The golden ticket: Will Trump's endorsement in Ohio race burnish or tarnish his star power? Josh Mandel, a leading contender to win the nomination in the U.S. Senate Republican primary battle in Ohio, expressed confidence this week that victory was within his grasp as he campaigned with General Michael Flynn, an ally of Donald Trump.
But for Mandel, Flynn was a consolation prize. In a contest that has been defined by which candidate could prove the most fealty to the former president, Mandel has lost the golden ticket: Trump’s endorsement.
Trump’s announcement last week that he was endorsing Mandel’s rival, "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, has upended the race and turned the May 3 primary into one of the biggest tests of Trump’s power to elevate candidates of his choosing as he considers another run for the White House.
A win by Vance, who like Trump was a newcomer to politics and has been trailing in the polls, would demonstrate that the former president’s hold on his party’s base remains ironclad, likely discouraging Republicans who are considering challenging him should he run again.
But some Ohio Republicans warn that a Vance victory would endanger the party's hold on the seat of retiring Republican Senator Rob Portman, making it more difficult for the party to win control of the U.S. Senate and block Democratic President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda..............
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/golden-ticket-will-trumps-endorsement-ohio-race-burnish-or-tarnish-his-star-2022-04-22/
