Former president Donald Trump proved he still remains a force in the GOP given how his endorsed candidate – J.D. Vance – overtook other Republican rivals to win the Ohio Senate race Tuesday.
- J.D. Vance won a contested primary for Ohio’s GOP Senate nomination Tuesday.
- Vance, an author and venture capitalist, trailed GOP rivals until Trump endorsed him two weeks ago.
- Trump’s influence will be tested in upcoming GOP races in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.
WASHINGTON – Donald Trump proved again Tuesday he remains the strongest political force within the Republican Party as he fueled a primary victory by new U.S. Senate nominee J.D. Vance.
The specific strength of his personal endorsement, however, remains open to question.
Vance won a crowded primary with a little more than 32% of the vote as of late Tuesday, but four other candidates also received good chunks of Trump voters – including Matt Dolan, the businessman who shunned the former president’s endorsement and had urged the party to move past his false claims of election fraud in 2020.
