Much had been made of Trump's endorsement of JD Vance (pictured) for the open U.S. Senate seat. And when the votes were counted the Trump endorsement proved to be decisive as Vance took 32% in the crowded field, eight points ahead of second-place Josh Mandel, who was the only "verified conservative" in the race, according to iVoterGuide.
Tom Zawistowski, president of the tea-party affiliated We the People Convention, says it is evident that Trump endorsements really carried the day.
"He swept all 13 races that he endorsed in Ohio plus nine that he endorsed in Indiana – and that speaks volumes," he tells AFN. "Basically, the people of Ohio said they trust Donald Trump to pick the candidates who he wants to be with him, to be the conservative warriors that are going the pass the legislation that we need to reimplement the Make America Great Again agenda."
And Zawistowski says it is unfortunate the former president didn't endorse longtime pro-life activist Janet Folger Porter in Ohio's 13th Congressional District GOP primary.
"What's tough for us is that you've got people like Janet Porter, who we've known for a long time – you can't be any stronger conservative – and who we know would have done a good job," he shares.
"If Donald Trump had endorsed Janet Porter, she wins going away – but he didn't. Part of our problem is [Trump] does not talk to his base about who we want. And so, while we show our loyalty to the president, it doesn't feel like the president shows his loyalty to us."
Still, Zawistowski expects a "Red wave" in Ohio in November.
