J.D. Vance is apologizing for his past criticisms of former President Trump. The apology comes as Vance has entered the Ohio Senate race to fill retiring Senator Rob Portman’s seat.

The Washington Examiner reports:

Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy, asked not to be judged based on years-old comments. Vance described himself as “never Trump”; called Trump “an idiot”; said he “didn’t support” Trump; described himself as “not a Trump guy”; and said: “I loved @MittRomney’s anti-Trump screed” in since-deleted tweets from 2016 and 2017.

“I think he was a good president. I think he made a lot of good decisions for people, and I think he took a lot of flak,” he said Monday. “I think that’s the most important thing, is not what you said five years ago, but whether you’re willing to stand up and take the heat and take the hits for actually defending the interests of the American people.”

Vance entered a pro-Trump field in the Republican primary with all contenders hoping to take over for retiring Sen. Rob Portman. He’s fighting Josh Mandel, a Marine Corps veteran and two-time treasurer of Ohio; Jane Timken, the former Ohio GOP chairwoman; and businessmen Bernie Moreno and Mike Gibbons.

So far, Trump has yet to officially endorse anyone for the Ohio senate seat but Vance is hoping his apology will move him further into Trump’s good graces.