Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) told the Washington Examiner that Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) should have “acted like a man and spoke to me directly” rather than criticize him publicly.
The first excerpt of Romney: A Reckoning, a book on the senator, dropped as the Utah Republican announced his decision to step aside from his seat. The typically reserved Romney took aim at several of his Republican colleagues in the excerpt, though he delivered his most pointed criticism toward Vance, saying, “I don't know that I can disrespect someone more than J.D. Vance.”
ROMNEY ACKNOWLEDGES PITCHING MANCHIN ON STARTING THIRD PARTY AHEAD OF 2024
Romney accused Vance of political opportunism, explaining that he was a fan of the Ohio Republican until he embraced former President Donald Trump during his 2022 Senate bid.
Asked by the Washington Examiner for his reaction to the digs, Vance took issue with Romney’s comments on his political evolution, given that Romney faced criticism for flip-flopping on matters during his 2012 presidential campaign.
“My job is to get things done for the people of Ohio,” Vance said. “I'm gonna keep on working at that job, and sometimes that'll mean working with Mitt Romney, and sometimes it won’t, and that's fine.”
“I think the only response directly to what he said is: First, this is not a guy who is a stranger to changing his mind in public. So it's a little interesting that he's found a lot of courage when criticizing me but not when looking in the mirror,” he continued. “And the second thing is, if he has a problem with me, I kind of wish he just acted like a man and spoke to me directly, not whining to a reporter about it.”
When Romney announced he wouldn't seek reelection, he said the decision was heavily influenced by his age and his prediction that his second term in the Senate would be less effective than the first. He also called for a “new generation of leaders.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The 2012 GOP presidential candidate also used his announcement to take aim at President Joe Biden and Trump, the two front-runners for their respective party’s nominations in next year’s presidential election. Romney said both men are unable or unwilling to address the nation’s leading problems.
Romney, a prominent foe of the former president, repeatedly expressed confidence that he would win if he ran again, and polls don’t necessarily dispute his assertion. He has dominated surveys of 2024 Utah voters in the primary and general elections. The GOP primary in Utah is not until next June, leaving Republicans more than enough time to find a replacement.