JD Vance rallies in Nevada

Ohio Sen. JD Vance is on the campaign trail on Tuesday, making two campaign stops in Nevada as he tries to introduce himself to the Republican electorate ahead of November’s election.

The events come as Donald Trump’s running mate has been dogged by comments he previously made about abortion restrictions and women and families without children, specifically previously attacking Vice President Kamala Harris — their likely Democratic opponent in November — and other leaders in the Democratic Party as “a bunch of childless cat ladies.”

Vance is set to speak at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada, a city just southeast of Las Vegas, before heading north to Reno for a rally at the Reno Sparks Convention Center. Tuesday marks his first visit as Trump’s running mate to the Silver State, a state that has been reliably Democratic since 2008, but polling has shown that the race could be tight in November. Joe Biden won the state over Trump by about 34,000 votes in 2020.

The 2022 midterms were a mixed bag for both parties. While Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won reelection over a well-funded Republican challenger, Democrats increased their majorities in the state legislature and all four U.S. House incumbents — three Democrats, one Republican — were reelected, Republicans flipped the Governor’s Mansion, winning the gubernatorial and lieutenant governor races, as well as state controller. Democrats hung on to the secretary of state and attorney general positions.

Vance heads into Nevada facing backlash over his previous comments about women and families, as well as his stance on abortion. The Democratic National Committee erected billboards in English and Spanish in the state ahead of his visit attempting to portray Trump and Vance’s positions on the issue as “too extreme for Nevada.” Polling shows nearly seven in 10 Nevadans support abortion, and a ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution will be on the ballot in November.

Vance’s previous comments about the country “being led by a bunch of childless cat ladies,” saying that Democrats like Harris, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg not having a stake in in the country’s future because they do not have progeny, sparked backlash from Democrats and Republicans alike, as well as notable figures like “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston

Former “View” co-host Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Republican Sen. John McCain, said on social media that she has “been trying to warn every conservative man I know – these JD comments are activating women across all sides, including my most conservative Trump supporting friends.”=

Vance said last week that his comment was sarcastic, but he didn’t back down from criticizing Democratic leaders who choose not to have children. 

In an interview on Megyn Kelly’s SiriusXM show, the Ohio senator said it was a “sarcastic comment” and that “people are focusing so much on the sarcasm and not on the substance” of what he said.

Vance doubled down on his remarks from 2021, telling Kelly, “The simple point that I made is that having children — becoming a father, becoming a mother — I really do think it changes your perspective in a pretty profound way. 

“This is not about criticizing people who, for various reasons, didn’t have kids,” he added. “This is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-child.”

Spectrum News spoke to voters in Nevada who gave Vance a mixed review.

“Most of the people who live in Henderson are very pro-family, and for anybody who isn’t following him or whatever to hear that we are not pro-family is frustrating,” said Joan Peck.

Nevada resident Karl Lyons called Trump and Vance “birds of a feather.”

But Jim Van Loo said he thinks Vance is “good so far,” though admitted he didn’t know much about him until Trump picked him as his running mate.

Vance’s first couple of weeks as Trump’s running mate have been about introducing himself to the electorate, joining the Republican ex-president at rallies in Michigan and Minnesota and holding solo events in Virginia and his home state of Ohio.

Spectrum News’ Susan Carpenter and Ryan Chatelain contributed to this report.