media. “They want real, authentic conservative leadership that will take on the failures of the Biden Administration and help make America great again. That’s exactly what many across the Buckeye state have conveyed throughout this primary and that’s exactly what they will make known loud and clear on May 3rd.”

Biden's out-of-touch leadership caters more to the wants and needs of rich coastal elites than everyday Americans. We need new leaders who put hard-working Americans first and will get our country back on track, which is exactly what I’ll do in the U.S. Senate. https://t.co/1BK3nLlyr5

— Mike Gibbons (@MikeGibbonsOH) April 20, 2022

Matt Dolan — “80,000 Ohioans have ties to Ukraine,” candidate Matt Dolan tweeted. “Parma [Ohio] is a sister city to Lviv [Ukraine]. Cincinnati is a sister city to Kharkiv. Putin’s war crimes are both horrific and intensely personal for Ohioans. As I’ve said, we can be secure at home and defend freedom in the world.” Watch the video below. It certainly doesn’t sound as if JD Vance understands everyday Ohioans, now does it?

For all the talk about @JDVance1's attacks on Donald Trump from years ago, it's his shameful contempt for Ukraine that Ohio voters find truly disqualifying. Instead of emboldening authoritarian thugs like Putin and Xi, our next Senator must understand Ohio and #StandWithUkraine. pic.twitter.com/NeL44exvVR

— Matt Dolan (@dolan4ohio) April 20, 2022

Neil Patel — “I am disappointed that President Trump did not let our Senate race play out as our grassroots folks vote,” said candidate Neil Patel in a statement to PJ Media. “Unfortunately the grassroots as well as the establishment, are very sad. Ohioans firmly believe that Mr. Vance is not supportive of former President Trump and that has caused upset across the state. While I am disappointed, I am still very much a supporter of our former President.”

The campaigns of Mark Pukita and Josh Mandel did not reach PJ Media with a statement in time for publication.

For his part, J.D. Vance wasted no time capitalizing on Trump’s endorsement by slapping an obnoxiously yuge  “Trump Endorsed” logo on his social media platforms and holding a town hall with Donald J. Trump, Jr. on Wednesday afternoon.

Fantastic to have ⁦@DonaldJTrumpJr⁩ in Ohio! Fired up crowd here in Independence. pic.twitter.com/IjfB4jOFXu

— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) April 20, 2022

Ohio’s primary election is May 3, 2022, and will replace retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who has held the office since 2010. Will Trump’s endorsement help Vance? Or will Ohio’s voters see Vance as the left-leaning tool of the establishment that he is? Will Trump’s usefulness as the GOP Kingmaker be coming to a close with yet another unpopular but pragmatic endorsement to win at all cost? As the Ohio race remains any candidate’s to win (or lose), one thing is clear: it’s certainly one to watch. Trump is set to hold a MAGA rally deep in the heart of Ohio on April 23 in Delaware, Ohio. We’ll be watching.