J.D. Mandel? Trump flubs name of chosen Ohio U.S. Senate candidate during Nebraska rally

"Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance spent months fighting his U.S. Senate opponents for the chance to say he's endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

On Sunday, Trump appeared to get him mixed up with another candidate.

"We've endorsed...J.P., right?" Trump said of the Ohio race during a rally in Nebraska. "J.D. Mandel. And he's doing great."

Trump endorsed Vance in the GOP primary to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman, shaking up a race dominated by candidates who wanted Trump's support. Vance faces six other Republicans seeking the nomination: former state treasurer Josh Mandel, investment banker Mike Gibbons, former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken, state Sen. Matt Dolan, and businessmen Mark Pukita and Neil Patel.

Running on the Democratic side are U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, attorney Morgan Harper and tech executive Traci Johnson.

No candidates by the name of J.P. or J.D. Mandel will appear on Tuesday's ballot. Trump appeared to confuse Vance with Mandel, who led limited polling in the race for months and has modeled his rhetoric off the former president.

Trump held a rally in central Ohio last month to encourage Ohio Republicans to support Vance in Tuesday's primary. During his speech, he repeatedly directed comments to "J.D." and brought the venture capitalist on stage with him.

Vance laughed off the gaffe at an event near Columbus on Monday.

"I think President Trump gives probably thousands of words of speeches every single week," he said. "He’s going to misspeak every now and then. But the president’s very much on board."

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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.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Trump calls JD Vance JD Mandel during rally as Ohio primary nears