Donald Trump Jr. visits Ohio to rally GOP voters behind J.D. Vance in Senate race

Donald Trump Jr. swept into Ohio Wednesday as the competitive U.S. Senate race enters its final stretch, urging Republican voters to line up behind J.D. Vance while castigating his Democratic opponent.

The pair toured the state just weeks after former President Donald Trump held a rally in Youngstown to boost Vance and other candidates he endorsed up and down the ballot. Wednesday's events also came as polls show a close race between Vance and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, prompting national GOP groups to pour money into Ohio to help Vance keep up with Ryan's fundraising advantage.

While propping up Vance, Trump Jr. used the appearances to air grievances about President Joe Biden and the recent FBI search of his father's Mar-a-Lago residence.

"(Vance is) someone that's outside of that establishment mold of Washington, D.C.," Trump Jr. said after a Fraternal Order of Police event in Columbus. "I think we've seen that you can get results from that. You're not going to get results from the establishment − on either side, frankly."

Trump and Vance also talked to supporters at the Fraternal Order of Police Steve Young Memorial Lodge #24 in Caledonia.

Ryan has focused his Senate campaign on independent voters and longtime Democrats who left the party to support Trump − a shift that most notably occurred in his Mahoning Valley congressional district. He prioritizes jobs and the economy, decries culture wars and criticizes his party in television ads on issues like police funding. He also talks often about competition with China, which at times has landed him in hot water with Asian American voters.

At the same time, Ryan has voted with Biden's agenda 100% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. He recently panned Biden's decision to broadly forgive student loan debt, although he signaled support for debt forgiveness in the past.

"Tim Ryan is trying to run as a diet version of me," Vance said. "There's no reason that I would be worried about my campaign messaging on China, on the border, on law and order. He's running as me. I don't blame the voters of Ohio for being confused about who's the actual Republican in this race because Tim Ryan runs as far away from his party as he possibly can."

Ohio Senate polls show close race

A USA TODAY Network Ohio/Suffolk University poll released last month showed Vance and Ryan statistically tied, with Ryan ahead 46.6% to 45.6%. Other independent polls, including a recent Spectrum News/Sienna College survey, have shown a similarly tight race.

Vance and Trump Jr. dismissed the polling, noting that many polls have historically understated Republican support. But Ryan is confident that he's winning over moderates and even some Republicans who are wary of the "Hillbilly Elegy" author.

At a campaign stop in Dayton, the congressman panned Vance for bringing a "whole cast of characters" to Ohio, including Trump Jr., and said he's not asking people to stump for him. He recently told Fox News that he has no plans to invite Biden on the campaign trail.

"We're talking about economics, jobs, wages, public-private partnerships, working with business," Ryan said. "They want someone who's going to be out there talking about great jobs and the jobs of the future. That's why a lot of people left the Democrats, because we were more talking about culture wars and things like that. This campaign has been all about the economics, and those voters are coming back."

Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Senate race: Donald Trump Jr. campaigns with J.D. Vance