Republicans are already souring on JD Vance
www.politico.com

... It's all starting to get some Republicans worried " and frustrated. Some, like Arizona Republican operative Chuck Coughlin, conceded that Vance has had a "tough week."

"Nothing like a baptism by fire," Coughlin said.

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro bluntly questioned whether Trump should have picked Vance, saying on his show: "If you had a time machine, if you go back two weeks, would [Trump] have picked JD Vance again? I doubt it."

Other Republicans also wondered aloud if the Trump campaign had truly anticipated the tidal wave of resurfaced comments, book writings and remarks that would come with picking a 39-year-old, recently elected senator who had grown up online and was firmly seated on the right of the Republican Party.

"Of the people that were mentioned as finalists, he had the most risk, because he had never been vetted nationally," said Bill McCoshen, a Republican strategist in Wisconsin. "Doug Burgum ran for president, he had been vetted, mostly. Marco Rubio has run for president, he had been vetted. JD Vance hadn't. So there was risk in the pick. And we're going to see over the next 102 days how he stands up to the bright lights of a national campaign."

One House Republican lawmaker suggested those vetting concerns weren't just coming from the pundit class.

"Find me one publicly elected official in the Senate who is pushing JD Vance other than Mike Lee," said the Republican lawmaker, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. "I'll wait." ...