Fox News Digital sat down last weekend at FreedomFest in Las Vegas with U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, to discuss the 2024 presidential election, former President Trump's VP pick, the Ohio Senate race and President Biden's performance and relationship with Congress.
Davidson represents Ohio's 8th district, the seat held by former House Speaker John Boehner for a quarter of a century. The district stretches through Cincinnati's northern suburbs along the Indiana border in the southwestern corner of the state.
Davidson said he believes Ohio has turned into a reliable red state because the Democrats have moved too far to the left at the national level.
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"Well, you think about [former Ohio Democratic Rep.] Tim Ryan at one point tried to tell the Democrats and challenged Nancy Pelosi for the speakership, 'You can't keep going down this far left path in places like Youngstown, Ohio.' And, you know, that's proven accurate," Davidson said. "Republicans in Ohio have picked up voters, and even though a lot of people are independents, they're voting Republican because they've looked at Democrats and (are) saying, 'Yeah, I'm not going to go along with this transgender movement, for example.'"
Davidson also argues the energy policies enacted during the tenure of Obama and Biden jeopardized their electoral standing in Ohio.
"Southeast Ohio is a big energy [producer]. Eastern Ohio has a lot of energy in it and coal … fracking, oil and natural gas. And the Obama administration's kind of war on coal and war on energy shifted those voters, and coal in particular. … A lot of those folks in Ohio and West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, maybe historically voted Democrat but are not going to continue to vote Democrat because it's essentially you go to war against my family if you try to take away my ability to earn a living," Davidson said.
Ohio is facing a close Senate race between Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Bernie Moreno.
Davidson said Brown's attempts to align himself with Trump and distance himself from the Biden agenda will be unsuccessful.
"You know, Bernie's built a great campaign, and Sherrod Brown has never really been on the ballot in a presidential cycle. And if you look at his ads right now, Sherrod Brown’s trying to convince everybody that somehow he's some Trump loyalist that's been good with the issues. But Bernie Moreno’s running the kind of campaign (that is) going to be very clear who's aligned with President Trump. President Trump's gonna win Ohio," he said. "I think Bernie Moreno is gonna keep playing off of that momentum, but he's also gonna make sure Brown has to defend his record.
"I mean, Sherrod Brown is essentially 100% aligned with Joe Biden and [Massachusetts Democratic Sen.] Elizabeth Warren. He's the chairman of Senate Banking, but Elizabeth Warren effectively runs it. Bernie Moreno's gonna run the campaign that's gonna expose that, and I think he'll defeat Sherrod Brown."
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Despite Davidson's bullishness on the Moreno campaign, Moreno continues to struggle in polls in his race with Brown. While Trump is generally leading Biden by 10 or more points in the Buckeye state, Moreno is losing to Brown in most polls by around 10 points.
Davidson believes Brown's voting record will ultimately be the decider for Ohioans.
"I think a lot of people haven't really paid attention to the Senate race yet, and they will, probably starting in September. And I think the other thing is Sherrod Brown's been in politics since 1972. All Sherrod Brown has done is hold elected office. But when they start associating that name with his actual voting record, I think Bernie’s going to gain the ground," he said.
With control of both chambers hanging by a thread, Davidson said Trump's strong polling numbers in close Senate races will flip control back to the GOP.
"I think Donald Trump has built a platform that is more narrow that every Republican should be able to say, 'I'm for everything that's in the platform,' and I think that's going to unite us across the country. It's going to deliver a majority in the House," Davidson said.
"And I think when you look at the Senate, Donald Trump is polling well ahead in West Virginia. He's polling well ahead in Ohio. He's polling well ahead in Montana, He's pulling ahead in Nevada. And I think those are places that we have a good chance to win Senate seats that we need to flip to control the Senate."
Biden had the opportunity to govern as a moderate but ended up governing as a radical, according to Davidson.
"His inaugural address was all about how he was going to try to govern [as a moderate] and be this reasonable person. And then he went straight down to Pennsylvania Avenue and started signing executive orders that were all radical. And everyone told them the consequences of these policies and the reality is therefore the policies, because of the consequences, not in spite of them. So, he hasn't tried to moderate his views in any way, shape or form."
Davidson said he believes Biden erred by running for re-election, validating the underdog campaign of Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, Biden's only challenger.
"Well, I don't think he should have run for re-election. I don't think he was fit to do that. I think Dean Phillips is probably one of the most validated guys in American politics right now. He's one of my colleagues in the House who basically wasn't going to go along with the lie," Davidson said.
"He's like there's no way Joe Biden's fit to do this job, and he felt like he would offer an alternative. And, of course, they canceled him. The Democrats didn't have a real primary. He is their candidate, and I don't know how they could say we are going to disregard the results of the primary that they effectively prevented from happening."
With respect to Trump's potential vice presidential pick, Davidson offered praise to fellow Ohioan JD Vance.
"As an Ohioan, I think JD Vance is great. I think he'd be a phenomenal vice president. I think he's done a great job in his short tenure in the Senate. He's attracted a lot of attention and a lot of energy, and I think that's why he's on the list," he said.
"I think it also shows that Donald Trump is a guy that won't hold a grudge; they always depict Trump as this unreasonable guy. Well, JD was crossways with him, and they worked their differences out. And now, not only is Trump aligned with JD, JD's aligned with Trump."
Finally, Davidson said he has learned a great deal since taking Boehner's seat.
"Well, he was popular, right? People, when I ran, they said, ‘Why are you attacking John Boehner?’ I'm like, 'I never attacked John Boehner at all. I mean, I'm running because the seat’s open.' And they say, 'Well, you're clearly different than him.' And I would say, 'Well, you know, he's got a better tan than I do.'
"People have since drawn lots of conclusions about how we're different. You know, I've been there eight years now, and he represented the district for 25 years. Somebody voted for him, so he is still popular with a lot of folks in the district. And I think he had a good style, likes to tell stories that resonate with people.
"He rose up and became a leader. He did good things for the country in our district. … There was a shutdown on his watch, and ultimately it produced majorities in the House and a majority in the Senate, and I think helped build the momentum that led Donald Trump to be president."
