Representative Tim Ryan threw back former president Donald Trump’s words at his Republican opponent JD Vance in their debate for Ohio’s open Senate seat on Monday evening.
Toward the end of the debate, Mr Ryan hit out at Mr Vance for seeking Mr Trump’s endorsement. During a rally in Youngstown last month, Mr Trump pointed to Mr Vance, who he has endorsed, for courting him.
“JD is kissing my ass, he wants my support so much,” Mr Trump said at the time.
“And that's bad, because that means JD Vance is going to do whatever he wants,” Mr Ryan said.
Mr Ryan also claimed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell gave the candidate $40m for the Ohio Senate race, and Peter Thiel, for whom Mr Vance worked at a venture capital firm, gave him $50m.
“And here's the thing that's most troubling about this lack of courage, is that after Trump took JD Vance’s dignity from him, onstage in Youngstown, JD Vance got back up on stage and said, start shaking his hand, take a picture saying, ‘Hey, are we having a great time here, tonight’,” Mr Ryan said.
“I’m from Ohio. I don’t kiss anyone’s ass like him. Ohio needs an ass-kicker, not an ass-kisser,” Mr Ryan added.
“I don't know anybody I grew up with, I don't know anybody I went to high school with, that would allow somebody to take their dignity like that and then get back up on stage.”
Mr Vance had previously lagged in the polls before Mr Trump endorsed him, something that catapulted him to the Republican nomination to replace retiring Senator Rob Portman. Mr Vance had previously criticised Mr Trump.
Polling shows the race is tight in a state that Mr Trump won by eight points twice. Some have shown Mr Vance leading, while others showed Mr Ryan beating him.
In response, Mr Vance said he would not take lectures on dignity after Mr Ryan said in a speech that he had to “suck up a little bit” to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“That’s the kind of guy that Tim Ryan is,” he said. “We’re getting close to Halloween and Tim Ryan has put on a costume where he pretends to be a reasonable moderate.”
Mr Vance noted how Mr Ryan voted with president Joe Biden and House speaker Nancy Pelosi all the time.
“I wish that you were the reasonable moderate you said you were, because then Youngstown would not have lost 50,000 jobs during your 20 years,” he said.
