Ohio group voices caution about Vance’s record for helping working class
As the party announced Monday Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, is the vice presidential candidate on the GOP ticket, progressive groups said they are concerned about Senator Vance’s voting record and how his decisions have affected the state’s working class.
Vance is a venture capitalist with investments in the health care industry.
Desiree Tims, president and CEO of Innovation Ohio, listed Vance’s support for a national abortion ban, major corporations, and said some of his health care stances are “concerning.”
“While I understand it may be very exciting for our Republican friends on the other side of the aisle, I think the public at large should be concerned and really paying attention to Senator Vance’s record -- albeit brief -- in the U.S. Senate, but impactful nonetheless,” Tims emphasized.
Vance opposes gender-affirming care for minors and supports denying health coverage to immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.
Vance, 39, who has been in the U.S. Senate for a year-and-a-half, was announced as Trump’s 2024 running mate on Monday afternoon at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Tims stressed now is the time for Ohio voters to educate themselves on the issues and register to vote. So far, more than 2.5 million people have been purged from the state’s voter rolls.
She noted Ohioans will see likely see a measure on the ballot this fall to reform the state’s redistricting process, including replacing Ohio’s Redistricting Commission with a voter-elected independent body.
”That’s yet another opportunity for Ohioans to weigh in on direct democracy,” Tims urged. “And participate on how they want districts to be managed and drawn in this state.”
Tims added the last couple of days have been somber and sad for the nation, as well as a call to tone down political rhetoric, as more innocent lives were lost to gun violence.
”The assassination attempt on Donald Trump was certainly scary for folks in attendance and folks watching,” Tims acknowledged. “And really just has no place in our democracy, especially when we’re talking about political violence.”