Vance works to lock up Ohio GOP Senate race as Trump-averse ...

ProfileSectionstvFeaturedMore From NBCFollow NBC NewsDUBLIN, Ohio — From the start, Ohio’s Republican Senate primary has been largely about former President Donald Trump — from the auditions for his endorsement to the test of its influence once he bestowed it upon “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance.So, naturally, Trump injected one last jolt of confusion ahead of Tuesday's primary.“We’ve endorsed J.P., right — J.D. Mandel?” Trump said while highlighting the contest Sunday night in Nebraska, confusing Vance with a top GOP rival, former state Treasurer Josh Mandel.The flub compounded the heightened uncertainty that has clouded the race in its closing days. When asked about the case Saturday, Vance suggested, according to The Columbus Dispatch, that criminal accusations are “very often more about corrupt law enforcement” — a defense that Dolan blasted.Mandel, whose right-wing rise in Ohio foreshadowed Trump’s nationally, spent the final weekend campaigning with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and insisting that he remained the true Trump conservative in the race. I mean, frankly, if I didn’t know the whole story, I’d go, ‘This guy didn’t win the race and put a lot of dough into it.’”Timken, who found herself vastly outspent by other self-funding candidates and their super PACs, spent Saturday with Portman rallying a small group of supporters in Columbus.“I think this is all going to be about who shows up on Election Day,” Timken told reporters at her campaign headquarters, where a giant flag depicting Trump standing atop a tank with a rifle in hand hangs on a wall.