DeSantis Stumps for J.D. Vance in Ohio, Launches Statewide Education Tour During Busy Weekend

Jeff LouderbackAugust 21, 2022

Unopposed in the Aug. 23 Florida gubernatorial primary, Gov. Ron DeSantis encouraged a standing-room-only audience to vote for Ohio Republican U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance at a rally in suburban Youngstown on Aug. 19.

The event—which was held in the home area of Vance’s opponent, 10-term U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio)—was one of the multiple appearances DeSantis is making on behalf of conservative Republican candidates and Turning Point Action.

At the “Unite and Win” rally, DeSantis touted his response to the COVID-19 crisis, spoke out against “woke ideology,” and addressed cultural issues like critical race theory and transgender athletes participating in women’s sports.

In Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is projected to win reelection in November, although many conservative voters across the state do not approve of his handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

J.D. Vance, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, and his wife Usha Vance wave to supporters after winning the Ohio Republican Senate primary election at an election night event at Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 3, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

DeSantis criticized mask and vaccine mandates and business closures related to the pandemic. He mentioned that Florida “never mandated anything” and that the state maintained a thriving economy as a result. He said that private sector employment in Florida grew by 70,000 in July 2022.

“And I can tell you none of that would have been possible if we had let our state over the last two years descend into some type of Faucian dystopia,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis continues his campaign for reelection, and he is widely seen as a potential 2024 presidential candidate.

Before taking the stage in the Youngstown suburb of Girard, DeSantis joined Pennyslvania’s GOP gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano at an event in Pittsburgh earlier in the day.