Tim Ryan soars in Ohio as JD Vance curiously goes MIA

The GOP is a non-party in agony. And the reason for this? The state of Ohio. The GOP was supposed to have Ohio in the bag. It had grown increasingly red in recent years, and with their candidate JD Vance, it looked like an easy state to keep.

Until Tim Ryan stopped up to the plate. Ryan is running a remarkable campaign. He’s running as an Ohio moderate, and he’s getting noticed. He is beating Vance in the polls. Tim Ryan commercials are running everywhere. And even some moderate Republicans appear impressed by Ryan. But what of JD Vance?

According to the latest reporting, he’s MIA. “Where’s Vance?” That is the increasingly desperate call from Republicans as their candidate has all but vanished from the campaign trail. “Where the heck is Vance?'”

Nobody really seems to know. He WAS seen recently — in Israel, not in Ohio. “Phoning it in.” That is the panicked whisper of the GOP who are accusing Vance of being “lazy” and largely absent from the campaign trail.

His campaign is broke, and the candidate who once labeled Trump “cultural heroine” isn’t raising much money. “They can’t find J.D. Vance with a search warrant.” This is what Bill Cunningham, a conservative talk radio fixture said people are telling him. Not calling them back.

Republicans are also complaining Vance is not bothering to return their calls. That’s a great campaign he’s running there! Sarcasm.

So what gives? I have a theory. Vance sees no need to do anything right now.

The truth is — this is EXACTLY how Vance ran his primary campaign. I followed it quite closely, and all he mostly did was send out stupid tweets.

But towards the end of his primary campaign, he started to pick up steam after he recorded a racist commercial and some of the other candidates’ campaigns stalled.

My feeling is he’s doing it this way again. Vance APPEARS to want to do the minimum and just coast until he can’t anymore. I do not think that is the best strategy for him.

In spite of Vance running, possibly the worst campaign any Ohioan politician has EVER run, don’t count him out. Vance is a brilliant con artist when he wants to be and make no mistake, he wants to win in Ohio. All the more reason to sign up to help Tim Ryan.