The race between Ryan, a 10-term congressman, and Vance, a venture capitalist and author of 'Hillbilly Elegy,' is one of the hardest fought and most closely watched of the midterms.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The first debate between Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan and Republican JD Vance descended quickly into attacks Monday, with the candidates for Ohio's open U.S. Senate seat accusing each other of being responsible for job losses and putting party loyalty ahead of voters' needs.
Ryan sought to paint Vance as an extremist, someone who associates with"crazies" from his party who falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen, support federal abortion restrictions and contributed to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Ryan said:"I'm not gonna apologize for spending 20 years of my adult life slogging away to try to help one of the hardest economically hit regions of Ohio and dedicating my life to help that region come back. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, JD. You went off to California, and you were drinking wine and eating cheese."
On abortion, Vance did not answer whether he would support Graham's proposed national ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with some exceptions. Vance said he thinks different states would likely want different laws but"some minimum national standard is totally fine with me."Ryan said he supports codifying the abortion rights established in Roe v. Wade, which was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June.
Ryan said the U.S. should be prepared with a"swift and significant response," while Vance countered that the United States needs a"foreign policy establishment that puts the interests of our citizens first."
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