Rep. Tim Ryan was strong in the Ohio Senate debate, as JD Vance showed why he is teetering as he took extreme positions and lied to Ohio voters.
The Ohio Senate Debate Highlights
Tim Ryan called out JD Vance for telling two lies on two questions about natural gas and fracking. Ryan said that he wants Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden to retire so that there can be a new generation of leaders.
Video of Ryan calling out Vance for investing in China:
During the first Ohio Senate debate, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) wastes no time calling out Republican opponent J.D. Vance for investing in Chinese companies:
“Our supply chains all went to China, and guys like him have made a lot of money off that.” pic.twitter.com/uDOgPj5u4A
— The Recount (@therecount) October 10, 2022
On abortion, Rep. Ryan said that he supports going back to Roe, and he brought up underage girls in Ohio having to go to other states and called out Vance for supporting a national abortion ban. He cited Vance’s statement that rape is inconvenient and called rape a tragedy. Ryan called for the codification of Roe.
Vance denied calling rape inconvenient, which he said, and said he was “pro-life.” Vance then argued that women should rethink the idea that having a baby will interfere with their lives and careers. Vance said that Graham’s national abortion ban is fine with him.
Ryan said that the level of extremism Vance is supporting on abortion can’t be ignored.
Vance then tried to turn the story of the ten-year-old girl being raped into an immigration question by claiming that the ten-year-old girl would not have been raped if Ryan would have been protecting the border.
JD Vance said that he is actually in Ohio and claimed that he had created a thousand jobs and claimed that Ryan’s district had lost tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs in Ohio.
Ryan shot back that Vance makes money investigating China, and his business hires foreign workers, and he is funded by a Silicon Valley billionaire and accused Vance of parachuting into Ohio to buy a Senate seat.
Vance claimed that Ryan and Biden have made the Fentanyl crisis worse.
The debate turned to foreign policy. On Russia and Ukraine, Ryan mentioned that Vance said he doesn’t care about what’s going on in Ukraine and said that the Republican would let Putin roll through Ukraine.
Vance said nobody knows what should be done if Russia uses nuclear weapons. Vance went isolationist and said that the interest of American citizens should be put first and said the Russian invasion should be de-escalated.
Ryan said if JD had his way Putin would be rolling through Ukraine and at Poland’s border.
Vance came out against the bill to codify and protect same-sex marriage because he said it would make it easier to sue religious organizations for discrimination.
Ryan delivered the line of the night when he said, “Ohio needs an ass-kicker, not an ass-kisser.”
Later, Tim Ryan hit JD Vance for claiming to be an immigration hardliner while hiring foreign workers.
Ryan also nailed Vance for his fake non-profit to take advantage of people in Ohio and claimed the non-profit was used to launch his political campaign. Vance said, “None of this is true,” and then hid behind his family having addiction issues. Vance then whined about the commercials that Ryan is running.
Later, Vance sucked up to Trump and claimed that the DOJ is corrupt and said that the allegations of Trump’s crimes are rumors.
Tim Ryan Was Authentic In Ohio Senate Debate
The difference between Ryan and Vance in the debate was that Ryan was authentic. Tim Ryan is not a liberal, but he is a blue-collar Democrat who cares about middle-class jobs, restoring manufacturing, and standing up to China. JD Vance was not able to damage Ryan’s bipartisan image.
Ryan highlighted how he has stood up to his own party and referred to Trump’s quote that all JD Vance does is “kiss his ass to get his support.” Ryan said the former president called him an ass-kisser.
Republicans Have A Big Problem As JD Vance Flops In Ohio Senate Debate
JD Vance lied to Ohio voters numerous times during the debate as he staked out one extreme position after another on issues like abortion and LGBT equality.
Vance’s answers were heavily talking point tested, scripted, and duplicitous, and he demonstrated why Ohio voters should not trust him. Vance was spouting the Fox News talking points as he is banking on the state’s Republican lean to carry him to victory.
JD Vance claimed that Ryan is not a moderate and accused him of losing manufacturing jobs.
Vance into the conspiracy theory that Facebook censored information and laughably claimed that Big Tech benefits Democrats.
The Republican candidate was not good and shifty in the debate.
The GOP has dumped tens of millions of dollars into Ohio to try to save Vance, and the Republican did nothing to make Republicans more confident that they will keep the seat on election day.
The average of polls shows the race as a tie, and Democrats have a real chance of flipping a red Senate seat in Ohio.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
