Ohio U.S. Senate candidates J.D. Vance and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) are set to face off in their second debate Monday night as they seek to make headway in a tight race that could determine which party has control of the upper chamber next year.
The pair will face off at 7 p.m. EDT in Youngstown, Ohio, just one week after the two clashed over topics such as abortion and inflation in their first debate. Early voting in the state began last week, and the event on Monday is the last scheduled debate between Ryan and Vance before the election on Nov. 8.
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Ryan is likely to use abortion as a cudgel against Vance during the debate, as Democrats have heavily leaned on the subject to motivate their base. Ryan has voiced his support for codifying abortion rights into federal law, while Vance has argued for leaving the decision up to the states.
Meanwhile, Vance is likely to use the economy as a weapon during the debate, pointing to President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings on inflation. Ryan has sought to distance himself from the president on the campaign trail, mirroring other vulnerable Democrats who want to separate themselves from Biden’s faltering favorability.
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Vance and Ryan are locked in a tight race, with major polling averages finding the race to be within just 1 percentage point. FiveThirtyEight has Ryan ahead by under 1 percentage point, while RealClearPolitics has Vance ahead by just under 1 percentage point.
The Ohio Senate race has attracted nationwide attention since Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) announced he would not seek reelection, giving Democrats a chance to pick up a seat in the contentious midterm cycle. Ohio, once viewed as a bellwether for presidential elections, has since shifted to be a somewhat red state in recent years.
