J.D. Vance's Ohio Senate Campaign Gets Off To Awkward Start

It’s too early to write an elegy over J.D. Vance ’s Ohio Senate campaign, but the “Hillbilly Elegy” author’s announcement on Thursday was definitely awkward.

Vance is competing in the Republican primary for the seat currently held by Sen. Rob Portman (R). His opponents include former state Treasurer Josh Mandel, former Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken, and business executives Bernie Moreno and Mike Gibbons.

To prove he’s the right person for the job, Vance presumably wanted a campaign announcement that went off without a hitch.

If only the campaign sign on his lectern had gotten the memo. Instead, it fell off right when he was about to declare his candidacy.

Many Twitter users saw the falling campaign sign as sending a very specific message.

Some had questions. 

Others had jokes. 

But the sign mishap wasn’t the only awkward thing to happen to Vance since officially declaring his candidacy.

CNN ’s Andrew Kaczynski noted the many tweets Vance has deleted like one where he called former President Donald Trump “reprehensible” so that Ohio Republicans won’t see them.