SIDNEY — Returning to the days of the American Dream is an end goal J.D. Vance has laid out his campaign for senate.
“The reason why I decided to blow up my private sector life and all the good things I’ve got going is because it is ultimately about the future we want to leave for our kids. I grew up in a good country. I grew up in a good place. I grew up in a place where I really felt like I could dream big dreams. I want my kids to grow up in that place, too,” Vance said.
Vance, who stopped at the Alcove Restaurant in downtown Sidney on Tuesday morning, has been holding townhall-style events on his “No B.S. Tour” in an effort to make his campaign a return to what he thinks politics should be — politicians going out, meeting the people they intend to represent, and hearing from them directly. Many Shelby County residents packed the restaurant to listen to the senate hopeful outline where he stands on hot-topic issues such as border control and security, sex trafficking, corruption and unethical business practices, among others.
When asked about issues such as violence against police officers, Vance emphasized that there should be firm penalties under law for attacking police officers that don’t currently exist, and to have consequences holding prosecutors accountable for negligence, specifically sighting the Waukesha Christmas parade attack on Nov. 21, 2021, as an example.
“If you’re a local prosecutor and you let a convicted criminal into the streets of your city on a $100 cash bail, and that person goes and mows down a Christmas parade, you ought to face consequences. It’s that simple,” Vance said. “If we’re going to talk about going after police officers for the 1 in 1,000 that does something bad, what about the local prosecutors … that are releasing criminals on the street? Those people need to face consequences.”
Election fraud and security was another topic of interest among attendees. Three things that Vance sees as the first steps to creating election security is utilizing voter ID to match an ID to a ballot; having a set, in-person voting on election day in November; and get funding from tech companies out of boards of elections. Regarding pushing for a revisit to in-person voting, Vance cited utilizing the most up-to-date information about candidates to make informed decisions.
“Even if you’re not concerned about fraud, we should all show up on the same day and cast our ballot together and decide on our leaders. What if you cast your ballot in September and you learn something in October you don’t like, but then in November you can’t change your ballot? That’s why we have an Election Day, so we all make the same decisions together,” Vance said. “If you do those three things, you’ll solve 90% of the problem, and you’ll give people a lot more confidence in the security of our elections.”
Stopping in Shelby County along the tour was important to Vance because he’s made it a point to visit where he feels voters are engaged and care about the race and their government. In speaking directly with citizens and answering their questions, Vance said he hopes to establish trust that maintains longevity as he seeks office.
“More than any particular policy issue, the perspective I’ve gotten from voters is that they’re just so mistrustful with politicians. They want somebody who says that they’re going to do something, and go to Washington and keep their promise. It’s kind of sad that so many people don’t trust the people they’ve sent to Washington, that they’ve been stabbed in the back so many times that they don’t have any reason to trust the people they send to Washington. More than anything, I want people to, six years from now, say ‘we voted for that guy, we supported that guy, and … we’re proud of what he accomplished, we’re proud we voted for him,’” Vance said.
