J.D. Vance beats Tim Ryan in key Ohio Senate race
J.D. Vance is headed to the Senate.
With 88 percent of precincts reporting as of 11:15 p.m. ET, NBC, CNN, and Fox News project that the Hillbilly Elegy author will defeat Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) in Ohio's closely watched Senate race. It marks a major victory for Republicans, though not a pick-up, since Vance will be filling the seat vacated by retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). He was seen as a favorite in the close race, having led Ryan in recent polls.
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Trump, who won Ohio by 8 points in 2020, endorsed Vance in the race and held a rally for him on the eve of the election — despite the fact that Vance criticized the former president in the past and even reportedly suggested he might be "America's Hitler" in private texts. Vance "may have said some not-so-great things about me in the past," Trump said, "but he gets it now."
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