JD Vance Commercial

In a TV ad, Club for Growth Action, a super PAC whose sister organization has endorsed Josh Mandel in the race, employs only part of a Vance quote, leaving the misleading impression that JD Vance made a sweeping generalization that Trump voters were “racist.”

In fact, Vance agreed with the premise that “some” had “racist reasons” for voting for Trump. He went on to say “the thing that really motivated people to vote for Trump … was three words — jobs, jobs, jobs.”

Back in 2016, Vance publicly opposed Trump. He even said, in a since-deleted tweet a few weeks before the election, that he would vote for independent candidate Evan McMullin.

Author of the book “Hillbilly Elegy,” which became a Netflix film, Vance said in October 2016, “I’m a Never Trump guy. I never liked him.”

The Club for Growth Action ad uses the “Never Trump guy” quote. But it goes on to show Vance saying: “People who voted for Trump voted for him for racist reasons.” A man in the ad then says, “Where does he get off saying that?”

So, Vance agreed “some” Trump voters were racists, but by editing the quote, the TV ad leaves the impression that Vance was speaking broadly about Trump’s supporters. The man’s angry reaction in the ad reinforces that impression.

A Club for Growth spokesman said that he disagreed that the editing of Vance’s words changed their meaning.

Another TV ad from the group attacking Vance actually uses a fuller quote from the remarks, with Vance saying, “Definitely some people who voted for Trump … they voted for him for racist reasons.”

Again, Vance said some of Trump’s support is rooted in racism, but not a lot of it. “Well, I think it’s probably both,” Vance responded.

“There are definitely — there is definitely an element of Donald Trump’s support that has its basis in racism or xenophobia. But a lot of these folks are just really hardworking people who are struggling in really important ways.”

Vance has since disavowed the negative things he said about Trump, and among a crowded field vying for Trump’s endorsement, Vance is the one who secured it.

“I regret being wrong about the guy,” Vance said last summer. “I think he was a good president, I think he made a lot of good decisions for people, and I think he took a lot of flak.”