Tim Ryan and J.D. Vance to Face Off in Fox News Town Hall One Week Before Election Day
Ohio’s contentious U.S. Senate race will head to Fox News on Tuesday, November 1st as Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Republican J.D. Vance will take part in a town hall event one week from election day hosted by anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
While Vance maintains a slim lead in the polls, Ryan has surprised many pundits and observers by keeping the race competitive in what has become a reliably red state in recent years. Ryan went viral late last week with a clip raging against elitism within his own party, a theme Ryan has displayed more and more as election day nears.
Trump-backed Vance leads Ryan by 2 points in the latest RealClearPolitics average of polls.
MacCallum, who is the anchor and executive editor of The Story, hyped the event noting, “Ohio is always a pivotal state and the race between Rep. Tim Ryan and JD Vance has had a lot of twists and turns. To their credit they’ve given Ohio voters the chance to see them debate and now our national audience will get to see them respond live, face-to-face with voters. We expect that the audience will have some tough questions on inflation, crime, education and much more.”
Ryan appearing on Fox News should come as no surprise as the Democrat has run a hard-hitting moderate campaign and even boasted of his Fox News appearances in an ad back in July. The ad featured Fox hosts from Tucker Carlson to Maria Bartiromo praising Ryan.
“Tim Ryan is obviously somebody who’s pitching the more moderate ideas,” says Fox News’s White House corresponded Peter Doocy in the ad.
“You’re very moderate, I mean, you’re hanging out in the middle like most of us are,” adds Fox Business host Bartiromo in the 30-second spot.
You don’t have to take it from me: even Fox News will tell you I’ll always put Ohio first. pic.twitter.com/mKiTswfBZO
— Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) July 11, 2022
“Bret and I like the town hall format because it gives people who are living in that area a chance to get an up-close moment with these candidates and see them on their feet,” added MacCallum, noting of the format:
Some of the most memorable moments have come from these town halls over the past several elections because the genuineness of a voter standing in front of a candidate challenging them can be a game changer.
A Fox News statement on the event notes the town hall “will feature a live audience of bipartisan Ohio voters and focus on key issues facing the swing state.”
Fox News has held other town hall events this news cycle and Laura Ingraham will host another on Wednesday, October 26th at the Wortham Theater in Houston, Texas. Ingraham will be joined by Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R), Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX), and Texas congressional candidates Cassy Garcia (R) and Monica de la Cruz (R). The event, according to Fox News, will focus on “the fastest-growing voting bloc in America: the Latino electorate.”
