Ohio 2022 Primary: J.D. Vance Wins, Now Says Tim Ryan is a 'Trump Democrat'

J.D. Vance Calls Next Opponent Tim Ryan a 'Trump Democrat'

Republican J.D. Vance referred to Democratic competitor Tim Ryan as a "Trump Democrat" during a victory speech delivered after Ohio's primary elections Tuesday night.

Vance and six other Republicans competed in their state's Senate primary election. Vance, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump last month, was projected as the race's winner about two hours after polls closed. Tim Ryan, a congressional Democrat who ran in his party's Ohio Senate primary, was projected to have won his race less than an hour after polls closed Tuesday night.

Vance and Ryan will now face off in Ohio's Senate race during the November midterm election.

In a victory speech Tuesday night, Vance thanked the former president for his endorsement and praised several of his GOP competitors before turning his attention to Ryan.

Vance told his supporters Ryan was campaigning as a "Trump Democrat," suggesting Ryan's voting history differs from the Democrat's stated policy positions.

"Tim Ryan, look at his TV ads, look at the things that he's doing. The guy is running as a Trump Democrat," Vance said. "He really is. He says he's tough on China, and yet he's voted 100 percent of the time with Joe Biden, the weakest on China president in the history of his country."

Vance added that, while Ryan "says that he wants to fight inflation," Ryan "has voted 100 percent of the time with a president who has caused the worst inflation in the past 45 years of American history."

"He says that he cares about us here in Ohio, but he refuses to fight his own party when they have flooded the state of Ohio with illegal drugs and sex traffickers," Vance continued. "Ladies and gentlemen, Tim Ryan needs to go down—and we're going to be the party that does it."

J.D. Vance Gets Congrats From Donald Trump Jr., Other Republicans

Several top Republicans congratulated J.D. Vance after his projected in in Ohio's Senate GOP primary election on Tuesday night.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Vance in the race last month. Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., shared photos on Twitter from his time on the campaign trail with Vance, writing, "The America First movement is alive and well, people."

"Congrats JD, well done," he added.

Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, whom Vance mentioned in a Tuesday evening victory speech, also tweeted his support.

"CONGRATS @JDVance1 – victory in Ohio," Hawley's tweet said.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who also won his state's Republican primary election Tuesday evening in his bid for a second term, issued his congratulations with a nod at their party's "very strong ticket" heading into the fall midterms.

"Congratulations, JD! Republicans have a very strong ticket—I look forward to campaigning as a united Republican front to defeat Democrats in November and stopping @JoeBiden's reckless policies," DeWine tweeted.

The GOP shared a photo of Vance on its Twitter account and wrote, "Ohio is ready to send an America first conservative to Washington to take back the U.S. Senate." GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel also shared her congratulations to Vance and other winning GOP candidates in a tweet from her own account.

Matt Dolan, a former state senator who was one of six other candidates running against Vance in the GOP primary, released a statement of support for Vance after his projected win. Dolan's statement acknowledged the two candidates' differences but said they "share a love" for the U.S.

"Just as I will never quit fighting for Ohio, I pledge to unite our party and endorse JD Vance to be our next U.S. Senator," Dolan's statement concluded.

J.D. Vance, Tim Ryan Trade Barbs After Primary Victories

J.D. Vance and Tim Ryan, the projected winners of Ohio's Republican and Democratic Senate primary elections, respectively, were quick to spar after polls closed Tuesday night in the Buckeye state.

Ryan, the Democratic congressman currently representing Ohio's 13th district, was running against two other candidates in Ohio's Democratic primary. Media outlets began calling the race for Ryan shortly after polls closed at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Vance's projected win was announced by The Associated Press shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET, about two hours after polls closed. Vance, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump last month, competed against six other candidates in the state's GOP primary election.

Ryan released a campaign video targeting Vance minutes after the AP called the GOP race.

"JD Vance doesn't care about Ohioans and he thinks our country is a joke," Ryan said in a tweet accompanying the video. "Now he wants to represent us in the Senate? You've got to be kidding."

Vance also addressed Ryan's candidacy during a victory speech he delivered shortly after his win was announced, saying Ryan was "running as a Trump Democrat."

"He says he's tough on China, and yet he's voted 100 percent of the time with Joe Biden, the weakest on China president in the history of his country," Vance told his supporters. "He says that he wants to fight inflation. Yet he has voted 100 percent of the time with a president who has caused the worst inflation in the past 45 years of American history. He says that he cares about us here in Ohio, but he refuses to fight his own party when they have flooded the state of Ohio with illegal drugs and sex traffickers."

Trump-Backed J.D. Vance Wins GOP Senate Primary

J.D. Vance has won Ohio's Senate GOP primary election, according to a projection The Associated Press made shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET.

Early voting results showed Vance holding a tight lead over fellow Republicans Josh Mandel and Matt Dolan. Several polls released in the days leading up to Tuesday's primary election also suggested Vance was leading among likely voters.

Vance, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, will now compete for the Senate seat in the November midterms. He will face Democrat Tim Ryan, who currently represents Ohio's 13th congressional district. Several media outlets projected Ryan's win in the Democratic primary shortly after polls closed Tuesday evening.

The former president's son, Donald Trump Jr., celebrated Vance's projected win with a tweet Tuesday evening.

"Tens of millions of RINO dollars spent to stop my man @JDVance1 in Ohio and they call it before 9 o'clock," his tweet said. "The America First movement is alive and well people. Congrats JD, well done."

J.D. Vance Holds Tight Lead in GOP Senate Race

J.D. Vance has taken an early lead in Ohio's Republican Senate primary race, according to early voting results from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office.

With more than 2,000 precincts reporting shortly after 9 p.m. ET, election results showed Vance ahead of his six competitors with more than 30 percent of the vote. Josh Mandel, the state's former treasurer, was second with about 24 percent of the vote, followed by former state Senator Matt Dolan with nearly 22 percent of the vote.

Vance's candidacy has widely been viewed as a test for the endorsement power of former President Donald Trump. Trump endorsed Vance last month.

Several recent polls showed Vance leading in the GOP primary election. Polling results released last week by Fox News and Emerson College suggested Vance was in the lead by between two and five points, and a Trafalgar Group poll released days before the election said Vance was ahead of his competitors by about four points.

An official call has not yet been made in the Ohio Senate GOP primary, but The Associated Press and CNN both called the Democratic primary for Tim Ryan, who currently represents Ohio's 13th district in Congress.

How to Watch Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's Victory Speech

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine was expected to deliver public remarks to his constituents Tuesday evening, shortly after he was projected to win his state's Republican gubernatorial primary election.

DeWine will be running for his second term as governor during the November midterms. He will be facing the winner of Ohio's Democratic gubernatorial primary. A winner of the Democratic race had not been declared at the time DeWine was projected to have won. DeWine's projected win was announced shortly after polls closed Tuesday evening.

Kevin Landers, a reporter with the Columbus-based WBNS-TV, tweeted shortly before 8:30 p.m. ET that DeWine was expected to deliver remarks shortly. The governor's speech was expected to be live streamed on the station's website.

Mike DeWine Wins Republican Governor Primary, Per AP and CNN

Incumbent Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has won his state's Republican gubernatorial primary election, according to projections by The Associated Press and CNN.

DeWine is currently serving his first term as governor. During the general election in November, he will face the winner of Tuesday's Democratic gubernatorial primary election.

DeWine's projected win was announced by CNN and the AP around 8:15 p.m. ET, less than one hour after polls closed.

In the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary, early results from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's office showed Nan Whaley leading John Cranley.

Tim Ryan Wins Democratic Senate Primary, Per CNN and AP

Democrat Tim Ryan is projected to win Ohio's Democratic Senate primary election, according to CNN and The Associated Press.

Ryan, who has served in Congress since 2013 as a representative for Ohio's 13th district, was running against Morgan Harper and Traci TJ Johnson in the state's primary election on Tuesday. Ryan will now compete for the Senate seat during the November midterms. The seat is currently held by Senator Rob Portman, who announced in early 2021 that he would not be seeking re-election.

Ryan will compete in November against the winner of Ohio's Republican Senate primary election, which featured seven candidates. A winner for the Republican primary had not been projected at the time of Ryan's projected win, which was announced shortly after polls closed Tuesday evening.

Ohio Polls Close Amid Severe Thunderstorms

Polls closed for Ohio's midterm primary elections at 7:30 p.m. ET. As final ballots were cast in the afternoon and early evening, voters throughout the state faced severe thunderstorm warnings, with some parts of the Ohio Valley falling under a tornado watch that was expected to last until 9 p.m.

Earlier in the day, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned it was possible residents would see "very large hail" in parts of the state, in addition to high wind and "a couple tornadoes." Shortly before 5 p.m., the NWS in Wilmington, Ohio, shared a photo of a semi truck that tipped over due to high winds in Octa, Ohio.

According to the Columbus-based news station WCMH-TV, residents in Carroll and Zanesville reported seeing hail that was about the size of golf balls. The station also reported high winds were causing damage in Fairfield County.

Shortly before polls closed, NWS Cleveland said "very heavy rainfall" was impacting the area and warned it was "possible" some local residents could experience flooding.

Though Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Monday the state's early voting numbers exceeded those of the 2018 and 2014 primary elections, the extent to which Tuesday's weather would impact in-person voter turnout was unknown at the time polls closed.

Late Poll Shows a JD Vance Win, Josh Mandel in 3rd

Results from a recent Trafalgar Group poll showed J.D. Vance leading in Ohio's GOP Senate primary election. Vance, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump last month, is running against six other candidates in the state's GOP primary. His campaign is widely viewed as an early gauge of Trump's continued sway over the party ahead of the November midterms.

Trafalgar Group pollsters said their Ohio GOP primary poll was conducted among 1,081 likely voters between April 29 and May 1 with a 2.99 percent margin of error. Vance polled more than four points ahead of his competitors, with 26.2 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him. Matt Dolan, who is currently serving in the state Senate, polled second at 22 percent. Polling third with 20.8 percent of support among respondents was Josh Mandel, the former state treasurer and member of the Ohio House of Representatives.

Other recent polls have suggested Vance was leading among likely voters ahead of Tuesday's primary election. One Fox News poll released last week said Vance was leading the pack at 23 percent, with Mandel polling second about five points behind him. Results from an Emerson College poll released last week also found Vance leading about two points ahead of Mandel and five points ahead of Dolan.

Tim Ryan Claims to Lead JD Vance in Potential November Showdown

Tim Ryan, the Democratic Ohio congressman running to represent his state in the U.S. Senate, said Monday he was polling one point ahead of Republican candidate J.D. Vance, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Ryan is one of three candidates running in Tuesday's Democratic primary election. Vance is running against six other Republicans in the GOP primary.

The outcome of the Tuesday primary will determine who will face off in the general election this November. Ryan's tweet suggested his campaign was "beating JD Vance in the polls by a single point" and urged his supporters to help him "widen the gap in the polls and win this seat."

Vance's campaign is thought to be an early primary season test of Trump's lasting impact on the GOP. If he wins Tuesday's Republican primary, he will go on to compete for the seat currently held by Republican Senator Rob Portman. Portman announced in early 2021 that he did not intend to run for re-election.

Ohio Early Voting Exceeds 2014, 2018 Midterms

Ahead of the Tuesday primary, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said residents requested a total of 301,837 absentee ballots, with 263,542 ballots cast before in-person voting began. Both numbers of requested and returned ballots were higher than those recorded during the last two midterm primary election cycles in 2014 and 2018.

This year, Republican voters requested more ballots than Democratic voters, according to data shared by LaRose's office.

"Republican voters have been casting their early votes at a far faster rate than four years ago, while Democrats have been significantly behind that pace," LaRose said Monday.

"With that shift in favor of Republicans, overall early voting in this primary election has now surpassed the most comparable primary election in 2018," he added. "Political prognosticators are welcome to theorize its significance, but it's clear Ohio voters have faith in our secure, accurate, and accessible election system."

In 2018, 300,765 Ohioans requested absentee ballots ahead of that year's primary, with 260,443 returned by the time early voting ended. The early voting numbers released on Monday also mark an uptick over early votes cast during the 2014 primary election, LaRose said.

Voting Continues Under Tornado Watch

A tornado watch was issued in parts of Ohio and Indiana as voters cast their ballots on Tuesday. The tornado watch, which also extended into parts of Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, was expected to last until 9 p.m. ET while the polls are scheduled to close at 7:30 p.m.

The warning covered Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton.

As severe thunderstorm warnings were issued across the state, the National Weather Service (NWS) said hail and "a couple tornadoes are possible" in sections of the Ohio Valley. By Tuesday afternoon, the NWS attributed strong winds to a semi truck blowing over in Octa, Ohio.

The weather was thought to be a contributing factor to lower voter turnout by Tuesday afternoon.