Opinion: Why is J.D. Vance getting canceled by his fellow Republicans?
Washington Post
A fascinating mystery has arisen around Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance. And it raises pressing questions about a larger phenomenon: The drift toward Putinism among some in the GOP, and the effort by other Republicans to paper it over or purge it outright.
Vance was originally scheduled to be keynote speaker at an upcoming dinner held by the Minnesota Republican Party. Then, without any explanation, his speech was abruptly canceled, and the party replaced him with another speaker.
Now Republicans are asking if Vance was canceled because of his controversial declaration about Russias invasion of Ukraine. Last month, Vance said, I dont really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.
Whether this led to Vances cancellation is related to a larger unresolved issue. Vances Senate candidacy is struggling he trails multiple GOP primary rivals and it might ultimately get canceled entirely by GOP primary voters when they choose a nominee this spring.
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Some prominent Republicans have condemned Vances shrug about Ukraine. After news of Vances speech broke, Brian McClung, who advised former Minnesota GOP governor Tim Pawlenty, tore into Vance as a Putin apologist and urged Republicans to boycott the dinner.