BOARDMAN, Ohio -

JD Vance now leads the Republican candidates in a race for an Ohio U.S. Senate seat, according to the latest Fox News poll.

Vance pulled off a five point lead over previous front runner Josh Mandel.

 

Just last week Vance was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, showing Trump's opinion does have an impact on this recent polling.

 

Vance held a campaign event at the Mahoning County Republican Party Headquarters Wednesday evening in Boardman.

 

The Headquarters was packed with people who wanted to see Vance. The room was filled with people standing or sitting shoulder to shoulder, and some people stood in the doorway. 

 

The crowd was larger than his last visit to Mahoning County.

 

Many people in the crowd say Trump's endorsement holds a lot of weight with them.

 

"I'm switching to J.D. Vance because of Trump but I have some questions here for him. I hope he can answer them that will seal the deal for me," said Timothy Curtin.

 

"I don't want elected officials who are RINOS, Republican in name only, I want senators like Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, John Kennedy, Tom Cotton. I don't want people like ... Mitt Romney," emphasized Curtin.

 

"I think the fact that he has endorsed him means he's a Trumper, Trump America First. I like the fact he's been in the Marines. That helps. He's a patriot," said Eric Sobek. 

 

"I was probably going to be for Gibbons. I thought there must be a reason Trump's endorsed JD Vance. He thinks he has the best chance to win and we need a majority in the senate, so we have to go with who Trump endorsed," Priscilla Umbrazun.

 

Umbrazun tells 21 News she is against the liberal policies that she believes have led to sky high inflation, high grocery bills, home heating and cooling costs and higher costs at the gas pumps.

 

"Inflation, immigration, no one can do anything about these things because we need Republican control of the House and Senate,"

Umbrazun added. 

 

J.D Vance told the crowd he is for an America First agenda, policies including tariffs that help bring manufacturing jobs and the manufacturing pharmaceuticals back to America.

 

Vance also said he was for policies that promote energy independence that help reduce the cost of gas at the pumps, as well as home heating and cooling costs.

 

Vance also told the crowd the out of control inflation and illegal immigration must be addressed.

 

Vance answered questions for 21 News after his campaign stop before he left for another stop in Toledo.

 

"There's so much that Joe Biden has screwed up, but we really have to solve the crisis at the southern border. It's the house is on fire moment. Unless we put out the fire we are not going to have a country," Vance said.

 

During his campaign event where he took questions from folks in the audience, there were a few protesters outside who were asked to stay on the grass and not on the walkway of private property.

 

One man fell as he was backing up, but when he got up he allegedly took a swing at one of the Republican Party volunteers and Boardman Police were called to the scene. 

 

One of the men who was holding a sign which stated that he is against Vance alleging Vance supports doing away with the electoral college, the system in place to select the president. Vance's campaign said that is not accurate.