Hillbilly Elegy Author JD Vance is Entering the Ohio Senate Race as a Republican

JD Vance has quite a backstory. Raised in extreme poverty in Middletown, Ohio, he eventually earned a law degree from Yale. His memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which was eventually made into a film, was cited by many to help understand the populist rise of Donald Trump.

Vance, now a venture capitalist, was at first a detractor of Trump. He said in 2016, “I can’t stomach Trump. I think that he’s noxious and is leading the white working class to a very dark place.”

But now, the author has gone all in on Trump and often promote white grievance talking points. He announced on Thursday that he will try to win one of Ohio’s US senate seats in 2022.

Vance told reporters, “If you look at every issue in this country, every issue I believe traces back to this fact: On the one hand, the elites in the ruling class in this country are robbing us blind, and on the other, if you dare complain about it, you are a bad person.”

Peter Thiel, an elite billionaire venture capitalist will be heavily funding Vance’s campaign.

JD Vance needing to scrub his account of any shred of morality to run for office in the Republican Party says a lot about Trumpism https://t.co/nAyI4bzFw6

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 2, 2021

The GOP hopeful also noted, “We need people in Washington, D.C. who know how the system works, who know how to reform that system and can make this country better. And that’s why I’m running to be your next senator from the state of Ohio.”

Vance will face a crowded Republican field that includes Jane Timkin and Josh Mandel. The winner will face off against popular Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown.