Gibbons rolls out ad hitting Vance, Timken over Trump

Ohio Republican Senate candidate Mike Gibbons rolled out an ad on Friday questioning his primary rivals’ support for former President Trump. 

The ad, which was first seen by The Hill, hits former Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken and author J.D. Vance.

“They claim to be conservative, but under pressure, they break,” the 30-second spot says. 

The ad cites past quotes in which Timken said she did not know whether she would have impeached Trump and Vance calling himself a “never-Trump guy.” It then touts Gibbons’s and Trump’s business backgrounds.

The spot is a part of a $10 million ad buy from the Gibbons campaign, which is set to run through the Ohio primary on May 3. 

Polling from The Hill-Emerson College released on Monday showed Gibbons leading the Republican primary field with 22 percent support from GOP primary voters in the Buckeye State. 

The Republican primary has largely turned into a race for the former president’s endorsement. Timken, Gibbons, Vance and former state Treasurer Josh Mandel have all openly jockeyed for Trump’s endorsement — and have received blowback from competitors over claims of closeness to Trump. That has particularly been true for Vance, who was extremely critical of the former president during his 2016 presidential campaign. 

Timken released an ad last month touting her support for Trump while accusing the other challengers of being like men who “overcompensate.”

Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the race.