Senate race: J.D. Vance says Josh Mandel ‘declared war’ on Trump after anti-Vance ad runs

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel speaks during a forum with five other Republican candidates at Genoa Baptist Church in Westerville on Oct. 24.

Tension over former President Donald Trump’s endorsement in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race boiled over Wednesday as an out-of-state group backing former state treasurer Josh Mandel blasted Trump’s choice to support J.D. Vance.

The Club for Growth, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that lobbies for conservative economic policies, released an ad highlighting Vance’s negative comments about Trump during the 2016 election. The group has funneled millions of dollars into Ohio’s race, largely focused on attacking the “Hillbilly Elegy” author and venture capitalist.

But Wednesday’s ad took a more direct hit at Trump himself and highlighted his support of Mitt Romney’s 2018 Senate bid. Mandel supported Romney for president in 2012 and campaigned with him in Ohio while he was running for U.S. Senate that year.

“Look, I love Trump, but he’s getting it wrong with J.D. Vance,” a man said in the ad.

Ohio Senate race: Ahead of Ohio Senate primary, GOP voters split on candidates

Trump’s endorsement shook up a contentious GOP primary that went months without a clear frontrunner, even as candidates peppered the airwaves with campaign ads. Recent polling indicates many primary voters are undecided ahead of Tuesday’s election, and some remain skeptical of Vance despite the former president’s nod.

Also vying for the GOP nomination are former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken, investment banker Mike Gibbons, state Sen. Matt Dolan, and businessmen Mark Pukita and Neil Patel.

Vance repeatedly criticized Trump throughout the 2016 election cycle, at one point pondering whether he’s “America’s Hitler.” He has since rallied behind the former president and said he misjudged him.

J.D. Vance speaks on stage with former President Donald Trump during a rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds on April 23.

In a statement Wednesday, Vance said Mandel and his allies have “declared war” on Trump and his supporters.

“Mandel used to be a pro-China establishment hack, and then he was a Tea Party Patriot, and then he was America First,” Vance said. “Now, having been rejected by Trump after begging for his endorsement, Mandel has returned to his roots: with millions of dollars from the pro-China Club for Growth propping up his failing campaign. There is a war for the soul of the Republican Party, and I’m proud to be on the side of President Trump.”

Story continues

A spokesman for Mandel did not respond to a request for comment.

The Club for Growth and Trump have enjoyed a positive relationship in recent years, even though the group spent millions trying to block his first presidential bid. But the New York Times and CNN reported that their differences about Ohio’s Senate race may fracture any goodwill that had blossomed.

Trump reportedly asked an aide to text the group’s president, David McIntosh, an expletive after the group aired another anti-Vance ad last week.

Joe Kildea, a spokesman for the Club for Growth, declined to answer questions last week about conversations between Trump and McIntosh but said the group planned to ramp up spending in Ohio.

Kildea did not immediately respond to additional questions on Wednesday.

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Senate race: JD Vance, Josh Mandel spar amid Club for Growth ad