COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Former President Donald Trump on Friday endorsed “Hillbilly Elegy” author JD Vance in Ohio’s bitterly competitive Republican Senate primary, ending months of jockeying in a race where his backing could be pivotal.
In a statement, Trump described Vance as “the candidate most qualified and ready to win in November.”
“It is all about winning!” he wrote.
The decision marks a major blow for Vance’s top rivals – former state treasurer Josh Mandel, investment banker Mike Gibbons and former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken – who have been locked in a heated and contentious race for both the nomination and Trump’s backing in a primary that is now less than three weeks away.
On Thursday night, dozens of Republican leaders in Ohio mounted a last-minute effort to urge Trump not to endorse Vance following a news report that said Trump had made a decision.