Former President Donald Trump's expected endorsement of Hillbilly Elegy author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance could be a game-changer in the Ohio Republican Senate primary.
Vance is polling well enough to potentially emerge from the crowded field with the nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R), but he's no sure bet and has generally underperformed. That makes this a departure from the frequent Trump strategy of endorsing the frontrunner, then taking credit when they win.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The endorsement could also be a vindication of Vance's strategy of competing with former state Treasurer Josh Mandel's lower-brow appeal to the GOP base, picking up Trump's blessing — and maybe some Republican votes — at the expense of erstwhile admirers. This includes Vance's reappraisal of Trump himself.
Coming on the heels of Trump's endorsement of Mehmet Oz in the Pennsylvania Republican senate primary, it could also suggest a broader strategic shift by the former president, even if the the MAGA right is less enamored of Oz. Trump may be gambling that if these endorsements of candidates who aren't guaranteed victory actually pulls them across the finish line, it will increase the number of Republican senators genuinely beholden to him. If Trump intends to return to the White House, that could come in handy when it comes to passing legislation, beating back impeachments, maybe even ousting Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).
But the opposite is also true: These endorsements risk devaluing the power of Trump's blessing ahead of the next election cycle, when his hold on the Republican Party may be tested as never before.
-
Heavenly spectacle in the wilds of CanadaThe Week Recommends ‘Mind-bending’ outpost for spotting animals – and the northern lights
-
Facial recognition: a revolution in policingTalking Point All 43 police forces in England and Wales are set to be granted access, with those against calling for increasing safeguards on the technology
-
Codeword: December 14, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
‘City leaders must recognize its residents as part of its lifeblood’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem might not be long for TrumplandIN THE SPOTLIGHT She has been one of the most visible and vocal architects of Trump’s anti-immigration efforts, even as her own star risks fading
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Will there be peace before Christmas in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Discussions over the weekend could see a unified set of proposals from EU, UK and US to present to Moscow
-
‘The menu’s other highlights smack of the surreal’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
The Trump administration says it deports dangerous criminals. ICE data tells a different story.IN THE SPOTLIGHT Arrest data points to an inconvenient truth for the White House’s ongoing deportation agenda
