Ohio Senate: GOP candidate JD Vance defeats Dem challenger House Rep. Tim Ryan

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Republican candidate and author JD Vance will defeat Democratic U.S. House Rep. Tim Ryan in the Ohio U.S. Senate race, Fox News projects.

The winner will replace retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman and keep Ohio in the GOP's column as the Senate is expected to remain close to its already 50-50 split going into Tuesday's midterm elections.

Early in the race, polls showed Vance trailing Ryan, who painted himself as a moderate Democrat and often tried to distance himself from President Joe Biden and his dismal approval rating among Ohioans. 

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JD Vance speaks at a campaign rally at Dayton International Airport on Nov. 7, 2022, in Vandalia, Ohio. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Vance closed that polling gap in the final weeks of the race, leading Ryan to further distance himself from Biden, specifically on issues like the ongoing crisis at the U.S. southern border.

Tim Ryan, Democrat Senate candidate for Ohio, speaks in Lancaster, Ohio, on Aug. 3, 2022. (Gaelen Morse/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The two clashed over the issue at a debate in October, with Ryan saying he disagreed with some of the Biden administration's policies, and Vance accusing the Democrat of purposely allowing mass migration in order to alter national elections in Democrats' favor.

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Control of the Senate is up for grabs in the November midterm elections.