Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) put aside partisan politics to work with Democrats to address the toxic train derailment that affected his state.
In a rare moment, Vance, a hard-line conservative, reached across the aisle to sponsor a rail safety bill with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) that will implement new rail safety measures and impose financial penalties for those who do not reach them. He said there is a secret method to working with his fellow senators he disagrees with most of the time.
BIPARTISAN GROUP OF SENATORS PUTS POLITICS ASIDE TO INTRODUCE RAIL SAFETY LEGISLATION
“One of the things I’ve learned here is that it’s very easy to disagree with people so long as you’re not an asshole, and still get things done,” Vance said to Politico.
However, his show of bipartisanship will not extend to much else. Vance has vocally opposed continuous aid to Ukraine, attacked both President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for their response to the Ohio train derailment, and has joined four other GOP senators in supporting former President Donald Trump for his presidential run in 2024.
Still, Vance quickly developed a positive relationship with Brown despite being on two opposite ends of the political spectrum.
“I certainly came in expecting the political environment to be so partisan, that it would be harder to get anything done,” Vance said. “In reality, so long as you’re not being a total jerk about it, I think it’s possible to do things.”
Brown called Vance after he defeated former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) for the Senate seat to congratulate him despite predicting that Vance would lose.
Brown and Vance are on the Banking Committee as well, setting them up for future collaborations beyond the environmental disaster in East Palestine. Brown pointed to his experience working with Vance's predecessor, retired Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), saying that while he "had a different tone," Vance offered "nothing but encouragement."
"He’s been nothing but cooperative on this. We’ve done a lot of letters together. We’re talking about a lot of things,” Brown said of Vance via Politico. “I operate under the assumption we’ll work together. Portman and I did a ton of things together, you know.”
Allying himself with Vance on certain topics could boost Brown's chances for reelection in 2024. Ohio is expected to be another battleground state as Democrats try to hold on to their Senate majority. Of the 33 seats up for reelection, 23 are held by Democrats.
Portman and Vance had an understanding that they would not explicitly campaign against each other, but it is unclear if Vance will carry on that same mentality.
“I certainly would prefer there to be a Republican in his seat,” Vance said. “If I think that there’s a candidate who’s clearly better than the rest, then yeah, I’ll get involved.”
Vance declined to rule out a role in the GOP primary to challenge Brown and said he may "say negative things about Sherrod during his reelection.” However, he added that he'd be more effective in giving positive remarks about a Republican rather than negative ones against Brown.
Other Democrats have offered positive reviews of Vance.
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“We had a great first experience working with his office. They were good-faith negotiators and very solutions-oriented,” said Adam Jentleson, chief of staff for Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who is also a co-sponsor of the new rail safety legislation.
The bill responds to a fiery crash of a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials on Feb. 3 that caused 38 train cars to derail and spill chemical toxins into the environment. Residents from East Palestine, Ohio, and Pennsylvanians near the crash site had to evacuate, with concerns still raised over the long-term health effects of the derailment.