J.D. Vance, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine win GOP primary

May 3 (UPI) -- J.D. Vance, who secured the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, won Ohio's hotly contentious Republican Senate primary on Tuesday as the state's incumbent governor, Mike DeWin, also prevailed to run for re-election.

Vance won what was perhaps the biggest race on Tuesday when voters in Ohio and Indiana hit the polls for their states' primaries that saw an open U.S. Senate sate, a governorship and several U.S. congressional seats up for grabs with the GOP seeking to gain a majority in the House come November.

The Ohio Senate seat is to be vacated by Republican Sen. Rob Portman who announced in January 2021 that he won't seek re-election in November, opening up a five-way race in the GOP.

A RealClearPolitics average of polls has projected Vance to win the coveted Republican endorsement for the soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat with 32.2% of the vote. Projected in second is former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel with 23.9%, followed by state Sen. Matt Dolan at 23.3%, businessman Mike Gibbons 11.6% and former Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken at 5.9%.

"THANK YOU OHIO!" Vance tweeted late Tuesday.

Vance, author of the book Hillbilly Elegy, received Trump's endorsement last month.

"In the Great State of Ohio, the candidate most qualified and ready to win in November is J.D. Vance. We cannot play games. It is all about winning!" Trump said in the statement.

"I've studied this race closely and I think J.D. is the most likely to take out the weak, but dangerous, Democrat opponent -- dangerous because they will have so much money to spend."

In the Democratic primary, Rep. Tim Ryan is projected to win the nomination by a landslide over competitors attorney Morgan Harper and businesswoman and former state government employee Traci Johnson.

A RealClearPolitics average of polls has Ryan sitting high with 69.7% of the vote followed by Harper with 17.7% and Johnson with 12.5%

In the biggest state race, DeWine is projected to win the Republican primary for re-election, with a 20-point advantage in the RealClearPolitics average of polls.

The Ohio Republican Party late Tuesday congratulated DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted for the win with the incumbent governor issuing a statement of gratitude for the support.

"We've made promises and we've kept promises," he said. "We are ensuring that every child in Ohio can live up to their god-given potential."

In the Democratic primary, former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley is projected to best former Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, with the former securing 64.9% of the vote to Cranley's 35.1%, according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls.

Whaley on Twitter introduced herself as "officially the Democratic nominee for the governor of Ohio, and said, "I know a little something about facing challenges head on and getting results," based on her experience as Dayton mayor.

"It's time for a governor from the middle-class, not another millionaire," she said.

Whaley is the first woman to win a nomination to run for governor in state history.

Ohio congressional races of note include the 13th Congressional District, the seat vacated by Rep. Ryan, who's running for the Senate. Rep. Emilia Sykes ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Madison Gesiotto Gilbert, who was endorsed by Trump, won the Republican race, which was seen as wide open. The district has voted Democratic candidates into office for decades.

The state's 9th and 1st Congressional Districts are also of note because of significant redistricting after the 2020 census, NPR reported. Incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur is expected to face stiff competition in November after the 9th District became more right-leaning in the wake of redistricting.

The 1st District also faces a party flip, with incumbent Rep. Steve Chabot -- who faces Jenn Giroux in the Republican primary -- likely going head-to-head with unchallenged Democratic challenger Greg Landsman in November.

Indiana's 1st Congressional District could also be flipped with incumbent Rep. Frank Mrvan expected to face stiff competition from one of several Republicans vying for the nomination.