Here are the main hot topics from this week’s heated debate between Republican candidate J.D. Vance and Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan for the Ohio Senate seat
What J.D. Vance, Tim Ryan said about abortion
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, abortion has been an issue that Democrats have spoken on in midterm election campaigns, but both Ryan and Vance came to the debate to talk about the issue.
CNN reported that when asked about what he would do in the face of a Republican majority in Congress, Ryan responded by saying in that event that he would use all his time “trying to fight a national abortion ban.”
Vance responded to Ryan by suggesting that Ryan’s policies were to blame for the rape of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who wanted an abortion in Indiana.
“That little girl was raped by an illegal immigrant,” Vance said. He went on to say that people “need to be honest about the fact that she would have never been raped in the first place if Tim Ryan had done his job on border security.”
What J.D. Vance, Tim Ryan said about illegal immigration and the border
Ryan affirmed his stance on immigration by saying, “this is a country who has been enriched by immigrants.”
Vance responded with his belief that the border should still be a project Americans are invested in voting for and said it would stop drug trafficking from making it into U.S. communities.
Bloomberg reported that Ryan accused his opponent of having extremist views on immigration and accused Vance of discussing replacement theory.
“It is grounded in some of the most racial, divisive, racially divisive writings in the history of the world,” Ryan said. “And this is who he’s running around with talking about replacement theory.”
What J.D. Vance, Tim Ryan said about racism
NPR reported that “white replacement theory” is a conspiracy theory that describes the belief that white people in the United States will be overrun and replaced by people of other races due to immigration. The theory derives from antisemitic and racist roots.
Axios reported that as a result of Ryan accusing Vance of advocating for replacement theory, Vance fired back by accusing Ryan of “slander.”
“Here’s exactly what happens when the media and people like Tim Ryan accuse me of engaging in great replacement theory,” Vance said.
Per Axios, Vance — whose wife, Usha Vance, is Indian American — said, “What happens is my own children — my biracial children — get attacked by scumbags online and in person, because you are so desperate for political power that you’ll accuse me, the father of three beautiful biracial babies, of engaging in racism. We are sick of it.”
Vance added that he believes it is possible to support border policies without being extremist.
“You can believe in the border without being a racist,” Vance said.
What J.D. Vance, Tim Ryan said about threats to democracy
The Washington Post reported that the one thing Vance and Ryan seemed to agree upon is having Trump testify about the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Vance said during the debate that it would be “enlightening” to hear what Trump had to say, but still said that he believes that the panel for the issue is overly partisan.
Vance further described the coverage of the Jan. 6 insurrection as a “media obsession” and that the attacks against Trump for the riots are on par with the allegations of Trump colluding with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election, according to The Associated Press.
“There’s been a nonstop political effort to not honor the election of 2016. And I think that’s just as much of a threat to democracy as the violence on January 6th,” Vance said.
Ryan responded, “If a group of people storm the Capitol while we’re trying to file the paperwork for an election, and they’re trying to prevent that from happening and they want to kill the vice president, like, that needs to be looked into.”