Ryan rolls out ad mocking Vance ahead of Trump rally, OSU game

Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Tim Ryan’s (D-Ohio) campaign rolled out a new football-themed digital ad on Saturday mocking Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance ahead of his rally with former President Trump, which is set to take place during Ohio State University’s game against the University of Toledo. 

The ad, which is a part of a six-figure ad buy on Facebook and Instagram, shows what it refers to as “Silicon Valley J.D.” going up against “Politician J.D.” in an effort to paint the Republican candidate as out of touch. 

The 30-second digital spot comes ahead of the college football game and Trump’s rally with Vance in Youngstown, Ohio, both of which are set to take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Ryan and Ohio Democrats have been hitting Vance and Trump for holding the rally during the game. 

“Dude just doesn’t get it,” Ryan tweeted earlier this month along with screenshots of the timing of both events. 

Football games, particularly Ohio State games, are a mainstay in the Buckeye State. According to The Columbus Dispatch, a record-breaking 10.5 million tuned in to Ohio State’s game against the University of Notre Dame earlier this month. 

But while Saturday’s game may stand to get more viewership than Trump’s rally for Vance and down-ballot Ohio Republicans, the rally still stands to further boost Vance ahead of Election Day. Trump won the Buckeye State twice by eight points in 2016 and 2020. Earlier this year he endorsed Vance in the state’s GOP Senate primary, helping propel him to victory in the intraparty contest. 

The rally is set to take place in Youngstown, which is a part of Ryan’s district but has a sizable number of Trump supporters. 

“Tim Ryan is a radical progressive who votes with Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time. He called the criminal justice system the ‘new Jim Crow,’ falsely smeared cops of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, and voted to end qualified immunity for local police. The only person who ‘doesn’t get it’ is Tim Ryan,” Vance said in a statement.

Polls show a tight race between Vance and Ryan, with the Republican holding a slight lead. A  survey from Emerson College and The Hill released on Friday showed Vance leading Ryan 44 percent to 40 percent. Thirteen percent of voters said they were undecided, while 3 percent said they planned to vote for someone else. Meanwhile, a USA Today-Suffolk University poll released earlier this week showed Ryan leading Vance 46.6 percent to 45.6 percent. The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Vance leading by 2.7 points, and the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “lean Republican.” 

Updated at 10:21 p.m.