Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance cast his ballot in-person this morning at his polling place in Cincinnati.
The senator appeared in good spirits as he arrived at St. Anthony of Padua Church to vote with his wife, Usha, and their children.
After casting his ballot for the Trump-Vance ticket, Vance told reporters he was thankful to those who came out to see “one of the great traditions in American democracy.”
“I feel good, you never know until you know, but I feel good about this race,” Vance said.
Vance acknowledged that in a race this closely divided, no matter who wins the election, at least half of the country will be disappointed. But he said, if elected, he will still treat those who did not vote for his ticket as American citizens.
“I think my attitude is the best way to heal the rift in the country is to try to govern the country as well as we can, create as much prosperity as we can for the American people and remind our fellow Americans that we are all fundamentally on the same team, no matter how you voted,” Vance said.
Also, Vance said he doesn’t put much stock into the Iowa poll showing Vice President Kamala Harris with a lead over Trump.
“I’m not too worried about that. Look, one outlier poll doesn’t change what we’ve seen on the ground. We feel very good about the energy. We feel very good about the early vote. But ultimately, the ball is in the courts of the American people. Today is the day. If you don’t want an open border, vote for Donald Trump. If you want to get back to low inflation and affordable groceries, vote for Donald Trump. If you want to return the world to peace and stability vote for Donald Trump,” Vance said.
“I certainly hope you vote for Donald J. Trump today … but if you vote the wrong way, in my view, I’m still going to love you, I’m still going to treat you as a fellow citizen and if I am lucky enough to be your vice president I’m going to fight hard for your dreams and your family over the next four years.”
Vance said he hasn’t had a chance to speak to the former president today, but he plans to watch the election results with Trump in Palm Beach later tonight. He said “my heart is just overwhelmed with gratitude” to be campaigning for vice president of the United States.
“The fact that I’m standing here is a testament that we live in the greatest country in the world,” Vance said.
This post has been updated with the latest comments from Vance.
