(PatrioticPost.com)- During his victory speech Tuesday night, Ohio’s Senator-elect J.D. Vance didn’t mention former President Donald Trump in his thanks, despite Trump endorsing him and holding a last-minute rally in Ohio the day before. Unsurprisingly, everyone began reading something into the omission.
Vance was one of the many high-profile Senate candidates in contested races that received Trump’s endorsement, but the only one to win his race. Dr. Mehmet Oz, Adam Laxalt, Tiffany Smiley, and Blake Masters all lost their bids while Georgia’s Herschel Walker will have to face Democrat Raphael Warnock in a December runoff.
In his victory speech, Vance thanked dozens of people who were either directly involved in his campaign or otherwise helped him secure victory. But forgetting Trump caught the attention of many Republicans, some of whom wondered if Vance was deliberately trying to distance himself from the former president.
Then again, when you are thanking dozens of people, it’s easy to leave someone’s name out.
In a statement to Fox News on Wednesday, Vance said he couldn’t thank Trump “enough for his support.” Vance said Trump’s endorsement and his efforts to drive turnout, including Monday’s rally, “made all the difference” in his campaign and led him to the “largest battleground victory in the nation.”
While several states enjoyed massive red waves, nationwide, the electoral tsunami Republicans were expecting failed to materialize.
As it stands, Republicans may gain the slimmest majority in the House, with most outlets projecting the GOP will hold 219 seats (218 is required for a majority).
Meanwhile, the Senate stands at 50 Democrats and 49 Republicans with Georgia’s Senate seat pending until the runoff.
The failure to secure massive wins nationwide coupled with the DeSantis Red Wave in Florida has led some conservatives to wonder if it might be time to move past Trump.
Real Clear Politics reporter Phil Wegman wrote on Tuesday that a source within the GOP told him with Trump’s favored candidates “underperforming” in the midterms and DeSantis securing a 20-point landslide, “2024 is a ‘free for all.’” The source told Wegman that Trump has “never been weaker.”
