Vice President JD Vance attacked Democrats Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown during his rally in Lima, Ohio, on Friday as Republicans Vivek Ramaswamy and Jon Husted face tight races in the Buckeye State in the 2026 midterm elections. Vance’s rally comes as campaign season is amid its final weeks. Ohio appears more competitive in this year’s midterms, despite President Donald Trump carrying the state in his three presidential runs.
Polling suggests both the gubernatorial and Senate races will be close in Ohio this year, putting Republicans on the defense in a state that has drifted rightward over the past decade. Historically, the party in the White House loses seats in the midterms when the president is unpopular. Democrats believe Trump’s declining national approval rating could give them a chance to win back voters in places like Ohio in November, particularly due to voter frustration with the economy and the cost of living.
Acton and Ramaswamy are facing off in the gubernatorial race, while Senator Husted is facing a challenge from former Senator Brown in the special election to serve the remainder of the term for which Vance was elected in 2022, before being elected vice president. Republicans are deploying Trump and Vance to key states ahead of the midterms to energize the Republican base and avert losses. Vance is from Middletown, Ohio, and represented the state in the Senate from 2023 to 2025.
Vance launched attacks against both Democratic candidates during the rally. I don't know that much about her other than that she was the woman who wanted to mask all of our 2-year-olds and keep them from going to school. That's the only thing I really remember about her now,” he said.
He added that he “did promise Amy that I would meet her at a bar later. I understand that she's into that sort of thing, so I'm going to try to get to know her a little bit better.” Republicans have run ads in Ohio about Acton’s drinking, but Acton has denied having any problem. She told the Ohio Capital Journal it is “horrible to make lies about alcohol and drug abuse.” The ads stem from a 2019 911 call made by her daughter during an argument between their parents in which she reportedly said, “mom has been drinking and throwing things,” according to the newspaper, citing a police report.
Her campaign told the publication she had only one glass of wine. He's not the kind of Democrat that my papaw or Franklin Roosevelt was. Hell, Sherrod is not even the kind of Democrat that Bill Clinton was.
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