In the current political climate, One of the most telling races in 2022 that will likely serve to predict the Republican Party's chances in 2024, and into the future, is for the GOP nominee for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat; that is, who will run against the presumed Democratic Party nominee, Tim Ryan.
Those currently in the race include former GOP Senate nominee and Treasurer of Ohio Josh Mandel, "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, former Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken, and businessman Bernie Moreno.
The leading two candidates at the top of polling and fundraising (at lest at this juncture) appear to be Vance and Mandel; both of whom have different views of how the Republican Party should be structured.
For Vance, his recent change of heart on Trumpism, embrace of the NeverTrumper mindset, and endorsement of CIA agent and establishment Republican Evan McMullin in 2016 are not the only things that should be of concern to Ohio GOP voters.
Vance claims to be one of the most anti-establishment candidates in the entire 2022 election cycle, citing his desires to hold the upper class and corporations accountable for what they have done to Ohioans and his 'native' Appalachia.
The problem is that Vance is just as much an elitist, while claiming to be against elitism.
During the success of his book "Hillbilly Elegy," Vance was treated as the voice of white Trump voters. Specfically, this was seen as one way way to understand what happened during the 2016 election.
However, all he did in "Hillbilly Elegy" was confirm every elitist bias that Appalachians take the brunt of.
Vance even positively compared the biases of elites who judged Appalachians livelihood’s (to those in the book) saying "Their children are happier and healthier, their divorce rates lower, their church attendance higher, their lives longer. These people are beating us at our own damned game."
Vance made millions of dollars off of his literary work and Netflix film portraying Appalachians as being dumb hicks who can't get out of their way.
However, Vance fails to solve the problems addressed within his book or contribute to a regon Vance claims is chronically misunderstood.
He doesn't seem to understand the emotional connection that those from the region have to Appalachia. For a candidate who has based his entire campaign off of populism, Vance has failed to even relate to the culture in which he made millions off of by describing their struggles.
If he can't even relate to the culture he was raised in, how is he to be expected to identify problems in the Buckeye State?
These things should be a clear indication of who is the right choice in the U.S. Senate race in Ohio. It's not Vance.
It's pretty evident that if the Republican Party wants to combine the sense of populism with small-government conservatism, the choice is Mandel.
Mandel has held many of the same beliefs since he first delved into Republican politics.
Thus, he knows the ins and outs; he knows about fiscal responsibility by aiding in maintaining Ohio as being one of the most consistently cohesive financial state governments, during his tenure as state treasurer.
On nearly every issue, Mandel embodies individual liberty, small government, populism on the basis to understand voter issues and conservative solutions to them.
He opposed the war in Afghanistan before it was acceptable to do so in 2012. He openly labels taxation theft and calls inflation a tax. He possesses a record of being a consistent small government advocate throughout his political career.
Mandel set himself apart during his tenure as Ohio treasurer, allowing the state to thrive and be rated as one of the most financially stable states nationally.
Combining these attributes is the ideal solution to oppose Tim Ryan's weak moderation in Congress and combat Vance's superficiality when it comes to his supposed embrace of anti-elitism.
Mandel may come off as rough to many, but he is the obvious choice for Ohio's future in the U.S. Senate.
Kenny Cody is a conservative writer and activist from Northeast Tennessee. Read Kenny Cody's Reports — More Here.
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