Who Won Ohio Debate Between J.D. Vance and Tim Ryan? Analyst Verdict

Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan and Republican J.D. Vance clashed as they met in a heated second debate for Ohio's open Senate seat on Monday night.

Ryan painted Vance, a venture capitalist endorsed by former President Donald Trump, as an extremist while Vance accused Ryan of not delivering during his years in Washington.

"The good news for Ryan is that he was firm and direct and made his case that he represented mainstream Ohio," David Niven, professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, told Newsweek. "But Vance was smoother than in the first debate, and ready to portray Ryan as being the source of nearly all of Youngstown and Ohio's problems."

Nukhet Sandal, associate professor of political science at Ohio University, noted that both candidates "intentionally kept certain answers vague."

"When asked to name one issue [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi was wrong about, Ryan avoided a specific answer and instead focused on the fact that he ran against Pelosi," Sandal told Newsweek.

"Vance continued to avoid any clear answers to the exemption question when it comes to abortion, though he clearly did not see incest or rape as reasonable exemptions by themselves."

Vance said he would support the national abortion ban proposed by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham but was reluctant to be specific about the exceptions he supported.

And after Vance accused Ryan of being "subservient" to the national party, Ryan said he stood up to his own party when he once challenged Pelosi for the speakership and has also backed bipartisan bills alongside retiring GOP Sen. Rob Portman.

On abortion, Vance said he would support the national abortion ban proposed by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, without explicitly saying if he supports a rape exception.

"These ambiguous stances show that both candidates are trying to keep their ground and not pursuing new voters at this stage," Sandal said.

The most heated moment of the night came when the candidates were asked about "replacement theory," a racist conspiracy theory that claims an effort is underway to replace white Americans with people of color, particularly through immigration.

Vance argued that the Democratic leadership has been "very explicit" about wanting more migrants to cross the U.S.-Mexico border to "ensure that Republicans are never able to win another national election." He insisted it was "not about whites or non-whites."

Ryan slammed Vance for spending time with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and other lawmakers who "stoke this racial violence" as he said the theory had inspired the May mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket, in which a white gunman killed 10 Black people and injured three others.

Vance "nodded toward white replacement theory by talking about immigrants supporting Democrats without saying anything that will wind up on a billboard," Niven said.

He added that when Vance was challenged on whether he disagreed with Trump on anything, he "bobbed and weaved."

"Ultimately, the evening was a win for J.D. Vance because it was not a loss.

"He didn't cause himself any great damage, and he rolls on to the final weeks hoping that Ohio's Republican lean will be enough to carry him to the Senate."

But Ryan appeared "more authentic" than Vance, according to Robert Alexander, professor of political science and founding director of the Institute for Civics and Public Policy at Ohio Northern University.

Many of the questions "put Vance on the defensive more often than Ryan, which also boosted Ryan's performance," Alexander told Newsweek.

"Ohio has traditionally gravitated toward populist politicians and Tim Ryan is doing his best to attract Independents and disaffected Republicans by running in that lane.

"Although he has been in Washington for two decades, he came off as more authentic than Vance, who ironically has never held public office."