(Senate candidate JD Vance, left, greets former President Donald Trump at a rally at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, Saturday, April 23, 2022, in Delaware, Ohio, to endorse Republican candidates ahead of the Ohio primary on May 3. (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana)
By JILL COLVIN, MARC LEVY and JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s late endorsements in hypercompetitive Republican Senate primaries in Ohio and Pennsylvania have unlocked a flood of support for his chosen candidates. But some Republicans believe Trump has betrayed his core supporters by backing author JD Vance in Ohio and TV’s Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania. Both candidates have been criticized as insufficiently committed to Trump and his “America First” agenda. A major conservative group aligned with a Vance rival called for a boycott of Trump’s Saturday night rally in Delaware, Ohio. The former president told those at the rally that Vance has the best chance to win in November.