Former President Donald Trump will reportedly soon endorse J.D. Vance in the closely watched Ohio primary to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican. Time flies as the primary elections are less than a month away on May 3; early voting has already started. The mainstream media was quick to report on the expected support and potential backlash, so quickly, in fact, that they got several things wrong.
The Trump endorsement report came out Thursday from NBC Newswhich I quoted in my own report from last night. The report suggested that Republican Jim Jordan (R-OH) disagreed with Trump’s supposedly impending endorsement of J.D. Vance, suggesting that he was supporting Josh Mandel instead, although a correction has since been issued.
As of Friday morning, the report reads:
“Mandel’s people hit the roof,” one Republican familiar with the discussions told NBC News, noting that Ohio Republican Jim Jordan tried to dissuade Trump from supporting him.
…
ADJUSTMENT (April 14, 2022, 6:13 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article incorrectly reported Rep. Jim Jordan’s involvement in the Ohio Republican Senate primary. Remains neutral; did not support Josh Mandel.
Also on Thursday, a POLITICO report was released that stated that “Ohio Republicans band together to stop Vance’s endorsementAs of Friday morning, this is currently the most read story on POLITICO.
The report reads in part:
J.D. Vance’s Republican rivals made a last-ditch attempt to suppress Donald Trump’s support in the Ohio Senate primary, a response to emerging speculation that the former president was close to endorsing Vance in the contested race.
…
A group of more than three dozen Republican Party county chairmen and state Party central committee members – including some of the state’s most populous counties – also gathered to sign a letter urging Trump not to endorse Vance, noting that he “called your supporters ‘” racists and I proudly voted for Evan McMullin in 2016.”
"While we’ve been working hard in Ohio to support you and make America great again," – they wrote in a letter obtained by POLITICO“J.D. Vance actively campaigned against your candidacy.”
Lisa Stickan, Cuyahoga County GOP chairwoman, said a group of county Republican Party chairmen and members of the state central committee issued the letter Thursday after NBC reported that Trump plans to endorse Vance.
The tiny letter in part mentioned:
We do not support JD Vance for the reasons mentioned above and urge you not to support anyone in this race. In addition to any primary concerns Vance and I have, there is also a real concern that his past statements about you will have the effect of suppressing Republican turnout in the general election, further putting the Republican majority in the Senate at risk USA.
Below are Vance’s comments about you:
• “Trump is exploiting something, but he is also leading the white working class to a very dark place.”
• “Trump is another opioid.”
• Trump’s actual policy proposals, such as they are, range from immoral to absurd.”
• Vance said he wanted Hillary Clinton to win the general election, teased voting for Clinton, and ultimately voted for Never Trump candidate Evan McMullin:
• “I think there is a chance. If I feel like Trump has a really good chance of winning, I might have to hold my nose and vote for Hillary Clinton. I could vote for that new guy I really like, Evan McMullin… I can.” If you hate Trump, I think he is harmful and is leading the white working class to a very obscure place.”
• “I hope so [Trump] is decisively defeated.”
The NBC News report cited concerns about such past comments, although Vance has the support of people close to Trump, including former advisers such as Michael Caputo and Steve Cortes and Donald Trump Jr. piece for American greatness in February, which Cortes tweeted on Thursday, Cortes confirmed Vance’s earlier doubts about Trump. He wrote:
Vance also finds critics among Republican Party skeptics who say he is not MAGA enough because of his past criticism of President Trump. Like millions of Americans – myself included – Vance was indeed initially suspicious of Donald Trump. However, convinced by President Trump’s political successes, Vance quickly backed down. This conversion is a genuine example of Vance’s thoughtfulness. He is a leader who is willing to reconsider problems and people. Moreover, his embrace of the 45th president and Trump’s agenda cost him dearly – he immediately lost the adulation of the elites who had previously welcomed him.
Tony J. Schroeder of Putnam County is among the thirty chairmen and county chairmen who appear to have signed on to the letter without letterhead.
However, on Friday morning, the Putnam County account tweeted statements from Schroeder, who clarified that he did not sign the letter and does not endorse Vance, but rather remains neutral and is instead focused on defeating the Democratic candidate who could be elected Rep. Tim Ryan . The county has a bylaw prohibiting the endorsement of candidates in contested elections. If the chairman were to personally endorse anyone, he would need to obtain approval from the executive committee.
Moreover, POLITICO has not contacted Schroeder, the chairman told Townhall.
Link to the “Politics” article:https://t.co/IkJbs06oWu
— Putnam County Republican Party (@PutnamGOP) April 15, 2022
2/2 as a signatory. Our party has hosted many candidates in the Senate race, and we have one goal: to make sure it happens @TimRyanHe makes his first visit to Washington in January as a private citizen, not as a senator.
Tony J. Schroeder, chairman
— Putnam County Republican Party (@PutnamGOP) April 15, 2022
The tweets also indicated that Schoeder had asked POLITICO to correct the story, though the report has not yet been updated. The last update appeared on Thursday evening, minutes after the report was first published.
Trump will come to Delaware County, Ohio, on April 23, where many believe Trump could show his support.
