Donald Trump won Ohio for J.D. Vance. Can he score victories in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia?
Former president Donald Trump proved he still remains a force in the GOP given how his endorsed candidate - J.D. Vance - overtook other Republican rivals to win the Ohio Senate race Tuesday.
- J.D. Vance won a contested primary for Ohio's GOP Senate nomination Tuesday.
- Vance, an author and venture capitalist, trailed GOP rivals until Trump endorsed him two weeks ago.
- Trump's influence will be tested in upcoming GOP races in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia.
WASHINGTON – Donald Trump proved again Tuesday that he remains the strongest political force within the Republican Party as he fueled a primary victory by new U.S. Senate nominee J.D. Vance.
The specific strength of his personal endorsement, however, remains open to question.
Vance won a crowded primary with a little more than 32% of the vote as of late Tuesday, but four other candidates also received good chunks of Trump voters – including Matt Dolan, the businessman who shunned the former president's endorsement and had urged the party to move past his false claims of election fraud in 2020.
Dolan appeared headed for a third place finish with about 23% of the vote, just behind former state treasurer Josh Mandel, who continued to claim Trump's mantle even after the former president endorsed Vance in mid-April.
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